35, Hallams Lane

House, 1936–7, designed by H Raymond Myerscough-Walker for Mr H G T Grainger. Rendered brick construction with partly cantilevered concrete floor slabs and felted concrete flat roofs, with brick internal walls.

The plan is distinctive in its semi-circular form to the front, featuring a first-floor balcony, while the rear is rectangular with two storeys topped by a covered roof terrace. The entrance is positioned on the square north face, set back with the dining room and kitchen to the right and a garage with roller shutters beyond.

The garden front exemplifies the international modern style with Swedish detailing, notably in the first-floor roof canopy. The ground floor living room features a continuous band of metal-framed casement windows, with French and flanking windows to the left and porthole windows to the right, continuing the composition of the entrance on the opposite elevation. Above lies a sleeping terrace with glazed flanking screens and round rooflights, behind which projects a semi-circular central bay with French window flanked by single French windows with adjoining lights. To the right extends a casement window. Above and set back again sits a fully-glazed sun-room gazebo on an arched covered terrace. All balconies feature tubular steel stanchions and balustrades.

The west elevation displays similar casements with a partly cantilevered first floor. The north entrance is screened from the kitchen area by a curved concrete wall with cornice band on separate stanchions. The original door incorporates porthole motif under a flat hood, with a porthole to the side; the entrance forms a separate composition of apparent great height incorporating the roof terrace. Windows throughout are original metal casements. The kitchen features a glazed steel door with flanking lights, with a coal store to the left and garage to the right.

The interior survives in remarkable completeness and considerable richness. To the right of the entrance is a broad hallway with polished brick floors (now under carpet) and folding doors giving onto the lounge to the left and dining area and kitchen to the right. All rooms have metal skirtings. At the west end stands a circular staircase with central newel.

The lounge features a birch ply floor and a curved stone fireplace and surround set within a bank of fitted cupboards incorporating a coalscuttle and fluted corner feature. An angled mirror above the projecting mantelpiece reflects light from the windows onto the ceiling. Across the hall is a dining recess with curved fitted cupboards, linked via hatch with double sliding doors to the kitchen. The kitchen retains a remarkably complete set of cupboards and drawers on three walls; those backing onto the garage have shelves behind a sliding screen and drawers incorporating ventilation holes for food storage. A fold-down table is hinged to the wall.

Circular stairs lead to three bedrooms. The largest, overlooking the sleeping terrace, has a fitted bed alcove, fitted cupboards, vanity table and corner mirror set behind a curved cupboard with shelving. Away from the garden front, it leads into a drawing room with a fitted walk-in cupboard incorporating tie racks and drawers. The bathroom contains large tiles and original bath, sink and fittings. The other bedrooms, for visitors and a maid, are simple in finish. Narrow stairs with steel handrail lead to the elegant glazed sun room and roof.

The house cost only £2,000 to build. Surviving accounts demonstrate that particular attention was paid to circulation and planning, allowing the hall, lounge and dining area to function as a single space if required, with conscious effort to eliminate draughts.

This is a house of exceptional architectural importance, its round and sculptural form epitomising the dynamism of the Modern Movement. Such carefully composed modern houses by important architects are rare. Although Myerscough-Walker was a talented architect, this was his only building; he worked primarily as a perspectivist, writer and teacher. What renders this house exceptional is the lavishness of its internal fixtures and its remarkably complete state of preservation.