Wivenhoe, Amersham

Wivenhoe Beech Grove Amersham Buckinghamshire HP7 0AZ

Building

Roofed and walled permanent structures.

Asset type

Purpose built house.

Age

Circa 1912.

Rarity

Whilst there are numerous other Arts & Crafts style houses in Amersham, the number surviving in anything close to their original form seems to be ever decreasing - Wivenhoe is a neat example of a house that externally is virtually unaltered, the only addition being a flat-roofed single garage.

Architectural and Artistic Interest

Good quality ‘Arts & Crafts’ house of traditional brick construction under a roof of clay tiles. The first-floor level is roughcast & painted white. The design of the house & orientation are related to the steep slope up to the front. The house is set ‘sideways-on’ to Beech Grove, with the large gable - steeper than usual roof - facing the road. There is one window at first-floor level, set centrally, with another at ground-floor level - both appear original. The windows are of leaded-light type, with casement openings, set into wooden frames, which are painted white. The approach over the gravel drive slightly turns back on itself, hiding the front from being seen clearly from Beech Grove as there are large old trees & established bushes. When built, the front would have looked straight across Station Road, at a considerable elevation, with views over to the Misbourne Valley. There must still be some to the garden elevation, although numerous trees have grown since then. Also, there is a sizeable block of 1960’s flats set below Wivenhoe, between that boundary & Station Road. From across the other side of Station Road, the steeper than usual roof slope connects visually with that of Westover on Station Road slighter lower down the hillside. There are 2 original chimneys visible & roof tiles appear original. The roofline slopes down, finishing above the top of the ground-floor level. With the higher than typical slope, there appears still considerable head-height at first-floor level. To either ‘long’ elevation, appears to interlocking gables projecting out of the roofline slightly beyond the principal level of the walls to the ground-floor.

Group Value

Situated behind a Grade II building - Westover, on Station Road - which is similar in age & style. Furthermore, the listing for Westover mentions the Modernist houses nearby on Highover Park in relation to group value which is as valid here in the context of the wider surroundings. Also situated up Beech Grove, where there is an old pillar at the bottom (see separate listing).

Historic Interest

Name comes from Wivenhoe, near Colchester. Lived in for about 40 years, until in his death in 2009, by architect David Bain, who had been Chief Architect at British Aluminium.

Landmark Status

Limited, because of the 1960’s block of flat next-door (also next to adjacent Grade II listed Westover), however can still be seen due to high siting above Station Road - best seen from steep footpath on other side of Station Road, where the composition of the 2 dwellings is best seen, although - again - clearer in the Winter months.

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17 Jul 2022