For demolition: 1930s art deco house in Rayners Lane, London
Very sad to hear about the future demolition of this 1930s art deco house in Rayners Lane, London. But at least we get a glimpse of it first.
*Note the article has now been updated with internal photos – see the end of the piece.
Thanks to Fiona for getting in touch and sending over some photos of the art deco house, which do at least give us a glimpse of a house that has been hidden from sight for many years.
I know, it seems ridiculous that someone can just leave a house like this to rot. But that’s what has happened, with nature taking its course and covering the house in overgrown vegetation.
The house was apparently sold at the end of last year, presumably with someone looking to bring the house back to its best. The first step of doing this has been to cut back all of that overgrowth to actually access and view the house properly. But it isn’t good news.
According to Fiona, this stunning piece of 1930s modernism will not be here much longer. According to the people working on the house, the root damage done by the ivy was ‘so severe’ that the foundations are unsafe and they have been left with no alternative but to demolish the house.
So have a look at it for the last time. A crying shame that the house has to go and it would be interesting to hear more of its back story if you know anything.
I would be very intrigued to see the inside of this house too, as that might be a goldmine of original details if the exterior is anything to go by. But in its current state, I suspect that might not be a safe job for anyone except a trained professional.
Credit to both @artdecoist and @superfast72 who also mentioned this on Twitter and thanks again to Fiona for the images.
Update:
Well, I did say I would be intrigued to see the inside of this place and as if by magic, the photos of the interior arrived.
Well, not exactly magic. Huge thanks to photographer Lois Gobe (whose Instagram feed you can see here) for being brave enough to gain access to the house, with the help and agreement of the people working on the site.
The house is now sadly confirmed for demolition in March and as you can see, it isn’t exactly well-preserved. But it is a fascinating time capsule and indicates that the house hasn’t been lived in for decades. Just look at that food cupboard if you want confirmation of that.
A genuinely said loss architecture-wise, but at least we managed to see it both inside and outside before the house is finally removed from the landscape.
Further update: Huge thanks to Raj for taking a couple of photos after the fence had come down. Gives you more of an idea of the house itself. See below…
Ian Crichton on 12 January, 2019 7:12 pm
About twenty years ago I lived in Rayners Lane, and this house was a bit of a mystery- it had a thirties or forties car rusting away next to it, and a lone lightbulb could be seen via a crack in the bin liners taped over the windows- it was doubly odd, as it stands on a roundabout, and is clearly far older than the estate it’s on, I hope someone can shed more light on it!
Bohdan on 13 January, 2019 12:44 am
Is this house for sale?I would be interested.Thanks.
salvage on 18 January, 2019 5:53 pm
Salvage at least prior to demolition, I hope? Love that wall-hung sink with the support beams.
Gill Harman on 19 January, 2019 5:03 pm
Contrary to impressions – the house was lived in. Elderly woman lived with her 2 sons on house. When she psssed away about 20 years ago (house was already in a terrible state) they carried on living there (not updating or renovating it) until they moved out and sold house only last year. It is sad it cannot be salvaged but it has been awful for families living either side of the house. Rats, never ending mess and reduction in their own house prices – just a few of the things they have had to deal with.
Lois Kaufman on 21 January, 2019 11:43 pm
Whilst I was photographing the interior of the house, one of the two guys working there told me that the house had been lived in until recently. But when I saw the utter state of disrepair (and this is putting it mildly), I thought that I must have misunderstood him. It is impossible to conceive how anyone could have lived in such squalor. The filth. The damp. The mould. The cracks in the wall that you could fit your hand into. It beggars belief.
Gill Harman on 22 January, 2019 12:42 am
Lois
The pictures do indeed show the terrible condition of the house. Pretty shocking and sad really.
Apparently the lady who lived there with her 2 sons was a pharmacist, clearly a very intelligent and highly skilled lady. By the time my in laws moved to the area in 1971 the house already looked pretty much as it does now – showing that little or nothing had been done to the house for at least 60 years minimum. By the time the elderly lady became infirm (about 20 years ago) Social Services were obliged to decorate one room downstairs so they could treat her in a semi hygienic environment. The rest of the house was apparently very much in the state you see now. One of the sons was employed in a professional job in London leaving every morning in a smart suit every morning (until about 5 years) ago. Does seem incredible that anyone was able to live in the house given the terrible state it was in.
Mr Sullivan on 18 February, 2019 3:50 pm
Yes the comments above are correct. I’ve lived in the area for 53 years and the house has always been like that. My father used to own the camera shop in Rayners Lane. The occupants used to run a chemist shop in the high street.
Mark Farrell on 11 April, 2019 3:11 pm
Such a shame how this house has been neglected. The rumours are true, this house was lived in until last year. How on earth how I just don’t know.
I’ve been a resident of Rayners Lane all my life, and everyone who lived nearby was dying to see what kind of house hid behind the vegetation.
Glad to see the pictures of the inside – thank you for sharing.
I truly hope the house is restored rather than knocked down and flats built.
Claire on 22 June, 2019 10:57 pm
Given that it is possible to repair and underpin even very bad subsidence and literally dig out and replace failing foundations, and this house shows no evidence in the photos of collapse, I strongly suspect that this is an excuse to develop the site. I would be surprised if this is even true, and if it is, if the foundations cannot be repaired. It seems a tragedy if this reason for demolition is not being independently assessed by planners.
Ian Crichton on 20 October, 2019 7:44 pm
Was passing this way a week or two ago, and took a small detour to have a look at what’s going on- the house is gone, replaced by a modern block of three or so flats- a characterless replacement for the old house.
Such is progress.
Anne Freeman on 11 June, 2020 7:20 pm
In fact the house was not demolished….it was renovated and extended
Not clear whether it is now flats, it looks more like a residential home of some kind
Sandra Taiwo on 14 June, 2020 8:11 am
It’s not a block of flats, but has been transformed into a beautiful family home.
I heard two residents occupied it before it was sold – one was moved to a residential home and the other bought a flat nearby.
Julia Rodgers on 11 July, 2020 8:51 am
Wow! Talk about conflicting info. I’d love to think this grand old lady did survive – in any form. Sure beats the wrecking ball. As I don’t live far away, I might just have to go n see for myself what happened
Richard Lock on 7 November, 2020 12:16 am
I drive past the property regularly
It has been modernised to the extreme
Tomorrow i will get a picture and post it, you’ll be shocked by what has been done to the building
Mark Chapman on 24 February, 2021 10:43 pm
Really enjoyed reading and seeing pictures, did anyone get a current picture of the restoration of this house
Jenna on 28 April, 2021 3:44 pm
So tragic that the original Art Deco features of this house were not kept, or replicated. It would have been wonderful to see it returned to its former glory. The modern alternative that has been built has no period or character!
Lucy Bambury on 27 June, 2024 3:14 pm
I just spent about 2 hours looking through every post box in Rayners Lane to try and find what is there now. Finally I found it. In google maps you can go through the past years and see the way the whole building was completely overgrown. Only from the side at one angle could you see the chimneys peeking over the trees and foliage. There was a tiny neat (clearly they regularly trimmed it, it’s there every year I went back), passage cut into the foliage. But from these exterior shots after the foliage was cleared – they clearly trimmed it enough a person could fit through but not enough for passerbys to see through and see the house. If it is as people said – the bins outside in every photo testify too, the two men living there maybe felt ashamed, but the amount of money required to do up this house would be exhaustive. Maybe they wanted to renovate it, but didn’t have the money to or know where to begin. So they let the trees grow high to hide the shame. The trees almost cradled the house. But they probably had a lot of family memories attached to the house. Such a beautiful house. But the melancholy story of the family inhabiting is even more sad I’d argue. Why did they stay so long? Did they want to eventually renovate but just didn’t have the means? How did they go out about their lives and return to a house in such a state? Did they have any relationship with neighbours or those in the area? I understand for neighbours it must have been frustrating to deal with – some people mentioned rats and falling property prices. But as an outsider, I think it’s a very sad story. Definitely was more going on that the public will never know.
The house replacing it is a complete new build – the only resemblance is in the buildings footprint, which would only be to appease local planning authorities of like for like in terms of scale. No character. The typical contemporary white wash everything with ugly dark grey pvc windows. That same characterless dark grey used for paving which replaced all of the planting and trees. Really so sad to see. They have cut down every tree that was there. Yes it was overgrown, but you could tell they were some beautiful trees, they could’ve at least tried to preserve them. Clearly just developers prioritising profit. No appreciation for heritage or character or the trees of the site. It’s on the Rayners Lane, church avenue roundabout.