Arrowtown Historic Cottage ‘Granny Dennison’s’ For Sale | Heritage Property

A historic cottage in Arrowtown, New Zealand, once home to a local woman known as ‘Granny’ Dennison, has been placed on the market and is expected to attract bids exceeding $3.125 million. The property, located at 11 Wiltshire Street, is being marketed by Colliers Queenstown brokers Candice Buchanan, Vera Stewart and Rory O’Donnell, with a deadline for offers set for April 15.

Built around 1877 from schist stone and timber weatherboards, the L-shaped cottage reflects the architectural style of early Arrowtown settlements. In the early 1900s, a small weatherboard office was added to the property, believed to have originally served as a cobbler’s shop on Buckingham Street, according to Colliers. A traditional outhouse remains on the site.

The cottage derives its popular name from Ellen ‘Granny’ Dennison, who resided there from 1936 until 1964. The property’s location, on an elevated corner opposite the Arrowtown fire station, is considered particularly desirable.

“Many of the Arrowtown properties that have sold are sort of somewhere between 500 and 1000 square metres whereas this is 1501sq m — to acquire a site that large close to town is very hard,” said Candice Buchanan. The property is comprised of two triangular-shaped titles, though brokers suggest realignment to create more regular land formations is possible.

The cottage itself is designated a Category 2 historic place by Heritage New Zealand, offering a degree of protection. However, Vera Stewart noted that alterations to the early 20th-century addition may be more readily permitted. “If someone wanted an enlarged residence, the existing cottage could be incorporated into some future development,” she stated.

The listing follows the sale of another historic Arrowtown cottage at 53 Buckingham Street in November 2021, which fetched $1.85 million at auction. That property, known as Cowie cottage, was originally a chemist/dispensary and later a tailor shop. The Buckingham Street property attracted 20 bids, demonstrating strong demand for historic properties in the area.

The rateable value of Granny Dennison’s Cottage is currently assessed at $3.125 million, but brokers anticipate strong interest will drive the final sale price above that figure.