1960s Edward Schoolheifer modern house on Manygate Lane, Shepperton, Surrey
A popular location, so I can see this 1960s Edward Schoolheifer modern house on Manygate Lane, Shepperton, Surrey shifting pretty quickly.
I have featured this development in the past. In fact, I featured a very different townhouse to this one back in August. That’s under offer right now. As I said, they don’t hang around for long here.
Yes, house designs are different, but all were designed by Swiss architect Edward Schoolheifer for the Lyon Group back in 1964. Like Span houses, the property here is all about the design and the setting, with the courtyards and surrounding landscaped gardens adding to the appeal. Note that both houses and gardens were designated a conservation area in 2002 in recognition of their contribution to the modernism in Britain.
So forward-thinking modernism for the mass market and fairly affordable back in the day. Although prices have shifted upwards since, some of the houses (like that last one I featured) still are affordable to many. Although this one is a little pricier. But for me, it’s also more desirable.
Desirable because of the architecture, but also because this one has never been on the market before, having been purchased directly from the Lyon Group by the present owners well over 50 years ago.
What you probably want me to say next is that this is a time capsule. But it isn’t. However, it is full of original details that add to the desirability of this house.
As you would expect, the architecture itself is unchanged and still packing that cool ‘60s modernist vibe and its full-height glazing. But also check out the pine-clad ceilings, the original front door, the vinyl internal screens and rosewood flooring. The storage and staircase are likely original too.
Elsewhere, it’s a mix of the old and the new. As you would expect, someone buying a house like this in the 1960s hasn’t been afraid to keep up with trends and there a number of updates throughout that have been carried out over the years. Some, like the kitchen for example, probably from the very recent past.
But there is an authenticity about the place that should win it a lot of friends. I really can’t see this being up for sale for more than a few weeks. Someone will be looking to move here and this is the ideal house to move into.
As I said, there’s nothing new about the exterior, with the eye-catching front and rear faces offering up a white-painted, wooden-clad first floor that ‘appears to float’ above the aluminium-framed windows on the level below. Very 1960s, but also still very modern.
All of that glazing on the ground floor too, which breaks the barriers between the internal space and the private front and back gardens.
Talking of the ground floor, that’s arranged around a central ‘pod’ that takes in the kitchen, a cloakroom and the staircase.
The (very) modern kitchen (at least in terms of the cabinets and floor) is towards the front of the layout, with the living room looking out onto the courtyard garden at the rear.
Heard up the staircase and you will find four bedrooms (so plenty of space) and the family bathroom. Some of the bedrooms might need an update, but that’s only minor criticism of this one. At the end of the day, it’s down to personal taste.
That’s not quite all as the estate offers both residents’ and guests’ car parks, which are connected to the house via the footpaths that ‘wind through the gardens’.
Not that the estate is all about cars. Far from it. Manygate Lane was ‘designed to be car-free’ with the idea that noise is kept to a minimum and children can play safely. It’s a shame that principle isn’t still adhered to in modern-day estates.
Oh, and in terms of a commute (I know it’s important to many of you), Manygate Lane is just five minutes’ walk from Shepperton train station, which runs direct services to London Waterloo.
£650,000 for this one and don’t hang about if it appeals.
Images and details courtesy of The Modern House. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
