Barnes Avenue
Chesham, Buckinghamshire
Architect: Wells, Hickman and Partners
Register for similar homes“The elevated position affords wonderful distant views over the town and nearby verdant Chilterns”
Set on a quiet leafy road in Chesham is this three-bedroom terraced house designed in 1959 by Wells, Hickman and Partners. The home unfolds over two floors and is laid out to a split-level plan, sympathetically exploiting its sloping site. Light pours into the ground and first floor spaces through expansive glazed openings, and the elevated position affords distant views over the town and the nearby verdant Chilterns AONB. There are front and rear gardens and a large roof terrace over the garage. Chesham has direct underground links to central London in approximately 50 minutes, and train links run to the capital from nearby Berkhamsted and Amersham in about 45 minutes.
For more information on the design of the house, please see the History section below.
The Tour
A short flight of steps descends from tree-lined Barnes Avenue to a modernist façade characterised by clean, simple lines. Red-brick walls flank panels of red tiles and white boarding, punctuated by long ribbons of horizontal windows. The house has been lovingly curated to create a light-filled, sociable, modern home that blends original mid-century features with a refined palette of contemporary colours and materials.
The front entrance opens to an airy hall and lofty stairway. Sitting a half-level below is the exceptionally bright living/dining area with generous space to relax, dine and play. Original herringbone parquet flooring with cork borders runs underfoot, and internal doors are panelled with reeded glass. The house orientates east to west, allowing light to be drawn in throughout the day.
Glazed floor-to-ceiling panels stretching the width of the west wall open directly onto an inviting patio. A newly fitted kitchen sits adjacent, replete with simple white cabinetry and glorious views of the treetops, town and hills beyond. There is also a handy utility room and WC on this floor.
A split-flight staircase ascends to the first floor, which has two double bedrooms and one generous single bedroom; the current owners use the single as a home office with day bed. The front bedroom is filled with dappled light from the mature greenery outside, while both back bedrooms have wonderful far-reaching views from the full-width windows. Both double bedrooms offer generous built-in storage and the first floor landing allows access to a fully boarded loft space through a loft hatch. The family bathroom is a thoughtful display of clean lines and further storage.
Outdoor Space
The pretty front entranceway is formed by an attractive grassy-banked garden. Edged with bushes and perennial planting, it captures the morning light perfectly.
To the rear, fringed in timber fencing, is a west-facing area of cobbled paving, lawn and borders, home to colourful shrubs and herbaceous flowers. Beyond, in a slightly raised position and sitting atop the garage, is the large dining terrace bathed in sun in the afternoons and evenings, making the space perfect for alfresco dining and watching sunsets.
A flight of stairs abuts the garage wall and connects the garden to the street below, Broadlands Avenue. The entrance to the generous double garage, with electricity connection, lies at this level.
The Area
Barnes Avenue is only a five-minute walk from the heart of Chesham yet sits on the edge of the green expanses of Chesham Moor, Lowndes Park and Chesham Bois Woods. There are plenty of countryside walks and playgrounds close at hand.
While Chesham is home to major retailers and supermarkets, it also retains the feel of a traditional town with many independent outlets. It has a bi-weekly food market and a monthly farmers’ market. Chapter Two second-hand book shop hosts weekly readings, and The Refill Project promotes zero-waste shopping. Eating and dining options are numerous and varied. Enjoy a restorative coffee and cake at Roots, delicious sourdough pizza at Pizzeria Liri and relaxed tapas dining at The Junction. The Elgiva theatre and cinema runs a complete programme of music, comedy, drama, and films. Chesham Leisure Centre offers a 25m swimming pool and a full array of gym facilities and fitness classes.
Chesham has many well-regarded primary schools, including Newtown Infants School and Brushwood Junior School, for which Barnes Avenue lies within the catchment area. It also lies within the catchment area of the local selective grammar schools, the co-ed Chesham Grammar and Dr Challoner’s Grammar Schools for Boys/Girls, as well as Chiltern Hills Academy.
Chesham lies at the end of the Metropolitan line, with underground services running to Baker Street in 48 minutes and then onwards to Aldgate. Amersham station, three miles south and Berkhamsted station, five miles north, run services into central London in approximately 45 minutes. The M1 is 12 miles east and the M25 eight miles south-east. Luton Airport is 15 miles away and Heathrow 22 miles.
Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.
History
This house in Chesham is part of a terrace designed in the late 1950s by architects Wells, Hickman and Partners, whose most notable work is perhaps Wokingham County Infant’s School. They also undertook several housing developments, including Moat Court, Eltham (1961).
The period following the end of World War II, when Wells, Hickman and Partners were working, was one of the most exciting and imaginative for private house building in English architectural history. It was directed by three main influences: the availability of large sheets of plate glass, the introduction of central heating (allowing for open-plan living) and the absence of live-in servants. Emphasis was placed on light and space, with areas sometimes only separated from one another by a change in level, a piece of built-in furniture or change in flooring material. A less rigorously defined sense of interior and exterior space developed and allowed buildings to age and weather into their landscape in a traditional way.
There are a number of ways in which this house reflects these ideas. For example, set on a sloping site, it embraces the surrounding landscape, both immediate and distant, with large full-height and full-width openings taking advantage of the elevated position and generating an exciting vista out to the wider landscape. Features such as herringbone timber flooring and rippled-glaze internal doors are also typical of houses of this period.
The houses on Barnes Avenue capture the sense of optimism and innovation of the period. Their elevated positions and large windows engender a sense of being perched within the surrounding trees, making them particularly special.
