Modernist Marvels: Six of the best Modern homes in the UK
Enamoured by the subject of our latest Open House series, Walter Greaves’ thoughtfully-designed post-war family home in Chichester, West Sussex, we’ve looked through past sales and residences currently on the market to pick our favourite Modern classics. These six houses are some of the best Modern homes in the UK and are all exemplary executions of the guiding tenets of Modernist architecture: plenty of natural light, integrity of material and incorporation of the natural environment.
Farnley Hey, Farnley Tyas, West Yorkshire
Peter Womersley designed this four-bedroom home in 1954 as a wedding present to his brother. One of the first post-war buildings to be listed with English Heritage, it takes cues from Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, but it’s not all academic: the showpiece of the house is known as ‘The Dancefloor’ thanks to its polished floors, inbuilt audio system and double-height ceiling, and was originally designed for Womersley’s energetic parties and even for recording live music. The room also features floor-to-ceiling double-glazed windows that afford dramatic views of the Pennines.
St. Ann’s Court, St. Ann’s Hill, Surrey
One of the finest and most iconic houses to have been built in Britain in the first half of the 20th century, St Ann’s Court is a rare Modernist take on the English country house tradition and is currently for sale via The Modern House. Architect Sir Raymond McGrath and garden designer Sir Christopher Tunnard worked to create an exceptionally designed home set within now-listed landscaped gardens, while the remarkable interiors have been described by Historic England as “among the most interesting and complete 1930s interiors to survive in England”.
Ahm House, Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Exposed pre-cast solid concrete beams, floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking gardens and a somewhat severe façade: some of the great Modernist hallmarks are present in this 1962 family home in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. Architect Jørn Utzon, best known for designing the Sydney Opera House, contributed the original design, which has what for our money is one of the finest living rooms of any 20th-century house anywhere in the country.
Winter House, Swains Lane, London N6
When English Heritage listed architect John Winter’s self-designed house in 2009, they called it ‘a highly influential and unusual house in its structure, materials, plan and aesthetic. It is still a model for minimal housing, as influential today as it was when it was built’. It was certainly ahead of its time, being the first domestic use of Cor-Ten steel cladding in Britain. Constructed around a steel frame, the house has huge double-glazed picture windows that provide the interior with outstanding levels of natural light.
Klein House, Selkirk, Scottish Borders
Architect Peter Womersley’s villa for textile designer Bernat Klein, 35 miles south of Edinburgh, is one of the country’s best examples of mid-century domestic architecture, and, together with projects like Farnley Hey (see above), helps explain why Womersley has been heralded as one of the best British architects of the 20th century. His design for this beautiful plot entails a one-storey rectangle subdivided into eight-foot modules, which feature travertine floor tiles and exotic hardwoods such as idigbo and obeche.
Runcton, Chichester, West Sussex
This extraordinary house was designed by celebrated British architect Walter Greaves as his personal family home and was finished in 1980. Greaves’ personal philosophy dictated that every part of a design must be functional, and serve a purpose. To that end, the house entailed a core corridor with ‘pavilions’, as he named them, coming off, each one with a dedicated use. His skill is further demonstrated in the details of his plans, which ensured that there were no half tiles in the bathroom and included now-listed built-in furniture. The house is currently for sale via The Modern House.
To see more of the UK’s most exciting Modernist houses currently for sale, visit our Modern Classics Collection
Read more: Open House: Post-war architect Walter Greaves’ daughter on his modernist masterstroke in Chichester
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