– The Auckland mansion, known as Cotter House, sold for $8.45 million, nearly $1 million above its RV.
– The property, once hosting Keith Richards, was sold by Barfoot & Thompson agents Leila and David MacDonald.
– The five-bedroom mansion, famous for its history and ballroom, was previously an upmarket hotel.
The Auckland mansion that hosted Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards while he was recuperating from brain surgery has sold for almost $1 million more than its RV.
The deal, brokered by Barfoot & Thompson agent Leila MacDonald and her son David, settled this week and brings to a close a lengthy sales process. OneRoof understands Ray White agent Ross Hawkins was the agent for the buyer.
MacDonald and Hawkins both declined to comment on the sale, but records show the Remuera property, previously known as Cotter House, sold for $8.45m.
The house is famous for hosting Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards when he recuperated from surgery in 2006. Photo / Getty Images
The five-bedroom, 19th-century mansion first hit the market in February 2024. The vendors had bought it in 2021, at the height of the market, for $8m.
They told OneRoof last year that they first visited the house to see the renovations the previous owners had carried out.
“We love historical homes and at first just came to see the renovation as we had both been to events at the house. We fell in love with it, and our kids were super excited,” one of the vendors said.
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The property had been run as an upmarket hotel for several decades by colourful Auckland hostess Gloria Poupard-Walbridge, who bought it with her French diplomat husband in 1995.
By the time Richards stayed there in 2006, a night’s stay cost between $605 and $1200. It was only when the house went on the market that Poupard-Walbridge could divulge details of Richards’ stay with wife Patty Hansen and children.
Richards had suffered a serious head injury after he fell out of a tree in Fiji at the end of a Stones tour and was flown to Auckland for major surgery.
The 1860s house was extensively renovated, with the former ballroom, added in 1910, now a modern kitchen, dining and family room opening to the pool. Photo / Supplied
The ground-floor games room includes a glamorous wet bar. Photo / Supplied
Richards later described his time at the house as a “great break” from his hectic touring schedule.
In an interview with the New Zealand Herald in 2014, he said: “I couldn’t do anything, couldn’t go anywhere because half my head was shaved off and I wasn’t about to go down to ‘what wig should I wear?’
“So I spent a very nice three or four weeks with Gloria … and I just learned how to relax for a bit. You don’t often get that time off.”
The St Vincent Avenue home also had a starring role in an episode of the Lucy Lawless detective show, My Life is Murder.
Lucy Lawless as Alexa Crowe in My Life is Murder. She filmed scenes at the vendors’ house for a spooky episode of the detective show. Photo / Supplied
The formal dining room, living room, and study feature original sash windows. Photo / Supplied
In the episode, Lawless’ character, Alexa Crow, is called in to investigate when a real estate agent is found dead at an open home at the house, with the vendor insisting that the house is haunted.
The vendor told OneRoof her family was thrilled to see their home appear on screen. “We had friends around on Sunday night and did a big roast dinner and watched it together,” she said.
“We had such a laugh, seeing them pretend that the house was haunted. They moved all our antiques and some of the art down to the ballroom, which we’d not done before.”