Alberton

This romantic timber mansion began as a farmhouse in 1863 and was later expanded to 18 rooms, with fairy-tale decorative verandahs and towers. It was owned by the Kerr Taylors, a leading family in Mount Albert, until it was left to the Historic Places Trust in 1972.

Allan Kerr Taylor was a landowner, investor and provincial and local body politician. His wife Sophia was an outspoken advocate of the vote for women, as well as a singer, gardener and mother of 10. She ran the estate for 40 years after her husband’s death, with her three unmarried daughters running it for a further 40 years.

Alberton still contains original Victorian family furniture, and several rooms retain 19th century wallpapers. The house is surrounded by a large garden with fine old trees and has a fountain from the original estate.