Fancy a pint of beer at a private saloon bar? Or maybe a bourbon enjoyed within a cosy whiskey and cigar room? No matter your tipple of choice, drink it in style at this Reynella home that’s purpose-built for entertaining.
After 50 years, vendors Paul and Susanne have called last drinks on the home they built at 16 Breckenridge Drive, complete with its themed whisky and cigar room and a saloon bar that looks like it’s been ripped straight from an English country pub.
Paul, who originally hails from West Yorkshire, in the UK, said the addition of the saloon bar to the three-bedroom home was a comforting reminder of his family roots, prompted by a trip to England in the early 1990s – 17 years after first arriving in Australia.
The Reynella home looks unassuming from the outside.
But behind the gates lies a home with hidden features, including a replica British pub.
The private drinking hole has plenty of room to entertain family and friends.
“I came back after that (UK visit) really homesick – and that’s why I built what is our take on an English country pub,” he said.
“It’s just a single room but we filled it with antiques so it was like a curiosity shop.
“We’ve got the cask ale (hand) pull pumps where you pull and pull and pull (to dispense the beer) – the tap’s got 1948 stamped on it, which isn’t ancient but it’s (a) nice (touch).
“We’ve got lots and lots of old Victorian pewter beer mugs.
“I even took a few photographs of the windows of the pubs while we were over there (in the UK) and we’ve got (replicated) their etched windows here.’’
MORE NEWS
‘Don’t wait’: Agent’s stark warning to struggling first homebuyers
Couple turn putrid public toilet into beachside stunner
Rolling Stones-linked belly dancing studio hits the market
The cigar room was an even later addition to the home, following a visit to Ireland where Paul and Susanne stumbled upon the famed Johnnie Fox’s pub, known for its association with Irish revolutionaries.
“It’s a Sinn Fein IRA pub and I thought, cor (blimey), I’ve got to see this,’’ Paul said.
“They were very friendly but I was very careful with what I said because The Troubles (Northern Ireland conflict) were still happening.
“It was full of Irish things and lots of enamel signs that I liked and I decided when I got home, I would knock the carport down and put a small room up instead…with applewood tables and old, chipped enamel signs.
“We needed to name it and obviously we weren’t going to go with Sinn Fein so we came up
with the cigar and whiskey room and it was a place to put all my single malt whisky.’’
A cigar room, based of a Sinn Fein IRA pub, is another standout feature.
The home’s modern kitchen.
The open-plan living space.
Paul said the self-contained rooms were ideal for entertaining – the couple often used the cigar and whiskey room for pre-dinner drinks, while the saloon bar, with its wood burning fire, suited larger gatherings that could spill out onto the lush, landscaped garden.
The charm continues throughout the home, with a granite-topped kitchen featuring an emerald green, cast-iron Rayburn cooker.
Burnt-orange walls provide another pop of colour in a side living room, while another lounge area is styled in a more subdued, soothing colour palette.
“There’s a lot of memories here. There was a time when we wouldn’t have swapped this house for anything,’’ Paul said.
“But times and people change. We retired five years ago and we want to be among people and somewhere that we can (easily) walk to cafes and bars and coffee shops.
“I’ll never forget some of the things we used to get up to here though.’’
Offers for the home, which has been listed with Noakes Nickolas, close Monday, March 10.
The home has a price guide of $780,000 to $820,000.
