Auction brought forward for Mosman home held by same family for more than 60 years
Family treasure – 22 Milner St in Mosman is going to auction.
A long-held and much loved Mosman home is having an early date with the auctioneer following strong interest from buyers.
The charming two-bedroom cottage at 22 Milner St, has been held by the same family for more than 60 years. Known as Mahogany, the c1899 renovated cottage retains much of its Victorian charm.
It goes to auction on Thursday, February 18, at 5pm with a guide of $3 million through Bernard Ryan, of the Ray White Lower North Shore Group.
MORE: Mini golf home scores owner big payday
House sale smashes street record by $3m
Packing up decades of family memories at their childhood home is no mean feat, but for Gregoria Raisis and her sister Chrisanthi McManus it’s been a labour of love.
Gregoria Raisis with the Original Title Deed, at her family home 22 Milner St, Mosman. Picture: John Appleyard
With their mum Heather Raisis downsizing into retirement living, the time has come to pass on their believed Mosman cottage.
They hope it will go to another family who will treasure it as they have.
“It’s a beautiful home and there is a lot of history,” Gregoria Raisis told the Mosman Daily. “It would be really lovely if it went to a family who appreciate the character and the history of the place.”
The two-bedroom cottage at 22 Milner St was bought by Ms Raisis’s grandparents about five years after they moved to Australia from London.
The couple had lived through two world wars in the UK and were looking for a fresh start. Ms Raisis’s mum came with them – her aunt was already living in Tasmania by then.
Classic features.
In 1957, the year they bought their little piece of Mosman paradise, Ms Raisis’s parents were married at the local church.
Her father was a fellow immigrant, and had come from Greece also looking to start a new life.
In 1963 the couple bought the Milner St home from Ms Raisis’s grandparents, and it was here that they raised their two daughters.
Known as Mahogany, the two-bedroom c1899 cottage retains much of its Victorian charm, and was renovated by Mrs Raisis following the passing of her husband Peter.
A romantic veranda wraps around the front of the house, and coloured frosted windows border the front door.
The home has two bedrooms.
The two bedrooms are located off the wide entry hallway, which is welcoming and stylish with original timber floorboards and fresh white paint.
There are ceiling roses in each bedroom and in the central lounge room, and original Victorian cabinetry in the gracious dining room.
At the back of the house is a versatile sunroom overlooking the backyard. This space would be ideal for a home office/study or playroom. The kitchen has concrete-look benchtops and matte black accents, and the renovated bathroom has a modern frameless glass shower screen.
The home has solid sandstone foundations and is set on a deep block spanning close to 520sqm. The leafy street is one of the most tightly held in Mosman, with just a few properties trading each year.
Let the sun shine in.
Bernard Ryan, of the Ray White Lower North Shore Group, said the property offered a wealth of potential.
He and colleague Benoit Guittonneau are planning to take the property to auction on February 25 with a price guide of $3 million.
Mr Ryan said there was very strong interest from buyers, with 133 groups lining up to inspect the property in the first week.
“It’s a very unique and beautiful property,” he said.
“It will suit people who are looking for a home with renovation potential.”
This could include extending the home up and out the back (subject to council approval), he said.
More from news
Aerial view.
The property is a 400m walk to Military Rd cafes, and shops, and express buses to the city. It is also close to Mosman Prep, Shadforth Cottage and Queenwood School for Girls.
Ms Raisis said it had been a special childhood home.
“We had the same neighbours on both sides for 50 years,” she said. “Mosman was such a lovely place to grow up in and we loved our home, mum especially.”
She said the home definitely lent itself to an extension out the back, given the large level yard.
The backyard.
Sister Chrisanthi McManus, who now lives in Bega, on the NSW south coast, said they had always been comfortable with the size of their family home, even though she and her sister had to share a room growing up.
“It’s just such a pretty, loved little house, it was modest, but it was home,” Ms McManus said. “Life was a lot simpler then, but goodness me, you didn’t want for anything.”
The dining room.
She said it was an idyllic childhood spent playing with other neighbourhood children in the streets.
“My memories as a child of Mosman were of a very difference place to how it is now,” Ms McManus said.
“There were a lot of gates between the houses and we just played outside – to me that was one of the biggest joys of the area at that time.”
She said the solid little cottage was her mother’s pride and joy.
“You can tell it was built with such care, it’s a very nicely designed little cottage,” she said.
“Even as my mother aged it was so loved – she was so happy there. She stayed there as long as she possibly could. She always hoped that one day another family would make it their home.”