1930s time capsule
1930s Paul Mauger modern house in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
Hardly updated over the decades, this rather special 1930s Paul Mauger modern house in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire is up for sale.
Huge thanks to Modernism In Metro-Land on Twitter (you really should follow him) for spotting this one, which can be found in the Pentley Park area of town, dating back to 1937.
Said to be his most modernist design, it took inspiration from European modernism of the time and as I said at the start, has barely changed since it was constructed 82 years ago. That’s really something. Grade II-listed as you would expect.
The house is looking for just its third owner, having been occupied by Mauger and his family, then the current occupants, which is perhaps why this house is something of a time capsule in places.
It looks to be both an opportunity and a task for someone. An opportunity because houses of this era in this kind of condition rarely come onto the market. You might have to wait years to see its like again. The agent Putterills (which has done an amazing job with the imagery capturing this one) describes it as a ‘real unique opportunity to purchase one of the Garden City’s treasures’, which is pretty much spot on.
But it is a task because it does need some sympathetic updating, carried out in light of it being a listed building. Much of the work I would suspect would be about the preservation of the original details of the 1930s build.
But there is work to be done elsewhere. The kitchen, while having some original details, looks to have been updated much later and perhaps needs a rethink. Likewise, the bathroom perhaps needs updating for the modern era.
But beyond that, it’s a case of looking, after all, that is great about this house and freshening up some of the rooms to bring them back to their best.
As for the originality, there’s the architecture itself, which has hardly changed at all. Once inside the house, you can see that stunning hallway, the front door, the staircase, the wooden floors and one of those wonderful internal doors.
Love the grand entrance to the living room, the fireplace, sliding doors to a dining area and the angular landing and wall of uniform period doors to name just a few. Seems to be a balcony area as well. This has the makings of something very special.
As for space, there is that hallways with downstairs cloakroom, a living room, a separate dining room, a conservatory/garden room and the fitted kitchen on the ground floor. The first floor has four bedrooms and a family bathroom.
The outside is worth talking about too, with a driveway leading to a garage, along with side buildings and a passageway plus some extensive mature gardens beyond.
£800,000 is the guide price, should you fancy putting in a bid.
Images and details courtesy of Putterills estate agents. For more details, images and to make an enquiry, please visit its website.