The houses on Manygate Lane were designed by the Swiss architect Edward Schoolheifer and constructed in 1964 by the Lyons Group. Built to a high specification, these two-storey, three-bedroom houses were originally sold in the mid-1960s for £7,695 each – far above the average price for a three-bedroom house in London at the time.

The houses are neatly arranged around two landscaped quadrangles. The radical design of the houses, especially the open-plan ground-floor space, drew much attention when they were first built, and indeed continues to do so. An extensive article on Manygate Lane written by Sarah Wise for The Guardian in 1999 describes the project as “a rare British experiment in modernist private-sector housing.”

In recognition of its unique and outstanding design, Manygate Lane was designated a conservation area in 2002. The listing information notes that the estate “combines a stark simplicity of design and use of modern materials in buildings that are set around traffic-free shared open spaces with extensive landscaping”. It states that “the rear and front gardens are visible through the open-plan living room when viewed from the quadrangle green… The contemporary modernist concept of blurring the division between inside and outside is well illustrated in these properties.”

Being close to the renowned Shepperton film studios, the estate has had many well-known residents, including Tom Jones, Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger and Julie Christie.