Stoneygate
Leicester
Architect: J. Cubitt & Partners
Register for similar homesThis house in the sought-after Stoneygate area on the outskirts of Leicester is one of Britain’s finest post-war architect-designed homes. The house is Grade II listed in recognition of its groundbreaking modern design and the fact that it is still in superb, original condition.
Built in 1954, the five-bedroom, single-storey house with garage and separate garden studio is set in a quarter acre of mature garden. The property was designed by Fello Atkinson and Brenda Walker of James Cubitt & Partners, a celebrated London-based architectural firm.
English Heritage has praised Atkinson and Walker’s design for being “extraordinarily light” and for its “understated elegance”. The detailing of the house is also outstanding, with a Westmorland slate hearth and mantelpiece, welsh slate window sills and an impressive range of hardwoods including African mahuhu, pearwood, rosewood and mahogany. There is underfloor heating throughout the house.
Stoneygate is a residential area on the south side of Leicester, characterised by large detached houses and wide leafy streets. Locally, there is an appealing range of shops and restaurants (for information visit: http://stoneygateshopping.blogspot.co.uk). The house is approximately one mile from the City centre and three miles from junction 21 of the M1, and 97 miles from London by road. Trains run twice hourly from Leicester station to London St. Pancras in approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.
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
The Goddard House is considered to be an early example of UK domestic architecture inspired by the Bauhaus movement and in particular the architecture of Walter Gropius. It was also influenced by the largely American idea of open plan living. The house was built in a former orchard for Herald and Joan Goddard, and designed in 1953 by Fello Atkinson and Brenda Walker of James Cubitt & Partners. Herald was a well-travelled and cultured businessman who took frequent trips to Wisconsin, America, the home state of Frank Lloyd Wright, an architect that he greatly admired.
The Goddards appreciated modern architecture for the lightness and sense of space that it brought to buildings, as well as the idea of ‘bringing the outside in’. In the Stoneygate house, extensive glazing and a strategically placed paved terrace blur the boundaries of interior and exterior. A separate studio, also designed by Atkinson and Walker, adds to the sense that what’s outside the house is equally as important as the space within.
The main house is single storey with Burwell white brick walls with painted timber fascia. The structure of the house is ‘Benfix’ timber and light steel joists with 2″ Thermacoust panels of wood wool bonded with cement. The windows are largely steel framed in hardwood subframes. The L-shaped plan was designed to allow for views of the garden and for there to be a ‘children’s wing’.
When completed, the house created a great deal of attention in both the architectural and popular press. It was highly praised by Architectural Review and was selected by Nikolaus Pevsner as a particularly fine example of post-war English architecture. Country Life magazine ran a substantial feature on the house in 1957 that concluded with the following statement:
“In this house… careful planning has achieved a rigid economy of space without sacrificing spaciousness, and the austerity of the plan is counteracted by the richness of the fitments, which are admirably designed in different kinds of wood.”
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