By Samantha Elley
It has been known as The Castle and Inchmarlo and it stands at the top end of Geneva Street commanding expansive views of the surrounding mountains.
Today, 33-35 Geneva Street is known as the home of Bek Hancock and is a 100-year-old two-storey federation style house that has recently come on to the market.
“I’ve lived here for 26 years,” she said.
“It is the home I thought I would stay in forever.”
As circumstances have changed, Bek is now keen to be near her grandchildren so has placed her home up for sale.
“I’ve always felt comfortable and safe here,” she said.
“But it’s a big house for one person.”
When Bek bought the property, which stands on land of just under an acre, she said it was in a derelict state.
While there was a lot of history in the place, it had over the years slowly become more rundown.
“I was told a solicitor built the house for his sister,” said Bek.
“There is one big main bedroom upstairs and downstairs, called the servants quarters, may have been for the groundsman and his wife.
“There was also a dumb waiter and bells that would call the servants.”
It is believed the house was built by solicitor Arthur Frederick Fitzhardinge around 1920, who sadly died at the age of 47 in 1922.
His widow, Rebecca Harriett Jesse (nee Barden) sold the house to William Thomas and Alice Wright in 1926.
It seems Rebecca held no love for Kyogle as her baby Ian had died there in 1920 and then her husband in 1922.
The Wrights were an English family who had arrived in Australia in 1910.
William was a produce merchant who, due to ill health, was advised to move to a warmer climate and so the family headed to Kyogle to live with three of their four sons: Fred, Frank and Ken.
Sadly, William died in 1943 and Alice followed him in 1950, having lived in their home, now called Inchmarlo, for 22 years.
At some stage in the 1950s the house was divided into apartments with a separate toilet block built out the back.
“When I arrived, there were walls that segmented the rooms,” said Bek.
“It was dark and danky and the windows had rotted.”
Bek made plenty of improvements to the house including an internal staircase, new windows, updated fireplaces, taking away the walls and returning the rooms to their original size, as well as stabilising the foundations and replacing all the wiring.
“I tried to keep the house true to its history,” she said.
“There are plenty of little mementoes around the house left by previous owners.”
This includes a little signed message, left in the 1920s in the linen closet, according to Bek.
“It is a solid and remarkable house,” said Bek.
“And I would love a couple to come and fill it with plenty of love.”
With its wide verandahs, high ceilings, sash windows, breathtaking vistas and large rooms, The Castle or Inchmarlo, has many more years to give and plenty more history to play out for the next owner.
