1970s Monkswood modern house in Leeds, West Yorkshire
A development featured on this site in the past, but this 1970s Monkswood modern house in Leeds, West Yorkshire, is just on the market.
I have featured three of these in the past, and if you want to see them, you’ll find them here, here, and here. I remember the second of those being incredibly popular, selling in a matter of days to a WowHaus reader.
They are popular because, as designs, they have aged well. And also because this is relatively affordable modernism. Think modernism, and you often get a million-pound price tag in your head. These houses sell for nothing like that.
Ten houses make up Monkswood, an interesting and fairly bold housing project in the 1970s courtesy of architects Brooks Thorp Partners.
These houses were not just a random build; they were actually built for a purpose and a specific clientele. Specifically for a group of executives and creatives employed at Yorkshire Television who needed housing in the Kirkstall area of Leeds. Personally, I can’t imagine wanting to live and work with the same group of people 24/7, but that seems to be the case here. I can only imagine the parties held here back in the day.
I can’t imagine many TV executives being here 50 (or more) years on, but the architecture remains. All maintain a fairly similar and almost brutal look while differing slightly from house to house. And of course, most have been updated—not as much in terms of the architecture itself, but more with the finish.
This one looks like it has been extended a little with the glazed ‘pod’ to the rear, but otherwise, it’s a design that’s faithful to the 1970s original.
Internally, it’s a similar story. 1970s modernism to the fore, but with modern-day additions and some personal touches.
So wood (above and below) and exposed brick being the ‘canvas’ here, punctuated with extensive glazing (more than you might imagine) and some well-considered design pieces.
But above all, it’s a very cool living space. As I said earlier, these designs have aged well, and although retro in appeal, they also work well for contemporary living. Open spaces are very hip, and this one is pretty much open across all its reception areas. The wood and brick finish is pretty desirable right now, too.
Access is via an entrance porch with a ceramic tiled floor, which in turn accesses the hallway and the dining kitchen. The kitchen area has everything you would want of a modern kitchen, including solid wood flooring, exposed brickwork, and wood beam ceilings.
The kitchen opens into the lounge, a lovely reception room with ‘a woodland backdrop’ plus more of that exposed brickwork and beams. Also on the ground floor are two double bedrooms. A modern bathroom has a three-piece suite, travertine tiling and a chrome heated towel rail. Again, it is contemporary but updated with a bit of style.
On the lower ground is a garden/guest room/home office (take your pick), offering what you might have guessed is flexible living space with a door leading out onto the private garden. Also on the lower ground is a guest WC, ample storage, and a utility area with plumbing for a washing machine.
The outside space is described as ‘well-maintained gardens’ with a ‘private aspect’, including lawns, paved patios, a single integral garage, and a separate parking space.
It’s always a popular development, so I can’t imagine this one being on the market for long. It has a guide price of £350,000.
Images and details courtesy of Manning Stainton. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
