Fairlawn

Fairlawn, Totteridge Common

A house arranged as three wings around a courtyard open to the north. The building combines elements from different periods: the south end of the west wing dates from the late 17th century, the main south block from around 1845, the east wing was rebuilt and enlarged around 1905, and the west wing was extended north around 1905 and to the south and west around 1900.

The exterior is constructed of pebble-dashed red brick with machine tile and plain tile roofs. The main block's south front is a 2-storey range of 9 windows, with 3 windows set within a central full-height bow. The windows are 6-over-6 unhorned sashes with external shutters, and 3 French windows open from the ground floor of the bow. The eaves feature a modillion cornice, and the hipped roof is topped with 2 asymmetrically-placed ridge stacks.

The north front is 2 storeys with a 3-window range. An early 20th-century ground-floor projecting hallway contains central double-leaf 3-panel doors with side lights and a segmental pediment, flanked by Ionic columns. One 4-light cross casement appears to the right and left, while the first floor has one central 4-light and 2 flanking 3-light casements with leaded glazing. A hipped 2-storey pavilion projects at the east end with one 2-light ground-floor casement and one 4-light upper casement.

The west wing's 17th-century element is visible from the east side abutting the main south block. This 2-storey section contains 2 double-transomed mullioned windows each of 2 lights with ovolo-moulded mullions, separated by an external stack with serrated flues. A truncated ridge stack to the right was formerly an end stack. A circa 1905 extension to the north has no windows on its east side but features a central external stack, with a gabled roof to the whole, hipped to the north.

The east front of the west wing dates entirely from around 1905 and features 2 projecting bay windows to the left with a half-glazed door between them. To the right, within the 17th-century part, stands one glazed door with side lights and a 2-light first-floor casement. A drawing room extension of circa 1900 extends to the south, gabled to the north and west with 2 gabled bays to the south. Half-timbering appears in the gable heads. The north gable contains a central external stack with serrated flues, the west gable displays 7-light bay windows to both floors with casements featuring leaded glazing, and the south gables contain one 3-light mullioned casement to each floor of the right gable, but a 5-light casement to the left gable, which has a jettied first floor.

The east wing (Nos. 51A and 51B) is 2 storeys with a dormer attic, featuring a 4-window range of 2- and 3-light casements and a 4-panel door to the right of centre. A modillion eaves cornice and a hipped roof with a stack to the east hip complete this section. One hipped dormer with modillion cornice rises from the roof.

The east wing extension (Nos. 47 and 49) forms a rectangular block under a gabled roof hipped to the north. The west side displays unpebbledashed brick and contains 2 ground-floor casements and one first-floor casement, with 3 flat-topped dormers featuring 2-light casements. The east side has a timber upper floor and central gable with 2 20th-century doors—that to the south (No. 49) has a gabled timber porch and a 2-light leaded casement to its right, while 2 late 20th-century garage doors occupy the centre and a 20th-century glazed door (No. 47) with a 3-light casement stands to the right. Five first-floor casements, four disposed as dormers, complete this elevation. The roof features a louvred turret and weathervane dated TW 1710.

The interiors were not inspected, though in 1903 the house was purchased by Sir Charles Allen, an interior designer specialising in ocean-going liners such as the Queen Mary, and it is possible the interiors are by him.