Spring House

This is an artist's house and studio with an attached garage, built between 1965 and 1977 by Colin St John Wilson, with assistance from M J Long. The external walls are of pale cavity brick, with internal columns and partitions constructed from timber, creating a design reminiscent of a cut-away corner terrace and featuring a verandah above. The roofs are monopitched with concrete Roman tiles, and incorporate exposed timberwork. The building has an L-shaped plan, with a cut-away corner forming a terrace within the garden, and projecting bays for the kitchen and dining area. The plan of the main house and garage (located to the left of the entrance elevation) is almost square, anchored by a double-height artist's studio projecting forward to enclose the entrance forecourt. Dark-stained timber windows feature aluminium opening lights. A dark-stained garage, porch, and glazed doors also define the exterior. The appearance of the front and side elevations is influenced by the work of Aalto, particularly his Saynatsalo Town Hall in Finland. A concealed window on the left elevation provides light to the living room and staircase, which is not visible from the plot line. Large, high windows illuminate the studio, and extensive glazing behind the cut-away terrace area to the rear is supported by timber columns, with a timber staircase leading to a first-floor verandah containing a door to an internal gallery, blurring the lines between the interior and exterior spaces.

Inside, the design is dominated by a double-height living area open to the roof, with a gallery on the garden sides. Timber columns, spaced on an 1.8-meter grid and secured with bronzed fixings at the top, support the roof and gallery. The gallery acts as a corridor, extending towards bedrooms behind a timber balustrade with a timber handrail. These spaces are separated by timber partitions and doors. A window from the principal bedroom opens into the living area. The entrance is defined by a glazed timber door, alongside a glazed partition. A corner hearth is positioned diagonally to the open terrace, complemented by built-in seating along the entrance wall. The kitchen (which has been remodelled) and dining area are situated beneath balconies, with the kitchen area separated by head-high partitions incorporating cupboards and leading to a staircase at the far end of the house.