High Cross Hill House

High Cross Hill House

This house was built in 1932 by the American architect W E Lescaze of Howe and Lescaze for W B Curry, headmaster of Dartington School. It represents the first International Modern Style building to be constructed at Dartington.

The house is constructed of whitewashed rendered brick with cavity walls and concrete coping to parapets concealing the flat roof. Originally, the front north block was painted blue and the south block white in deliberate contrast. The design consists of three interlocking elements: a long rectangular front block, a taller square block to the rear, and a smaller lower rectangular block with a curved corner positioned in the rear right angle.

The ground floor plan includes an entrance hall with a servants' room and kitchen to the left, a large drawing room and dining room at a slightly higher level in the rear square block, and a study occupying the small low block with curved corner and roof terrace above. The north block contains the entrance at centre with kitchen to the left and garage to the right at lower level. The entrance features a concrete cantilevered canopy over boarded double doors with a flashing wall and projecting seat. The kitchen and garage areas have lower ceiling heights. The rear block faces the garden to the south, with the right corner cut away to form a verandah on the ground floor and roof terrace above supported on very thin steel tube posts. A glazed sun room has been added later to this terrace. The large drawing room window continues around the corner into the verandah, behind which the dining room has a French window.

The first floor contains guest bedrooms at the right end of the front range with access to the roof terrace, maids' bedrooms and linen cupboards at the left end, and the principal bedroom in the rear block with bathroom and writing room. A staircase rises above the roof into a tower giving access to the flat roof terrace of the taller rear block. The headmaster's daughter's room originally had access to a roof terrace over the left corner but this has been converted into another room.

Externally, the house is two storeys with a stair tower. Many windows are arranged in horizontal bands with steel frames and plate glass, with painted steel cills. The curved corners of the study block continue as a window band around them. The roof terrace has a tube steel and wire net balustrade. Rising from the left side of the rear block, the stair tower has an integral stack.

Interior walls are white plastered throughout. The curved corners in the hall and on the landing contrast with straight stairs featuring a solid wall balustrade with chromium plated tube handrail. The staircase to the first floor continues into the stair tower where the balustrade is wooden with round stick balusters and square newels. A concealed sliding door connects the hall to the drawing room. The drawing room features a fireplace with a large marble-faced lintel asymmetrically placed in the chimney breast, with wide hardwood steps leading down to the dining room. The dining room has French doors to the verandah and plywood cupboards with sliding hatch doors to the kitchen. The servants' stair rises from the servants' living room, similar in design to the upper stage of the main stair. The study has an asymmetrical block glazed tile fireplace surround. The principal bedroom has a small fireplace in its curved corner. All doors throughout are plywood, some with hardwood veneer, set in painted steel doorframes. Heating radiators are set flush within the walls. Plywood cupboards and fitted wardrobes are a feature of the first floor bedrooms.