1-4, VINCENT SQUARE (See details for further address information)

Terrace of four houses, part of a group of 26. Built in 1929 by the Air Ministry's Directorate of Works and Buildings. Painted brickwork with cavity walls and slate roofs.

The terrace is arranged in a short straight line on the west side of Vincent Square at its southern end. Each house is entered from the right and contains living, dining and kitchen rooms on the ground floor, with three bedrooms above. Originally each house had four open fireplaces, two on each floor, positioned on the party wall to the left.

The exterior features plain wooden sash windows in half-brick reveals with concrete sub-sills. At first floor level there are three windows separated by narrow brick piers, the outer lights being narrower than the centre one. Below these sits a canted flat-roofed bay with brick mullions, containing large central and smaller side-lights. To the right of each house, reached by two steps, is a flush panelled door with a square glazed top panel, sheltered under a flat concrete hood with a roll-mould edge supported on concrete brackets. Each house has a large ridge stack with deep stepped capping positioned to the left; the stack to No 1 is flush to the hipped end and slightly lower than the others.

The end elevations are plain. The rear elevation displays a triple sash with brick mullions at first floor level, above a large replacement casement, a door to the left and a small side light. A small stone carved with the date 1929 marks the centre party wall. Simple open eaves run all around.

The interior was not inspected; the houses were restored by a Housing Association as part of the renovation of the entire Square.

These houses form part of the best preserved group of married quarters relating to a nationally important historic aviation site. Designed on Garden City principles, they predate the post-1934 Expansion Period of the RAF. The land for these new married quarters was purchased in 1923-5. The original group of 26 was planned as an elongated square around a central grassed area; six houses were demolished following the 1940 raids. Biggin Hill became known as the most famous fighter station in the world, primarily through its role in the Battle of Britain, the first historical instance of a nation retaining its freedom and independence through air power. It was developed as a key fighter station in the inter-war period and played a critical role in developing the radar-based air defence system that proved vital in the Second World War. As a 11 Group sector station under Air Vice Marshal Keith Park, Biggin Hill was among those at the front line during the Battle of Britain, suffering sustained Luftwaffe attacks particularly between 24 August and 6 September 1940 when airfields and aircraft factories were the Luftwaffe's prime targets.