1960s Renway house in Edgcumbe Park, Crowthorne, Berkshire
This 1960s Renway house in Edgcumbe Park, Crowthorne, Berkshire, is stunning and also just on the market.
This area is always popular. And particularly this development. Way back in 2011 I featured a similar house that has been consistently viewed online since by a great number of people. And for good reason, too.
It was a fabulous renovation of a house that has aged very well in half a century. The development is notable, too, not least because it was the estate used as the backdrop for Francois Truffaut’s 1966 movie adaptation of Fahrenheit 451. For that reason alone, it remains a supremely cool place to live.
The estate was built between 1958 and 1970, with the Renway Construction Company using the existing woodland as a setting for the properties, attempting (quite successfully) to blend in with the natural environment. The Type 60 houses have a US-inspired, ranch-style design, which I believe is the one here. This is the house design featured in the Fahrenheit 451 movie, too.
As you might expect, houses are of varying interest depending on their architectural integrity and the finish within. Thankfully, this one ticks both boxes.
The current owners picked up on this particular house after reading the previous WowHaus feature, which is nice to know. Known as Rockwood, it has been restored to a high standard and subsequently hired out for TV shows and ad shoots.
You might recognise the house from everything from Black Mirror to a music video for Royal Blood, as well as plenty of adverts too. Who knows…there might be potential for more of that in the future.
Or you could live in this US-style, single-storey house, which has an amazing setting but also offers the convenience of being not too far from the motorway network or London.
The setting and the architecture are both key selling points for me. The house just screams the era—it’s like nothing being built today on a wider level. And the setting, too. Just think how many houses would be squeezed into this plot by a modern-day developer. The greenery would be at an absolute minimum. Not here. This is a dream of a spot, surrounded by impressive Scots pines and oak trees, larger lawns, and landscaping.
All of that and something midcentury modern at the end of it. Which is pretty much what you are looking at here. The angled roof, the large windows, and the outside/inside living.
Of course, like all the best MCM houses, open-plan is also a selling point, with the focal point of a large reception area being the heart of the home.
This isn’t the ‘time capsule’ you might expect, but it works a finish inspired by the original era and walks a middle ground between retro charm and modern-day practicality. A cool house designed for 21st-century living. The right finish always makes a house.
As for the layout, the entrance leads into a hallway, which in turn leads into that main reception area, the focal point of the house.
That space is home to an open-plan kitchen, a dining area and a family area. The kitchen is described as been built ‘to an extremely high standard’ with high-end integrated Neff appliances, including a steam oven.
The dining area overlooks the front garden (and I love that light over the table), while the main living area has a log burner and a black slate wall. Bifold doors also open out onto a front decked porch area.
At the rear of the property are two double bedrooms and a further single bedroom, along with a bathroom that also looks like it has been recently updated. Note that from bedroom one, double doors open onto an additional rear-decked area.
That’s not quite all for the space, as there’s a large outbuilding at the rear of the property. What you use it for is down to personal choice, but options are there for anything from a home office to a games room or a chill-out area.
A rear patio area has also been created as a ‘social space’ featuring a custom-covered bar and a quirky outside WC. The garage also features central heating, giving it the potential to be converted into a fourth bedroom if needed.
This is a great restoration and a very cool place to live on various levels. It is just on the market, and its guide price is £750,000.
Images and details courtesy of Yopa. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
