‘No ghosts that I know of’: Could you live in a former mortuary?

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A former funeral home and mortuary, the Woodhill historic homestead in Tauranga, has been listed for sale.
Photo: Supplied/ Bayleys

How would you feel about living in an old funeral home that until recently also had a mortuary on site?

A heritage property in Tauranga has been home to Legacy Funerals for three decades, providing a place for people to farewell their nearest and dearest. But the home, known as Woodhill, is now on the market.

Sitting in Otumoetai’s Grange Road, on more than 2000 square metres of land, the homestead boasts water views, five bedrooms and two lounges.

It is listed with Bayleys and agent Craig Sandlant told Checkpoint the home was like “a walk back in history”.

“It is a very expansive home and it’s a lovely home, and there’s a really really nice feel to it. When people do come in, most of the people are enthusiasts into the old and they love the kauri plankings and kauri features … and also the massive massive high ceilings.”

“It’s had a variety of uses, but the most recent was as a funeral home.”

Funerals at the site halted about three weeks ago, he said, and there had been a mortuary on the property in a garage building.

There would be some people who felt a bit strange about the idea of living there after its history, he acknowledged.

“We had some people in the weekend that felt the home was slightly creepy, but I suppose it’s got to be expected, we are 100 years old. There’s not many of those houses around…

“I’ve got no problems with it, having been there a number of times … no ghosts that I know of.”

Photo: Supplied/ Bayleys

The property is listed as a Category 2 historic place and was built in 1885 in a ‘domestic Gothic’ style.

“It would be great for it to be a place where people had a wedding, but I see … a family coming into the home and restoring it or keeping it in the same kind of style its been restored to and adding to it and keeping on top of it … someone who loves it,” Sandlant said.

“The other side of it is [potentially for it to be used as] a business kind of property, an educational facility or offices, and that certainly has been done previously.”

Photo: Supplied/ Bayleys

It is zoned residential, has a resource consent to house an educational facility, and has an RV of $2.1m.

Sandlant warned that there were some issues with the exterior of the building: “the home’s over 100 years old”, which anyone considering buying it should take into account, and said people should “do their due diligence”.