Granelli, Adjoining Pergolas To East, South And West And Garage Block And Boundary Wall To North-West

Granelli, Alvechurch

A house designed in 1955–1957 by Remo and Mary Granelli for themselves and completed by October 1961. A single-storey garage block was added to the north-west in 1963.

The house is built of buff-coloured hand-made bricks from Leicester Brick and Tile, laid in stretcher bond to the ground floor. The first floor is clad in vertically-placed cedar planks. Window frames of timber or metal were specially made by Birmingham manufacturers, though some standard mass-produced casements were also incorporated. The building has a T-shaped plan. The main two-storey wing, running south to north, contains the reception room, kitchen and playroom. A smaller single-storey wing oriented east-west accommodates the entrance and study. Pergolas are positioned at either end and immediately to the rear of the entrance hall, linking the house to the surrounding gardens.

The design contrasts the ground floor of buff brick with soldier course detailing against the first floor cedar cladding. A distinctive feature throughout is the matt-black reinforced concrete lintels above the ground floor window openings, rendered with Artex and painted black. The entrance front comprises a two-storey block to the left with a louvred service door and two-light window, topped by a smaller two-light first-floor window. To the right is a single-storey range containing the front door at the left, with a full-height window bearing a stainless steel plaque inscribed "REMO and MARY GRANELLI / CHARTERED ARCHITECTS". Further right are single-light and two-light windows. The left reveal features a two-light full-height sliding window leading to a pergola with brick piers and hardwood superstructure, with a three-light kitchen window to its right. The first floor has two single-light and one two-light window. The garden front shows the two-storey range at the right, with the single-storey entrance corridor and study wing at the left, including a three-light full-height window to the ground floor living room and three-light casement to the first-floor principal bedroom.

Interior spaces revolve around a wide central corridor running east-west, paved in terrazzo flooring with under-floor heating. The study and entrance lobby occupy the west end. At the centre is a cantilevered staircase, while the east end features a dining area overlooking the landscape and the sitting room below. The site slopes gently southward, which the architects exploited to create a sunken sitting room set three steps lower, allowing greater ceiling height. The kitchen and former garage, converted to a playroom, are positioned to the north. The first floor is reached by steps cantilevered from the rear of the sitting room chimney stack, formed of reinforced concrete covered in terrazzo, with a chromium-plated metal balustrade and teak handrail. The first floor contains a principal bedroom with conjoined dressing room to the south and further bedrooms and bathroom to the north. The first-floor landing features fitted bookshelves and a fitted seating area at the eastern end. Original fitted furniture survives in the study, kitchen, hallway and bedrooms. Throughout the house, original bathroom fittings, door and window furniture, light fittings and switches remain largely intact.

The site was purchased in 1955 for approximately £1,100, with adjacent land owned by the National Trust, helping preserve the rural setting at the edge of open countryside. Design work began in 1957 with both Remo and Mary Granelli (nee Graham) contributing, as evidenced by sketch drawings showing both hands. Construction commenced in 1960 and reached completion in October 1961 at a cost of about £4,000. The Granellis engaged local Birmingham manufacturers known to them for fittings. Remo Granelli's father, Antony, manufactured terrazzo, knowledge that informed design features such as the heated flooring, stair treads and mantel shelf. Three children were born to the house. Around 1963, the garage adjacent to the kitchen was transformed into a playroom, and a new double garage was built separately, adjacent to the entrance hall and study. A third pergola, connected to the rear of the new garage, was added later, along with a lean-to glasshouse attached to its south wall. The flat roof has been replaced once and thermal insulation blocks added to its upper surface, but the house has otherwise remained little altered. The design reflects Italian influences in material choices and represents accomplished interior design of its era.