We’ll warn you now, before you get too attached and start imagining yourself here: this house isn’t for sale.
But the good news is that we all get to gawp at it as a glorious bit of property porn regardless.
In Herne Hill in London sits a rare art deco house from the 1930s, which has now been Grade II listed.
It’s a delight of all things thirties, from the unusual exterior design to the brilliant green bathroom.
FYI, it’s pretty special to be able to have a browse around a place like this – it’s thought that there are just two properties of this kind left in the country.
Plus, we almost missed the chance.
This year, the house came on the market for the first time in 60 years, following the death of its original owners.
It then sold for £1.6million in February, and rumours began to rumble that its new owner, a developer, planned to pull the building down.
A campaign group, The C20 Society decided to take action by submitting a bid to get the house listed – in an effort to save it from getting demolished.
That bid was successful: now, the home has been listed as a Grade II property, with Historic England noting just how special it is.
A spokesperson said: ‘This is a remarkable survival which transports us back to the architectural ideals of the 1930s where “dignified simplicity” was favoured over excessive ornamentation.
‘The significance of this building has now been recognised and any future change can be managed effectively, so that it can function as a modern home and retain its special character.’
What all this means, for those not in the know, is that the house has been recognised as having historical significance.
This means that it’s got some protection against being torn down or transformed into a plain, sterile space. Any owners or developers will need to jump some hefty hurdles to make major changes.
It’s believed the home was built in 1935 by two local builders Cyril and Stanley Morrell, in collaboration with architects Leslie Kemp and Frederick Tasker.
It’s based on the architects’ winning design for the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition in 1934, which was exhibited in a setting titled ‘Village of Tomorrow’. and is just one of two (the other’s in Bromley) known examples to have actually been built in the UK.
The property was owned by the same family for more than 60 years, who kept many of the original thirties details preserved.
Some key features include a gorgeous ‘sun-trap’ bay window and a green bathroom with a separate shower.
Here’s hoping we’ll get to enjoy all this cool design for years to come, rather than yet another newbuild block of flats.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
MORE : What I Rent: Oriana, £2,000 a month for a one-bedroom flat in Canning Town, London
MORE : ‘Derelict’ property unoccupied for 60 years is on the market for £350,000
MORE : Why you should buy a house on the Elizabeth Line in Shenfield
Get all the need-to-know property news, features and advice from Metro every week.
var notifyQ = function () { var i = 0, l = awaitingReady.length; for (i = 0; i < l; i++) { awaitingReady[i](); } }; var ready = function (cb) { if (fbApiInit) { cb(); } else { awaitingReady.push(cb); } }; var checkLoaded = function () { return fbApiInit; }; window.fbAsyncInit = function () { FB.init({ appId: '176908729004638', xfbml: true, version: 'v2.10' }); fbApiInit = true; notifyQ(); }; return { 'ready' : ready, 'loaded' : checkLoaded }; })(); (function () { function injectFBSDK() { if ( window.fbApi && window.fbApi.loaded() ) return; var d = document, s="script", id = 'facebook-jssdk'; var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) { return; } js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.async = true; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); } if (window.metro) { window.addEventListener('scroll', injectFBSDK, {once: true, passive: true}); } else { window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', injectFBSDK, {once: true}); } })();
For all the latest Lifestyle News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
