No. 264, SHEEN LANE

264 Sheen Lane

This house was designed in 1924 by Sydney Ernest Castle FRIBA for HS Pyne, Headmaster of Warwick School, and incorporates stained-glass inserts on the south side by Francis H Spear. In 1934-5 Sydney Castle also built a small addition on the service end for a subsequent owner, ED Bisgood.

The house is constructed from a mixture of red brick (mainly in Flemish bond but some herringbone), structural timber framing with plastered infill to the east porch, south front and north west projecting larder, and tile-hanging. The tiled roof has variously gables, half-hips, and a catslide roof to the east, with two tall moulded brick chimneystacks. Windows are metal-framed casements with leaded lights throughout, some with circular or octagonal-shaped panes, and there are stained-glass inserts to the staircase hall windows on the south side.

The plan is roughly L-shaped with principal rooms facing south and the service end to the north. The internal plan has a full-height staircase-hall with gallery, lounge to the east, dining room and den (that is, study) to the west, and service rooms to the north. On the first floor the principal bedroom is situated to the west of the staircase hall with a dressing room and bathroom to the west, two further bedrooms to the east, and maids' bedrooms to the north.

Exterior

The east or entrance front has a projecting chimneystack with plastered tablet bearing the entwined owners' initials HSP and a corner timber-framed porch with plastered infill and studded oak door set diagonally. The remainder of this front has a steeply pitched roof sweeping down to ground-floor level with dormer windows.

The south or garden elevation has a brick bay to the west, interrupted by a projecting gable of two storeys and attic, timber framed with plastered infill. The attic floor has diagonal braces and the jetty is supported on carved brackets. The first floor is close-studded and has a five-light oriel window. The ground floor has a mullioned-and-transomed window and French windows with rectangular fanlight with circular panes. The remainder of this front is of two storeys. The adjoining bay is recessed behind a tiled balcony (which probably covers the original timber balcony with plastered infill) and is supported on four brick piers with tile-on-edge capitals. The first floor has a large seven-light bay window with stained glass inserts. The ground floor has a casement window with stained glass inserts, decorative octagonal and square panes above, and a studded oak door. The end bay has a projecting two-storey square bay with close-studded timber framing between the floors and the end of this front is tile hung.

The west front has a first-floor hipped dormer and patterned herringbone brick between it and the three-light ground floor casement window. The north return is of two storeys with plain casement windows, and on the west return the roof sweeps down to ground-floor level. There is one casement window but most of the original ground floor has been replaced by the 1934-5 single-storey extension of brick with tile-on-edge quoins and cornice and flat roof.

The north side service end is of two storeys and attics brick with a half-hipped gable, the only decorative feature an oval window on the ground floor. To the extreme right is a projecting timber-framed larder with ventilation grille to the window and tiled roof. This is not shown on the original architects' drawing but is shown on the 1935 Ordnance Survey map.

Attached to the house on the south and west sides are stone paved paths and steps incorporating two circular features.

Interior

The north-east porch leads into a lobby and passage with several studded oak doors leading into the full-height staircase hall. This has pegged oak timber-framing with square panels and slightly curved windbraces with plaster infill. The north ground-floor wall has a recessed round-headed arched fireplace with tile-on-edge decoration, herringbone brickwork and built-in oak settle. The oak well staircase has alternate twisted and splat balusters and square newel posts with carved finials and pendants. The ground floor south window has stained glass panels depicting King Arthur in Camelot and the battle between Sir Kay and Sir Balamorgineas. The first floor south window has stained glass inserts depicting King Arthur, Merlin and the heraldic devices of Sir Launcelot, Sir Tristram and Sir Kay.

Leading off from the staircase-hall to the west on the ground floor, through a studded door with cockspur hinges, is the dining room. The walls have full-height oak plank-and-muntin panelling with a plate shelf and in the western wall is a brick fireplace, the upper bricks set in courses diagonally and with some tiles on edge. The ceiling has an exposed chamfered spine beam and floor joists. The adjoining study has a plastered fireplace with round-headed arch with keystone. The lounge is entered through oak studded double doors from the staircase hall and a similar single door from the passage, both with cockspur hinges. It has two moulded chamfered oak axial beams and a four-centred arched stone fireplace. The service end to the north retains the original built-in wooden dressers in the kitchen and pantry, ledged plank doors and the half-winder service staircase.

The first-floor principal bedroom retains the top of a wooden fireplace visible but a 1930s surround has been inserted below it. The adjoining dressing room retains an oak built-in wardrobe with sliding doors. There are two further bedrooms to the east of the staircase-hall, the larger easternmost bedroom has a wooden fireplace with round-headed arch and keystone similar to the one in the study. To the north, adjoining the service staircase were two servants' bedrooms, now adapted into one room.

History

264 Sheen Lane, originally called Sheengate, was designed in 1924 by Sydney Ernest Castle FRIBA for HS Pyne, Headmaster of Warwick School. It was erected between February 1924 and March 1925. Stained glass inserts to the windows were supplied by Francis H Spear, who taught at the Royal College of Art. Between August 1934 and January 1935 Sydney Castle also built a small addition to the house at the north west end for a later owner, ED Bisgood. This extension is the only part of the building not shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1935.

HS Pyne, a physicist, was headmaster of Warwick School between 1906 and 1928 and the school flourished under his headship. The First World War had a shattering effect on the school, which lost 87 old boys and 2 members of staff. This included the headmaster's own son Eric, and Pyne paid for the chapel gallery and west window as a war memorial. HS Pyne also commissioned Sydney Castle to build him a cottage at West Parade, Hythe, Kent between July 1927 and April 1928.

Sydney Ernest Castle (1883-1955) started as an assistant in the firm of A Jessop Hardwick, an Arts and Crafts architect in Kingston-upon-Thames. With Gerald Warren he won a competition for New Cross Branch Library in 1908. He was in partnership with Gerald Warren between 1908 and 1920 and the practice was chiefly noted for medium-sized country houses and suburban properties in the Arts and Crafts style. In 1914 he wrote a book 'Metal Casements, Old and New' which he also illustrated, promoting metal windows and leaded lights.

In 1920 the partnership was dissolved and between 1920 and 1930 Castle designed 23 individual houses or cottages and an estate of 300 houses at East Sheen, mostly in the Vernacular Revival style. In 1927 he wrote and illustrated 'Domestic Gothic of the Tudor Period'. During the 1930s his commissions declined sharply but he exhibited drawings and watercolours at the Royal Academy. During the Second World War Castle worked for Wandsworth Borough Council, waterproofing Anderson shelters by using quick hardening cement and later joined the building control division of the Ministry of Works. In 1944 he worked for the Ministry of Education, providing temporary colleges for teacher training and later adapted Wentworth Castle in Yorkshire as a training college.