Description

885-1/0/10033 MEAD ROAD
04-FEB-10 Livermead
The Thatched House

II
A two-storey vernacular revival house of 1925 to a design by Fred Harrild, with an extension added before 1933.

MATERIALS: It is constructed of traditional materials: rendered mass wall construction with a thatched roof, some weather-boarding to the gables and brick stacks.

PLAN: The house is irregular in plan, with the principal rooms (south) in a block, overlooking the garden and sea views. The service rooms are to the rear (north), with a later range to the west. The entrance hall, with staircase, is in the angle between the ranges with a porch leading from the main entrance to the enclosed entrance courtyard (east).

EXTERIOR: Externally, the house is asymmetrical with random fenestration; the majority of windows have been replaced with uPVC in the late C20. The principal elevation (south) overlooking the garden is of two storeys. The formerly open, timber loggia has been enclosed. To the left the thatched roof extends over the loggia, and incorporates the curved dormer window of the master bedroom. To the right are large C20 windows to the first and ground floors. There is a tall brick stack to the south-west gable which is half-hipped and weather-boarded. On the curving courtyard elevation (east) the thatched roof extends, in part, over the first floor incorporating both the dormer window of the first-floor landing and the long, single-storey porch, which is of heavy-posted, timber-framed construction, now part-glazed. Towards the north the roof steps down to the single-storey former servant's range, which has had wide uPVC doors inserted. An open, thatched walkway covers the entrance to the courtyard and provides access to the former garage; a small 1 1/2 storey thatched building has been converted to provide annexe accommodation. The rear or roadside elevation (north-east) is asymmetrical with random fenestration and has a relatively simple braced plank door under a thatched canopy.

INTERIOR: The interior the house retains a number of notable features including its joinery; hardwood floors and skirting; a staircase with twisted balusters; planked doors with a simple linen fold decoration and hand-forged ironwork; and panelling to the fire surrounds. The ground-floor rooms have 1920s stone fireplaces. The rooms have seen some alteration with the removal of the original servants' suite and its conversion into a large kitchen, and the creation of a modern dining room adjacent to the hall, with a facsimile stone fireplace and modern ceiling beams. On the first floor are bedrooms and bathrooms; although none of the fireplaces survives, much of the joinery does.

HISTORY: The Thatched House was built c1925. The original plans show the architect to be W Nicholson, but the commission was taken over by Fred Harrild, who exhibited a drawing for the house at the Royal Academy in 1926. An additional wing, with garden rooms, was added soon after. The house is shown on the 1933 Ordnance Survey map in its present extended form.

Harrild was a pupil of Sir Edwin Lutyens and the design of The Thatched House anticipated Lutyens's own vernacular cottage-ornee work at Cockington, the Drum Inn, 1934 (listed Grade II); he made a speciality of designing vernacular revival cottages, and his work embodies the Devon seaside pictureque movement of those years.

In common with other popular resorts along the south coast, suburban development flourished in Torquay during the inter-war period. The Livermead area, on the headland overlooking the sea, was an affluent suburban development, with individual properties in a variety of styles and sizes.

SOURCES: Cherry, B, Pevsner, N, Buildings of England. Devon, (2002), 864.

The Thatched House is designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

* The house is a good inter-war example of a domestic revival building by a known architect, Fred Harrild.
* It is a highly characteristic design on the cottage-ornee theme by an interesting architect.
* Both the exterior and interior demonstrate the quality of the design, with fine attention to detail and well crafted features.
* It compares well with other listed houses by the same architect, who is of interest as a pupil of Lutyens who developed his master's interest in English vernacular buildings
* It is highly representative of inter-war suburban housing in a seaside context, showing the adaptation of traditional forms for modern living.

Reasons for Listing

The Thatched House is designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

* The house is a good inter-war example of a domestic revival building by a known architect, Fred Harrild.
* It is a highly characteristic design on the cottage-ornee theme by an interesting architect.
* Both the exterior and interior demonstrate the quality of the design, with fine attention to detail and well crafted features.
* It compares well with other listed houses by the same architect, who is of interest as a pupil of Lutyens who developed his master's interest in English vernacular buildings
* It is highly representative of inter-war suburban housing in a seaside context, showing the adaptation of traditional forms for modern living.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26672812

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

• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)