Royd House

Royd House

House, 1914–16, designed by Edgar Wood for himself. The building is constructed of brick with a flat concrete roof and displays a Y-shaped plan, the stem positioned at the rear. The main structure has three concaved sides with a flat rear elevation. The building is entered through a circular entrance hall which provides access to service rooms at the front, living and dining spaces at the rear (south side), and a single-storey appendage to the left—the only break in the external symmetry.

The plan demonstrates the freedom of expression permitted by concrete roof construction. The elevations feature stone coped parapets and moulded brick corner details. The treatment is restrained overall, with the principal ornamental feature being a coloured tile panel patterned with variations on a lozenge theme positioned centrally above the front door. This theme continues in once brightly coloured paint and relief. The recessed porch has plain columns and a coffered ceiling, with a 2-light stone mullioned window placed centrally in the tile panel above. On either side, on each floor, are 2-light timber mullioned casement windows with segmental brick arches and glazing bars. Two rainwater downpipes with enriched hoppers complete the symmetry of the front elevation. The two flat facets at right angles to the quadrant have 3-light mullion windows on each floor. The concave side elevations are symmetrical about central doorways; the right side has a plain stone door surround, flat canopy, one 1-light and three 2-light windows, while the left side has three 1-light and two 2-light windows as well as the single-storey wing. The parapet is stepped with recessed brick panels. The rear presents a 3-bay composition with a central canted bay window featuring stone mullions and transoms on the ground floor, with mullioned fenestration to the first floor and a pierced parapet above. 3-light mullion and transom windows flank this bay on the ground floor, with 3-light mullioned windows above, all with segmental brick heads and glazing bars.

Interior

The circular hall has a stone paved floor with four brightly coloured mosaic panels. Doors opening from the hall feature lozenge-shaped stencilled arabesque and zig-zag design panels in greens, blues, reds and white. A similar double door separates the dining and living rooms. The dining room contains a walnut cabinet designed by Sellers within a semi-circular recess, while the living room has a variously coloured marble fire surround. Another room features a plain grey and buff coloured sandstone fire surround.

Setting and Gardens

The attached garden and bounding walls are designed integrally with the house. The lozenge theme recurs throughout the brick and stone paviors of the formal pathways, two of which terminate in arched niches containing lead statues set into the bounding wall. The driveway wall reflects the perforated parapet of the rear elevation, while the curve of the bounding walls echoes the curve of the building's facades.

One of the most advanced examples of early twentieth-century domestic architecture in terms of planning, construction and detailing.