The Wood House

House. Built between 1937 and 1938 to designs by Walter Gropius and Maxwell Fry, this is a significant example of the International Modern style, and the only known house in England clad in weatherboarding by Gropius. The house is weather-boarded with simple bracketed eaves to slightly sloping roofs. The two-storey main block faces south and includes a terrace. A single-storey dining room extension projects to the left of the south front, featuring double French casements to the south and a loggia to the right, set at an angle with a staircase rising to it. A low, single-storey wing extends to the northwest, housing a guest suite with a slightly taller integral garage at the end. A northeast wing, also single-storey, contains outbuildings. Windows on both floors of the south front are arranged in long rows, while the guest wing has windows in groups of three, all with metal-framed casements. The main entrance is at the west end of the south block and is sheltered by a deep, sloping weather hood supported by slender metal brackets. The interior remains largely original, featuring door furniture and window casements made by Zeiss of Germany. The dining room contains a central table of beige marble supported by two wooden supports, with similar surfaces to the sideboards. The walls are adorned with three copper light fittings. The sun room has bookshelves with beige marble tops and an integral fireplace. The original staircase is still in place.