A 1960s Heritage Home in London Could Be Yours for £2.2M
Property Details:
Location: Crescent Grove, Clapham, London
Year Built: 1965-1966
Architect: John and Ann Kay
Footprint: 2,200 square feet
Price: £2,200,000 (roughly $2,938,331 USD
From the agent: "This wonderful Grade II-listed house was designed by Chief Architect for the Department of Education in 1956, John Kay and his wife Ann. This is a rare residential project by him, built for their family between 1965-1966 after winning a local competition for the plot of land. The wood-framed house has five bedrooms and a study and extends over 2,200 square feet internally, with a private walled garden at the rear. The interiors are filled with color and original features and contain elements of modernism alongside inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement. Crescent Grove is a peaceful, private road, set around pretty planted lawns, and is a short walk from Clapham Common."
On a corner lot at the end of a terrace of Georgian houses in London’s Crescent Grove, a well-preserved 1960s residence is currently listed for £2,200,000. The two-story home was added to Crescent Grove—a private estate laid out by Francis Child in the 1820s—by Chief Architect for the Department of Education, John Kay, and his wife, Ann, who was also an architect. In 1966, the duo completed the home for their family after winning the plot of land in a local competition.
"The house has a simple facade of yellow London stock brick, yet its innovative timber frame of Canadian hemlock hints at the modernist detailing within," says the listing agent. "It was likely the first timber-framed residential building to be built in London since the Fire of London in 1666."
At the northwestern end of the home, the entrance hallway is painted in a deep ochre and includes a closet for coat storage. There is also a secondary entrance at the southeastern end of the plan.
The kitchen is replete with original wooden cabinetry and suspended shelving, with some cabinet doors painted in olive green. A black-tiled backsplash sits above the reconstituted granite worktop, complementing the navy-blue walls.
The kitchen is partially open to the dining room, subtly separated by the built-in timber worktop. The spaces run front-to-back at the center of the ground floor, while the living room lies upstairs.
Original open shelving lines one wall in the dining room. A timber pelmet runs across the kitchen/dining area to conceal the lighting.
Full-height doors connect the dining room to a sunken patio, which leads to the garden.
"The interiors remain virtually unaltered and are a fantastic example of 1960s design," says the listing agent. "As such, the house may require some updating."
Inside, the design blends elements of modernism with colorful inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement.
A dog-legged staircase with a rounded hardwood rail ascends from a hallway near the kitchen/dining area.
"The living room flows across two half-levels, mirroring the gently sloping plot of the house," says the listing agent.
Original built-in shelving offers plenty of storage in the main living room on the upper level. Owner and architect John Kay designed much of the home’s built-in timber furniture and lighting.
Full-height windows allow copious amounts of natural light into the main living area. "Kay was an expert in natural and artificial light, coauthoring The Lighting Of Buildings in 1969 with Professor Ralph Hopkinson," says the listing agent.
The home offers six bedrooms, one of which can be used as a study.
William Morris wallpaper decorates several of the bedroom walls.
In 2018, the residence was classified as a Grade II property on the United Kingdom’s List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, marking it "an important contribution to the preservation of 1960s modernist design in London," says the listing agent.
Unfolding across two split-level stories, the home was built on a plot of land once used as stables for the surrounding houses.
The 2,200-square-foot Crescent Grove residence includes a private, walled garden at
the rear.
Crescent Grove in London, England, is currently listed for £2,200,000 (roughly $2,938,331 USD) by The Modern House.
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