This stately Battery Point home with its combination of brick walls and sandstone foundations, cornerstones, and bay windows, certainly commands attention. Built circa 1885, the historic, two storey terrace house is one in a set of three gentleman's residences constructed to capture the views from the increasingly popular Napoleon St. Located on the corner of Napoleon and Cromwell Streets, the property has the advantage of sunshine and light on both the eastern and northern sides, along with attractively landscaped gardens giving both privacy and pleasure.
The façade of the terraces is adorned with classic cast iron on both the upper balcony and lower verandah giving a uniformity to the streetscape, with varying colours on doors and windows, allowing for individuality, hence No.23's stunning red door. From the front of the home are superb water views to Droughty Point on the eastern shore, Long Point on the western shore, and South Arm Peninsula beyond, capturing the ever-changing scenes on the Derwent River. On the lower level, the hallway from the front door gives access to two elegantly proportioned living rooms, original, wide Tas oak floorboards complementing the high ceilings and decorative dimensions of the era. To the rear of the home, renovations have created a spacious downstairs bathroom and a family kitchen. The latter has beautiful Huon pine cupboards, and triple accordian doors opening onto the garden and courtyard where a wisteria clad pergola offers shade: ideal for alfresco eating. Upstairs are three generous bedrooms, one with a Juliet balcony, one with a beautiful bay window capturing the sun, and the third having both sunshine and stunning views down the river. A family bathroom is also found on this level, while the wide hallway with Kauri pine floorboards is a versatile space and opens onto the upstairs balcony.
Battery Point is immersed in history from the quaint, gentrified working-men's cottages to the grand homes of the colony's wealthier citizens, and No 23 Napoleon St is definitely one of the more prominent ones. It is not only the village atmosphere of cafés, restaurants, shops and 'local pubs' that makes Battery Point a most sought after suburb in which to live, but also its proximity to the Hobart CBD and waterfront, including Salamanca Place, as well as the Sandy Bay shopping precinct, the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Derwent Sailing Squadron, and other facilities in the Marieville Esplanade area.
