Description

CAMBRIDGE

TL45NW CONDUIT HEAD ROAD
667/20/10109 Spring House
12-APR-00

II

Artist's house and studio, with garage. 1965-7 by Colin St John Wilson, assistant M J Long. Pale cavity brick walls, internal columns and partitions of timber, as in cut-away corner terrace and verandah above. Concrete Roman tile monopitched roofs, with open timberwork beneath. L-shaped plan with corner angle cut away to form terrace in angle of garden with projecting bays to kitchen and dining area. Otherwise the plan of the house and garage (to left of entrance elevation) are almost square, with double-height artist's studio in wing projecting forward to enclose entrance forecourt. Dark-stained timber windows, with aluminium opening lights. Dark-stained garage, porch and glazed doors. The elevational treatment to front and side reminiscent of Aalto's S¿yn¿tsalo Town Hall, Finland (1950-2), particularly in the treatment of the broad stack. Left elevation, with concealed windows lighting living room and staircase, not visible as on plot line. Large high windows to studio, and fully glazing behind cut-away terrace area to rear. This has timber columns supporting roof, timber stair leading to first-floor verandah with door to internal gallery. Thus indoors and outdoors are related.

The interior is dominated by double-height living area open to roof, with gallery on garden sides. Timber columns on 1.8m grid (with bronzed fixings at top) support the roof and gallery, which forms a corridor leading to bedrooms behind timber balustrade with timber handrail, separated by timber partitions and doors, with window from principal bedroom opening into living area. Timber inner door from entrance, glazed and with glazed partition to side. Corner hearth on diagonal axis to open terrace; built-in seating along entrance wall. Kitchen (remodelled) and dining area under balconies to either side, the kitchen area separated by head-high partitions incorporating cupboards which lead to stair at far end of house.

`The interlocking spaces leading diagonally from the corner fireplace through the double height living room, and the verandah to the garden beyond, and the pleasure in timber building are a delight' (Martin Richardson, Colin St John Wilson, RIBA, 1997, p.23.)

Sources
Era, May/June 1971, pp.20-1
Colin St John Wilson, Architect, n.d. c.1972
Colin St John Wilson, RIBA, 1997

Listing NGR: TL4292259520

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26661056

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)