Grey Wings

Grey Wings is a house built in 1913, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in collaboration with his brother Adrian Gilbert Scott. It was originally built for approximately £1000. The design is in a Classical style with Neo Grec Art Deco detailing. The house is stuccoed with a tiled mansard roof and rendered chimneystacks. It has a butterfly plan, meaning the wings extend outwards from a central point.

The north or entrance front has five bays, featuring multipane casement windows. Dormers include a central oval window and elongated windows at each end. The ground floor windows incorporate two canted bays. Other features include a banded cornice, a plinth, and a central double doorcase with a panelled door. Attached walls on the east and west sides connect to garaging and utility rooms, and incorporate cast and wrought iron gates.

The south or garden front is curved to maximize sunlight exposure. Here, there are four dormers and a central, elongated staircase window with Art Deco detailing. Two curved conservatories with conical tiled roofs, multipane windows and central double doors were added in a matching style around 1981, without damaging the original fabric. The side elevations are angled and include two-storey canted bay windows with multipane casements.

The interior has cast iron and frosted glass lobby doors, leading to a staircase hall. The staircase features square newel posts, a wooden handrail, iron balustrading with diaper patterns, and central classical-style bosses with a round-headed niche below. The ground floor consists of two main rooms: a Drawing Room to the west and a Dining Room to the east, alongside an adjoining kitchen. The Dining Room retains a moulded cornice and marble surround to the hearth, however the original bolection-moulded wooden fireplace has been removed. The Drawing Room maintains a moulded cornice and the marble interior of the fireplace. Original flush doors are present on both floors.

The house was originally built for £1000. Although records are unavailable, a former member of the contracting firm recalled Sir Giles and his brother working on the project, suggesting it may have been a private commission.

Grey Wings is considered an early and rare private house commission designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and his brother, and it survives with limited alteration.