The 1930s home of modernist architect Valentine Harding is on the market – and it’s as much of a marvel now as it was when it was built

Billy and Tom Boland on their first renovation project, an exercise in maximising light and space

May 11th, 2022

Step inside a modernist-inspired house in Somerset as it comes on the market, designed with art and flexible living in mind

May 16th, 2022

The 1930s home of modernist architect Valentine Harding is on the market – and it’s as much of a marvel now as it was when it was built

When a young Valentine Harding came to build a home in Buckinghamshire, he applied what he’d learned from working under Berthold Lubetkin, the Georgian architect responsible for introducing modernism to the capital with works such as Highpoint in Highgate and the penguin pool at London Zoo. The resulting house, now for sale, was a test bed for progressive modernist ideas that still resonate today. “The house that he built at Burnham Beeches was at once adventurous and distinguished,” noted renowned architect Geoffrey Jellicoe. We couldn’t have said it better.

As a keen graduate of the Architectural Association, Valentine Harding certainly showed promise. In fact, he was hand-picked by Berthold Lubetkin to join his newly founded practice, Tecton, in 1932, alongside a handful of other hungry talents, including Anthony Chitty, Lindsay Drake, Michael Dugdale, Godfrey Samuel and Francis Skinner. Tecton subsequently earned significant recognition for designing some of the period’s most celebrated buildings, which Harding had a major hand in.

Harding’s potential was proven when he designed the exceptional Grade II-listed Six Pillars, a celebrated residential project in Sydenham, south-east London. The home was finished in 1934 and remains a modernist gem today, neighboured by conventional Victorian housing. In the very same year, Harding designed another remarkable home, on the edges of Burnham Beeches, his client none other than himself.

As we’ve learned over the years, an architect can run wild when they set their own brief, free of restrictions and boxes to tick – and Harding’s self-designed house is no exception. The 3,200sq ft house acted as a platform to experiment with Tecton’s radical ideas. It was, for instance, one of the first homes in the country to be made from reinforced concrete. Later, its original external spiral steel staircase would become a symbol of British modernist design.

The staircase is just the start. Despite being almost 100 years old, the house has retained many of its other 1930s details, such as the clerestory window that spans the length of the wall. But it’s all geared up for contemporary living too. The large flexible living areas on the ground floor provide plenty of room for work and play, while upstairs, four good-sized bedrooms – each with access to a balcony. Among the finest things about this home is the relationship it has with its surroundings. A wall of full-height sliding glass doors lead to the garden terrace and beautifully landscaped grounds, which are south-facing.

Harding’s career as an architect unfortunately ended abruptly when he died at Dunkirk at the age of 35, but this home stands as a tribute to his forward-thinking ideas.