3-5, HILL CLOSE

Pair of houses at 3-5 Hill Close, Hampstead Garden Suburb, dated 1912 and designed by Howard Goodchild in the Voyseyesque manner. The buildings are rendered with pebbledash, have brown brick chimneys, and tile roofs.

No. 3 is a two-storey house of two bays with an asymmetrical elevation. The entrance is set into the left return beneath a deep canopy. The main elevation has casement windows in unpainted timber frames with rectangular leaded lights—three and four-light windows on the ground floor and four and three-light windows on the first floor. The left return features an oak door of small panels with a small glazed panel. A tall offset stack rises with its upper section in exposed brick; a vertical light sits at its base beneath a tile drip mould that continues to the front elevation. First floor casements are positioned against this stack and the rear stack, with a small tiled canopy between them. At the rear is a part-glazed garden door from the parlour, set beneath a round arch of curved tiles. The roof displays exposed rafter ends. Upper floor windows are irregularly arranged, with a two-light dormer and small light beneath the eaves.

No. 5 is a two-storey house with a gabled right bay. The ground floor bay window has five lights with a small shaped head to the central light, bearing the date 1912 and the name "Gable End". The left bay is set forward with a continuous drip mould running across the elevation. The upper floor of the forward bay contains a three-light window with narrow lights in the inner angle. The gable's first floor has a five-light window beneath a drip mould, with two vertical vents to the apex above it. The entrance is set into the right return beneath a flat canopy, with an oak door featuring moulded muntins and a small glazed panel, flanked by vertical eight-pane windows and embellished with strap hinges. At the rear is a first-floor flat-roofed dormer at the outer angle, a part-glazed garden door to the parlour, an angled stair window, and a small dormer set against the stack. A gabled wing extends at ground floor level to the rear.

Interior of No. 3: The hall connects to the parlour through a pair of double doors. All doors are of broad boards, stained, and retain original ironmongery, as do the windows. The stair rises from the hall with square newels, rectangular balusters, and a moulded rail. The parlour fireplace has a long stained mantelpiece over a flush central glazed tiled fireplace with flanking framed panels. Ceiling timbers are exposed, with only the principal members stained and boards laid diagonally. A small cupboard with fittings sits beneath the stair, and the stair window has a glazed tile cill. The hall and first floor fireplaces have been blocked or removed. No. 3 retains a rear paved courtyard.

Interior of No. 5: The hall was formerly partitioned with small panels and similar sliding doors leading to the parlour. The joinery has since been stripped and varnished, and the sliding doors are now glazed. The hall and dining room feature a red brick fireplace with a pointed arched opening and horizontally laid tile slips. The parlour has a small red brick fireplace. The stair has square newels, rectangular balusters, and a moulded rail. Broad boarded doors to the kitchen and upper floor retain long strap hinges. Bathroom and WC doors have been rearranged but retain ironmongery. Some windows retain their original ironmongery.

The original 1912 plans by Howard Goodchild, held in the London Metropolitan Archive, show that the principal elevations and interior of No. 3 remain little altered, although the kitchen area has been opened up in both houses. Photographs of No. 5 before alterations are held by the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust. These are handsome Arts and Crafts-influenced houses that respond well to their setting and contribute to the overall character of this part of the suburb.