Bessacarr
South Yorkshire

SOLD

Architect: Peter Aldington

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This exceptional house in Bessacarr, a popular area close to the large town of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, was designed by the renowned architect Peter Aldington. Built for a close friend of Aldington in 1967, the four-bedroom property was given a rare Grade II listing by English Heritage in recognition of its outstanding design.

Accommodation includes four bedrooms, an open plan reception room / dining room, kitchen and large conservatory (the latter being designed by Aldington and added at a later date). Two of the bedrooms look out onto an external courtyard and many of the published writings on the house comment on the architect’s clever integration of outside and inside space. The property is all one storey so sits quietly on the site. The house is reached via a long drive leading to a car port. To the side is a paved terrace area and to the rear a wide garden, largely lawn, stretches back to meet school playing fields beyond.

The house is being put on the market for the first time since it was built and is in largely original condition. The family have carefully maintained the property over the years, although it could benefit from some minor updating. For more information on the house, see the History section below.

Aldington is one of Britain’s finest 20th century architects (recognised by the fact that he has more of his house designs listed by English Heritage than any other living architect). Aldington’s talent lies in his masterly manipulation of space and form and his exacting eye for detail. His career as an architect was relatively short-lived as he turned his attention later in life to his house and gardens at Haddenham in Buckinghamshire. More information on the Haddenham house can be found here. For information on Aldington’s celebrated Anderton House in Devon click here.

The house can be found on Ellers Road, a sought after residential area in Bessacarr. The local area is served by a park, leisure centre, tennis club, schools and shops at West Bessacarr. Ten minutes in the car takes you to the centre of Doncaster which has a wider range of services including a theatre, cinema, art gallery and a train station which is on the East Coast’s London to Edinburgh line. London can be reached in 1 hour 40 minutes. The Meadowhall shopping centre at Sheffield is half an hour away by car and the Peak District National Park can be reached in under an hour. The Yorkshire Dales and Moors can be reached in approximately 90 minutes.

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.


History

Below is the summary of the house at Bessacarr written by English Heritage when it was listed in 2009:

MATERIALS: Walls are of concrete blockwork, left untreated externally. Fascias over window, window jambs and sills are of stained softwood. The flat roof is felted, with a structure of timber joists and steel beams. Glazing is framed in aluminium.

PLAN: A single storey detached house with a U-shaped plan. The four bedrooms are arranged on the outer edge, along the north (entrance) and east sides, with a small courtyard garden between two of them on the north-east corner, enclosed by the perimeter wall. The entrance is between the two north bedrooms, with a store and carport alongside. The kitchen lies at the core of the house, with bathrooms adjacent. The kitchen, living room and the smallest north bedroom form three sides of the courtyard, now covered by a lightweight conservatory added later by Aldington. To the south, the fourth bedroom, dining room and living room look on to the garden.

ELEVATIONS: The north (entrance) façade is extremely reticent. This elevation extends the full width of the site, and the two larger bedrooms and their courtyard are screened from view on approaching the house. The entrance, end wall of the smaller bedroom and store and the carport are recessed under the timber-lined roof, and there is only one small window visible. The east side of the house with its small courtyard forms the site boundary on this side, and the west side partially encloses the principal courtyard, walls being substantially glazed. The south (garden) façade is punctuated by the large full-height windows of the living and dining rooms and large bedroom window, each recessed under its fascia, the bedroom projecting the furthest into the garden.

INTERIOR: Inside, full-height doors assist the impression of open planning and largely full height windows create a strong relationship with the external spaces. Concrete block walls are painted white, and ceilings are of varnished softwood boarding, continuing outside to line the eaves. Flush doors and cupboard doors are painted white. Floors are tiled in the principal spaces, with tiling extending into the outside spaces, and carpeted in three of the bedrooms. Original fitted furniture in European redwood, varnished and painted, remains. The kitchen has original fitted cupboards and a breakfast bar with fold-down leaves on the outside: this was designed specifically for the family and incorporates further storage beneath. All the bedrooms also have built-in wardrobes with original handles, and the master bedroom has a built in dressing table and bedhead. The cloakroom has original furniture and fittings. The living room has a built-in floor-to-ceiling unit at one end incorporating shelves, cupboards and an electric fire. Former sliding partition walls enabled the separation of the living and dining areas to provide extra accommodation if required; these have now gone but the floor and ceiling slots and the cupboards which contained them remain.
The site is hidden from the road, at the end of the garden of an existing house. It was designed for close family friends of the architect.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The house on Ellers Road is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It was designed by Peter Aldington, a highly respected architect who was a founder member of the ‘romantic pragmatist’ group and has a number of buildings listed
* It is a good example of his work, exemplifying his use of materials in a natural way, combining vernacular and modern detailing
* It is characterised by individual planning arising from working to a detailed brief to suit the needs of his client
* Despite its modest exterior, it displays high levels of craftsmanship and good quality materials both externally and internally
* It is virtually intact, with a wealth of original and individually designed details surviving. The later addition of the conservatory was designed by the architect and is sensitively integrated into the original plan of the house.

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