210 Courtenay Street (1914)

This villa at 210 Courtenay Street has somehow withstood the spread of large commercial buildings in this part of town. In 2011 it was sited in its original road-front location, nestled between the old Countdown supermarket and the Vogue Kitchen workshop. In 2017 the house was renovated and moved to the rear of the section. 

It appears likely that this house was built in 1914 by Mr George W. Hartnell. A permit was issued to him on 7 July 1914 for a residence on Town Section 1510. The estimated cost was £275. Mr Hartnell is listed as a carpenter on electoral rolls and several more building permits were granted to him the same year. The house was probably sold when finished - the first owner cannot be identified but occupiers from the early 1920s onwards include Harold Hamblyn, Ronald Milne, George Way, Trevor Curtz and Thomas Corbett.

In the period just prior to the First World War, Hartnell constructed a number of villas around New Plymouth in a similar style to 210 Courtenay Street.