Description

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 22 July 2022 to remove superfluous source details from text and reformat the text to current standards

TQ 21 73 NE
1207/19/10073

WANDSWORTH, LB
DANEBURY AVENUE (east side )
Nos. 257-261 (Odd) and retaining walls

GV II
Staggered terrace of three bungalows for the elderly. Designed 1952-3; built 1957 -8 by the London County Council's Architect's Department Housing Division, Colin Lucas Architect in Charge, J A Partridge, W G Howell [A W KiIlick, S F Amis] R Galley and R Stout job architects. Brick and concrete cross-wall construction, With roughcast infill panels; flat roofs counterbalanced by high concrete stacks that give the group great character.

The rectangle of each single-storey unit incorporates recessed porches to front and back. The glazing and panels under windows renewed in UPVC, to a pattern resembling the original. Flush timber doors retain the original design. Storage area, formerly a fuel store, incorporated in front wall. Retaining walls enclose a small garden area to front, at rear the open grassed area is part of the group's composition. Interiors comprise a large single room with fireplace, linen cupboard and bed recess; kitchen and bathroom not of special interest.

The groups of old people's dwellings are a charming feature of the Alton West development. Their small scale is a deliberate counterpoise to the great slabs and point blocks around, a contrast made further explicit in the quirky, unexpected chimneys. This combination of very large and very tiny buildings exemplifies the concept of 'mixed development'; with houses and flats to suit all ages and needs, of which Alton West is the ultimate expression. These bungalows also form a strong group with the C18 Mount Clare behind. 'Their informal tight grouping and open roadways achieve almost the character of the original parklands, yet these tiny units take their place exceedingly well with the tall blocks across the spine road and on the higher slope' (Prefabrication, November 1958).

Listing NGR: TQ2196873811

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26538470

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)