Valley Spring

Valley Spring is a house built in 1968, designed by the architect Peter Womersley for his brother John. The house comprises three flat-roofed pavilions with plate glass walls set between tall red brick towers constructed in a Flemish bond pattern. The roofs and floors rest on tall, U-shaped piers.

The building follows a linear, free-flow plan arranged along a north-east/south-west axis. A central brick tower holds the staircase, situated between two-storey pavilions. The south-west pavilion contains the dining room and kitchen on the ground floor, with two bedrooms and a bathroom above. The north-east pavilion houses a former children's playroom/study, two smaller bedrooms, and a bathroom, with a large living room above. The flat roof above the living room was formerly a sun terrace, accessible via the central stair tower. A third, single-storey pavilion attached to the south-west provides a self-contained one-bedroom flat with its own entrance. A flat-roofed carport projects from the north-west front elevation.

The glass pavilions originally featured horizontal timber cladding to the eaves and floors, painted dark brown, but this is now cream-coloured. Two original frameless plate glass walls with distinctive mitred corners remain, along with original louvred ventilation windows which were designed to offer uninterrupted views of the surrounding countryside and to allow views between rooms. Other plate glass walls have been replaced with UPVC framed windows within the existing openings.

The interior layout, finishes, and many original features and fixtures remain largely intact. The living room includes a square snug with built-in tiled seating around a large brick fireplace. Most ceilings are faced in sycamore, with original ceiling lights still present. Exposed sycamore ceiling beams rest on U-shaped concrete supports to the brick piers in the master bedroom. The U-shaped piers in the main bedrooms, children’s playroom, and the annexe contain full-height built-in wardrobes faced in sycamore. The staircase features chunky timber handrails and treads covered in black marmoleum tiles with hardwood nosing.

Valley Spring sits on a rural site on the southern outskirts of Bath. It is built on a terrace on a south-facing hillside, providing panoramic views over Horsecombe Vale, a wooded valley. A private drive leads off Southstoke Road along the hillside, turning back to reach the forecourt and carport at the front of the house.