Pen Pits

House, built in 1935 by P.J.B. Harland for the composer Sir Arthur Bliss. The house is constructed of cavity brickwork rendered over reinforced concrete, with asphalt flat roofs and rendered chimney stacks. It is designed in an International Functionalist style, featuring a complex plan and two storeys. The North elevation has six ordered bays, with steel casement windows. Bays 1-5 have a formal panelled treatment; bay 6 features a concrete slab and a single wing wall porch protecting a simple door with a circular window above, and a deep stair window. A tanks structure is set back on the West return. The South elevation evokes the appearance of an ocean liner, with a wide sun patio on the first floor accessible by a steel ladder and railings, an open loggia constructed of composite steel and concrete, and an almost continuous window wall to the living room. A wireless aerial is suspended between the water tank and chimney on the roof.

Inside, the house retains virtually all original features, including doors, door furniture, bookcases, fireplaces, and linoleum in the dining room, along with carefully designed changes of level. The property is situated within the Pen Pits Quern Quarries, which are a Scheduled Ancient Monument (Somerset County No 470).