In 1910, six town sections on the block of land between Beach Road and Rue Jolie, until then owned by the Watkins Estate, were sold to various buyers. Gower Pilkington bought this block for £211 and built this house soon afterwards.
Pilkington, and the house, have an important place in the history of transportation in Akaroa. In the early days of motor transport, he established a road service between Akaroa and Little River, which had a rail connection to Christchurch. Pilkington also ran a Lyttelton to Akaroa mail service. He kept the cars he used for these services in sheds at the rear of the property.
By 1910 Akaroa had graduated from smaller cottages to larger villas. Villas typically had a central hall or passage, with rooms opening off it, rather than rooms opening into each other, which was usual in cottages. This is a bay villa, with two wings at right angles to each other, a bay window on one gable end and a verandah along the face of other wing. Other indications of greater sophistication entering Akaroa’s domestic architecture at this time are the brackets under the eaves and the hood over the windows.
