White Steading
Location/Address
102 Station Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 0AW
Type
Description
Innovative Art-Deco house designed by Robert Lowry and constructed in concrete. All information from Amersham Museum: https://amershammuseum.org/history/on-the-hill/white-steading/
Statement of Significance
Age
Built in 1921Architectural and Artistic Interest
The architect, Robert Lowry, was commissioned to build a modern house between the old town and Amersham-on-the-Hill. On rising land, close to the station, the house was positioned to take advantage of the magnificent views of the Misbourne Valley and the town below. The house and its interior were described in a Country Life article in 1924: “careful study has been given to its general mass and the proportion of its parts but it has eschewed the various trappings which are part of the orthodox architectural equipment. Thus window openings are quite plain with just a sill to carry off the water; and the chimneys are kept free of any embellishments. All this is a perfectly logical direct treatment with the form of construction adopted and thereby the house gains definitive character. The walling is in two skins of 4” concrete, built solid between shuttering, with a 3” cavity, the exterior being finished with cement, lime-whitened; in effective contrast with which are the wooden casements, painted blue. The floors also are of concrete, reinforced with expanded metal; the roof, of pleasing low pitch, being covered with Roman tiles”. According to the Country Life article on White Steading “the interior is as individual as it is captivating”: “The walls are papered and coloured with an apricot tone; the ceiling, divided up into three bays by beams, is overspread with silvered paper which is brought down as a shallow frieze and finished with a border having a Greek fret in black on a gilt ground; while the floor is laid with wood blocks with a blue stain. Three long windows light this room from the south, and there is an end window opening into the garden room which is an attractive feature of the house. The dining room is finished with an ivory tone on walls and ceiling, and has a marbled paper dado representing lapis lazuli [a deep blue semi-precious stone], the doors being painted primrose. The hall has primrose walls and there is a further use of a marbled paper dado up the staircase”.Historic Interest
Lowry’s clients were Francis Rowland Yerbury, his wife, Winifred (née Bendall), a pianist, and their two young children, John and Greta. The family was living in Hampstead Garden Suburb and had a weekend cottage at Coleshill. Yerbury, who was passionate about architecture and design, seized the opportunity to build a modern country house in commuting distance of London. Born in Cricklewood in 1885, his dream of becoming an architect ended when he had to leave school at the age of 13 to help support his widowed mother and siblings. In 1901 he became the office boy at the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) in Tufton Street, Westminster, working his way up to the position of Secretary which he held from 1912 until 1937. During this time, he helped establish the school as a leading centre for architectural education, discussion, and debate.Images and Documents
Date Listed
n/a
Last Updated
20 Mar 2023