Fieldend VI, London TW1

[Celerity]

https://themodernhouse.com/sales-list/fieldend-vi







Fieldend in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, is among the most celebrated of Eric Lyons’ Span estates. Built in 1961, this incredibly bright three-bedroom house is positioned at the far end of the five-acre site, overlooking the verdant landscaping for which the estate is renowned. The Grade II-listed house has been extended to introduce a glazed rear section that draws light into the plan, and carefully renovated to preserve its original features. The private, south-facing back garden flows seamlessly from the inside spaces, engendering the quiet sense of retreat from the city that is so loved by Fieldend's residents. This house also has a garage.







The Architect

Span are perhaps the most celebrated of all 20th-century residential developers and many of their buildings throughout the south of England are now listed. Founded by Geoff Townsend and Eric Lyons (thoroughly schooled in the modern movement having worked for Bauhaus designer Walter Gropius from 1936-37), their designs sought to bring the tenants of modernism – light, openness, a sense of order – to suburban areas on a domestic scale. The company built 30 housing estates between 1948 and 1984. For more information on Span, see the History section below. Fieldend’s landscaping is now Grade II-listed in recognition of its distinctive vision. The estate is largely pedestrianised and the 51 houses that comprise it share access to beautifully maintained communal gardens.







The Tour

This house retains its instantly recognisable Eric Lyons porch, and the façade is replete with floor-to-ceiling windows. Any new additions have been carefully conceived to chime with the architect's focus on natural light and simple design. The living room lies at the front of the ground-floor plan, a wonderfully calm space with original woodblock flooring underfoot. A well-conceived workspace is tucked to the left and opens at the rear to the dining room contained within the extension. This space is flooded with light through a glazed, monopitched roof that provides a subtle and uplifting division of space, as well as bifolding doors that open to the garden.







The kitchen sits to the left of the plan. A single-pane window frames views onto the garden and allows plenty of natural light in, which illuminates the green vinyl floors underfoot and minimal white cabinetry. There is also a new shower room on this level. There are three bedrooms and a newly refinished bathroom on the first floor. Each bedroom has exposed ceiling beams - a feature throughout Lyons’ Span designs - and the largest bedroom also has original built-in wardrobes.

Outdoor Space..............

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