28, Mallord Street

This is a house built in 1913 for the painter Augustus John, designed by the Dutch architect Robert van t'Hoff. The exterior is painted brick with a pan tile roof. It is a single-storey building with dormers, set over a high half basement. The property has parapets to the gable-ended returns. The symmetrical front elevation is accessed via a double flight of stairs, flanked by windows. The original decorative glazing bars are replicated in the roof dormers. A ridge stack is centrally positioned, aligned with the entrance. The building’s layout is typical of lobby entrance houses. The plan includes a room on either side of a central “stack bay,” originally intended as a dining room and entrance hall. A passage and stairs lead to the rear, connecting to the largest room, John’s studio. The studio measures approximately 37 feet by 25 feet, with an 18-foot ceiling, and features a large window to the north. The end wall has undergone alterations to provide a largely glazed finish. A gallery is located at one end of the studio, incorporating a fireplace beneath, and the railing and supports show the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, as seen in the Wasmuth volume of 1909. Original fire surrounds and grates remain, as do glazed interior doors with original door furniture.