King's Knoll

King's Knoll

A house in the International Style, designed in 1933 by Hilda Mason ARIBA as her own residence.

The building is rendered brick, some at least in triple terracotta blocks, with a felt-covered flat roof. Windows are set in timber frames, with a few metal-framed units remaining.

The house follows a butterfly plan, with a later sun room built into the southern flank and a later guest annex to the north-west corner. A further single-storey extension has been added to the north-east wing.

The house is two main storeys with a partial third floor in the centre. The north entrance is a diminutive single-leaf door below a small canopy with a later Art Deco decorative panel above. The sweep of the elevation contains strip windows and other irregular fenestration, with a large garage to the left. An overhanging eave runs between the first and second floors; the eave line has been cut back from its original extent by removal of the integral gutter and replacement with fascia and plastic guttering. One original down pipe survives which drops straight through the soffit. To the far right is a later guest suite on the first floor.

The south elevation faces towards the river valley. The floors step back between the first and second floor, delineated by overhanging eaves of flat roofs. A formal terrace with a pond is situated towards the left. The ground floor contains a fully glazed sun room constructed later. A balcony on the first floor features original tubular railings. A projecting bay window with a replacement single-leaf door forms part of the north-east extension, with a further smaller bay window above. Enclosed loggias occupy the second floor with a blocked opening in the centre of the elevation.

The interior is plainly detailed and unadorned, modernised in its decor. The original plan form remains discernible throughout, though alterations have been made. The drawing room and dining room are the principal ground-floor rooms, both facing the river view to the south. The kitchen, formerly three rooms, has had partitions removed and late 20th-century fittings installed. Also on the ground floor is a workroom with a small brick-lined wine cellar below it, within the later extension. The original staircase remains with plain newel posts topped with ball finials; it is unclear if the panels are original or cover balusters. Some original doors remain in situ. There are ten doors on the first floor, with an angled corridor reflecting the butterfly plan. The uppermost storey is reached by a very narrow ladder staircase and contains painted brick, including the terracotta triple bricks, now housing water tanks. The sun rooms are now enclosed, with a blocked window looking out to the north.