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Edwin Heathcote
“We must continue, for lack of a better word, to distinguish this house from ordinary houses as ‘art’, whose claim is not based on its ornamentation and ornamentation, but on the essence of its structure.”
The architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott who wrote these words may sound a bit snobbish, looking down upon ordinary houses. But there’s an irony here, because of all the architects, it was probably Baillie Scott who had the greatest influence on the design of ordinary homes in the early 20th century. In his quest for an “artistic home” he created a neo-Tudor template, with replica half-timbered semi-trailers lining every new “A” out of London and other growing British cities shape the sides of the road.
However, his early works also had a huge impact on the European continent, being published more widely than at home, impressing and inspiring the Vienna Secession and later the early modernists.
It’s difficult to reconcile this radical modernist influence with the austere, vernacular architecture of houses such as Garden Court in Guildford, with its tiled roofs and timbers, and clusters of gables and dormers, which appear to be gently accumulated and formed. Aged four centuries or more. Completed in 1913, the Grade II listed property is on the market for £5 million. The gardens designed by Gertrude Jekyll added to the self-conscious sense of British timelessness, as if it were a landscape and architecture that had somehow grown out of the earth, which was of course exactly what the Arts and Crafts architects were trying to achieve.
For example, take a look at the living room, with its mantel set in large blocks of oak, as well as its wooden ceiling and oak-framed bays. It all seems to be a longing for the pre-industrial era, deep in the stockbroking belt that was fueled by Britain’s modern manufacturing wealth.
However, this is not one of Baillie Scott’s more grandiose houses, such as Blackwell in the Lake District. Although the Garden Court has seven bedrooms, four bathrooms and four reception rooms that appear luxurious, it is actually relatively modest and manages to accommodate all the space in the houses surrounding the courtyard, making it appear surprisingly compact. The courtyard, with its small pond and lush plantings, resembles a green hall and is very characteristic of Jekyll, who was famous for her work with Edwin Lutyens and her architectural concept of the garden as a series of rooms. The rear terrace also functions as an outdoor room, with views over the extensive lawns and the North Downs beyond.
Although Bailey Scott despised the “decoration” and “decoration” of architecture, this is not to say that he did not decorate himself. Some of his houses, and especially his furniture, feature exquisite inlays and organic patterns, much of which again proved hugely influential in Vienna and beyond. But it was a later house, completed only a year before the outbreak of the First World War. By then, Arts and Crafts had fallen out of fashion, replaced by grander, more classical Beaux-Arts-style buildings.
Somehow, as you can see here, the architectural style became more austere as Bailey Scott’s interest turned toward the problem of mass housing rather than housing for the wealthy. He was always interested in detail and was known for his devotion to ironwork, much of which he customized and designed in very traditional cast iron rather than the more familiar brass. Some of these beautiful accessories are here to stay.
However, a few wrong steps later occurred. It might be wonderful to see the most English of views through floor-to-ceiling windows, but it would be incongruous with Bailey Scott’s architectural style: the original windows would have been broken into small pieces of leaded glass as they still exist in the room , including a spacious kitchen and timber-framed room. master bedroom. Elsewhere, the paneling may look unchanged, but its sharp-edged design makes it a more modern confection.
However, as two of the finest proponents of a vision for a fully fledged Arts and Crafts movement, there is no doubt that this is a house that is hard to beat.
Photography: Bagshaw & Hardy Ltd/Knight Frank
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