Long Wall

This is a house built in 1963 by Philip Dowson, with Peter Foggo as an associate, for S V Williams. It was restored between 1995 and 1996 with alterations by Hugh Pilkington. The house is constructed of brick and timber, with a flat roof and a single projecting brick stack. It is a single-storey pavilion with a roughly square roof area. The interior is largely open plan. A white-painted brick spine wall runs through the house, extending from either end to separate the arrival area from the main house and garden; the roof overhangs this wall, with a deep, lapped boarded fascia. The front facing the entrance has seven bays with opaque glazing in timber frames. The garden front features seven bays with full-height sliding timber frames. Paired timber beams extend from mullions to support the cantilever; these mullions act as roof supports, resting on cast concrete pads set on a brick base wall that also forms the boundary of a terrace to the left. Glazing extends to the side elevations, including a large sliding glazed door to the terrace. An integral external terrace incorporates a long built-in bench.

Inside, a fireplace is built into the spine wall at the back of the living area. Other screens of unpainted timber continue the design style. There is a free-standing cooker unit and hood, a built-in countertop and shelf below the windows.

This is a distinguished and well-known house, celebrated for its simple elegance. Its plan is inspired by the work of Mies van der Rohe, adapted with regionalised and rationalised brick and timber construction. Dowson referenced the Barcelona Pavilion and Greek architecture, while the oversailing roof draws on the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. The design aimed to represent “simplicity in a meadow,” which it achieves effectively. The rural setting is an integral part of the design. Pilkington's restoration and alterations have been sympathetic to the original design.