The Ryde VII
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Architect: Phippen, Randall & Parkes
Register for similar homes“An astonishing vision of mid-century aesthetics, lovingly preserved amidst private and communal gardens”
This thoughtfully preserved four-bedroom mid-terrace house forms part of the renowned Grade II-listed Cockaigne Housing Group, a 1960s development in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The fluid open-plan living spaces are configured across a single-storey; the house retains an abundance of original features, including floor-to-ceiling glazing, pine-clad interiors and sliding plywood partitions. There is off-street parking, a garage, gardens to the front and rear and an internal courtyard. The house is a 10-minute walk from Hatfield Station, from which services run to London.
The Architects
These exceptional houses, conceived by architects Peter Phippen, Peter Randall and David Parkes, are celebrated as one of Britain’s finest post-war housing schemes. The houses were designed around internal courtyards and set out with linear front-to-back layouts of flowing spaces, variable in length. Together they form a long, staggered-fronted, unified terrace. For more information, please see the History section below.
The Tour
A short path cuts across a front garden of flowering bushes and spiky planting, passing through a concealed external courtyard bursting with colourful bulbs and blossoms before arriving at the primary entrance; here, a striking lime green door contrasts with black timber cladding.
Long axial views run the length of the house from the entrance hall to an attractive rear patio and garden. Sunlight pours in through the swathes of glazed screens and traversing skylights. Dominating the interior aesthetic is a mid-century palette of materials and features, with pine panelling on the walls and ceilings, hardwood five-fingered parquet flooring underfoot and plywood sliding doors. The house has been beautifully maintained over the years.
To move through the house is to encounter a methodical and perfectly judged series of interlocking rooms and spaces. These can be adapted and configured in a variety of ways, offering scope for flexible living arrangements. Currently, accommodation is arranged across two long bays. The kitchen, dining room and living room sit within the wider bay; along the narrower bay sits the bedrooms, a snug, a sunroom and the bathrooms.
The most impressive room in the house is the open-plan living space, an incredibly bright room with an entire wall of glass at one end, opening onto the patio and garden beyond. Behind, set within a timber-clad wall, a ply-faced sliding door allows easy access to the equally sunny dining room. Both rooms look over the centrally positioned and private courtyard. The dining space has direct access to this bright plant-strewn area, making it a wonderful spot to enjoy a morning coffee.
There is an open division from the dining room to the kitchen through a beautifully crafted timber screen of high and low level cupboards. The kitchen looks out onto the entrance courtyard and has its original cabinetry, which is painted pale blue and edged in plywood.
The house was originally designed as a three-bedroom home. Seamlessly extended by the current owners to create an additional bedroom to the front, the original third bedroom has been repurposed as a snug.
The main bedroom is exceptionally light, has an abundance of in-built cabinetry and an en suite bathroom. Floor-to-ceiling glazing frames views of the garden and leads to the sunroom extension, a compelling space to paint and create.
The two further bedrooms are bathed in light and have plenty of built-in storage. Lying off the hall is the modern family shower room, with its clean neutral palette illuminated by another large skylight.
Outdoor Space
The attractively planted front garden provides a welcome introduction to the house and abuts the private driveway and garage. The rear garden is laid out in paved terracing, encircled with beds of spring bulbs and fragrant herbs. Adjacent to the living room is a lovely sunny patio, the perfect spot to relax and enjoy alfresco dining. A garden shed sits in the corner adjacent to the shared gardens.
Owners of the Cockaigne houses share the extensive communal gardens, a plot of almost three acres on the western edges of each plot. The gardens include a tennis court and a secure children’s play area. There is also an invaluable community house that hosts yoga sessions, supper clubs, birthday parties and Christmas get-togethers. This also houses a self-contained flat, bookable for a nominal fee.
The Area
The shops of Welwyn Garden City, St Albans, Hereford and Hatfield are a short drive away, and many supermarkets lie within walking distance. The area has several well-regarded schools. Stanborough Lakes are an excellent summer destination for open-water swimming, and there are many local golf courses. The Ryde is a mile from Hatfield House, Park and Gardens and residents of this area are entitled to apply for a pass that allows them access to Hatfield Park throughout the year (for a nominal charge).
Hatfield railway station can be reached on foot in approximately 10 minutes. Trains run direct to London King’s Cross (about 25 minutes) and London Moorgate (approximately 40 minutes).
Tenure: Leasehold
Lease Length: approx. 941 years
Service Charge: approx. £585 per annum
Ground Rent: approx. £50 per annum
Council Tax Band: E
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
Considered by English Heritage as “the leading English manifestation of the courtyard home”, The Ryde is deemed to be one of the finest post-war housing schemes in Britain. The Cockaigne Housing Group was originally the idea of Michael Baily, a journalist at The Times, who was inspired by communal housing projects created in Scandinavia. In 1962 he placed an advert in The Times seeking support for his project and the response allowed him to put his plan into action. Later that year, Baily met the architects Peter Randall and David Parkes, both of whom had worked on an “adaptable house” that had gained a lot of attention at the Ideal Home Exhibition in London and were perfect for this project. However, Baily’s efforts to find suitable land in London proved fruitless; instead, he persuaded the Hatfield Development Corporation to give over almost three acres of land on a long-term lease.
The Ryde was Randall and Parkes’ first commission, enabling them to establish PRP Architects with Peter Phippen. The practice was hugely influenced by the brave new world spirit of the Festival of Britain and by contemporary research carried out by The Ministry of Housing and the Local Government Research and Development Group where Randall and Parkes had worked. The practice was set apart by its philosophy of designing for and with the individuals and the communities who would occupy the houses. Fundamentally they saw themselves as functionalists, at the zeitgeist of mid-century architectural thinking. They too looked to Scandinavia for inspiration, particularly towards Denmark.
With The Ryde, Baily commented, they sought “to work out afresh the needs of a family of today.” There was a desire to balance holistically communal aspects of the scheme whilst maintaining the privacy of each house. The scheme was conceived as a long, low terrace of single-storey houses. The focus, however, was on each individual dwelling and taken as a whole the community is without grand formal expression. Each house has its own street frontage of two staggered bays that stretch inwards towards a hidden communal garden. The wider of the bays, approximately 3.6m in width, contains the principle living areas whilst the subsidiary bay of bedrooms and bathrooms is approximately 2.4 – 2.6m in width. Numerous variations were generated from these fundamentals, giving one to four bedrooms and one or more internal courtyards that brought light and air into the centre of the deep plans.
This unique development of courtyard houses received widespread recognition and made way for similar PRP Architects schemes at Shrublands and Forestfield. Its historical significance was recognised in 2006 with a Grade II listing. It remains an iconic project of its day.