Crescent Grove

John Kay was the Chief Architect for the Department of Education and Science. His architectural work focused on raising the technical standards of buildings in order to improve people’s quality of life; he spent his time working in government improving and co-ordinating design techniques for schools and colleges at a time when Britain was at the forefront of this field. Kay was an expert in natural and artificial light, co-authoring The Lighting Of Buildings in 1969 with Professor Ralph Hopkinson.

John’s wife, Ann, was also an architect, and the pair built this house together for their own use. It was listed Grade II in 2018 and is an important contribution to the preservation of 1960s modernist design in London. The house was featured in the 20th Century Society’s [2019] issue. An adjacent house was designed by Pat Tindale, a timber construction expert and the Chief Architect of the Department for Housing at the time. While the buildings are separate dwellings and remain so, the project was a collaborative partnership.

The house was probably the first timber-framed residential building to be built in London since the Fire of London in 1666. It is brick-fronted, in order to comply with fire safety regulations at the time, and also to ensure it sits harmoniously against its Georgian neighbours. The Kay’s eschewed the fashion for open-plan living at the time, designing the home instead so their growing family would have private spaces.

Both William Morris’s designs and politics were an important influence on John and Ann Kay. They were both active members of the William Morris Society, and this influence can be clearly seen at the house on Crescent Grove. Many architectural elements were inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, while William Morris wallpaper has been used in several rooms.