2 And 2A, Grantchester Road

A pair of houses with garages, located at 2 and 2A Grantchester Road, Cambridge, were designed between 1961 and 1964 by Colin St John Wilson, with one house including a studio for Wilson himself, and the other for Dr Peter Squire. Frank Newby was the engineer for the project. The houses are constructed of 8" x 16" concrete blocks made with crushed Abergele limestone and waterproof white cement, including white aggregate. The concrete beam structure is exposed. The houses share a similar plan, with Wilson’s house being set back behind an office range that projects to the street building line. This office range includes a first-floor drawing office over a colonnade leading to a forecourt patio. The houses are L-shaped, with staircases located on the corner; Dr Squire’s house has a spiral staircase, while Wilson’s house has a double-height living room with a library balcony. Garages are on the right side of each plot and form a continuous part of the design. The facade is described by Colin Rowe as the smallest monument in Cambridge, characterized by a regular colonnade. Double-glazed sash windows are used for the smaller windows, while large, double-glazed panes feature in the living rooms. Interiors are primarily fair-faced blockwork, with plastered bedrooms and bathrooms. Dark stained timber is used for doors and stairs, and white rubber flooring is present throughout. Wilson’s kitchen retains its original cupboards.

The buildings are recognized for their powerful and uncompromising modern design with classical formality. They represent a rationalized urban row house series and a groundbreaking use of naked concrete blockwork, featuring a cubic double-height living room and insistent columniation. These are among only three private houses designed by Sir Colin St John Wilson in the 1960s, and their significance lies in the inclusion of both a house and studio for the architect.