This house in Chesham is part of a terrace designed in the late 1950s by architects Wells, Hickman and Partners, whose most notable work is perhaps Wokingham County Infant’s School. They also undertook several housing developments, including Moat Court, Eltham (1961).

The period following the end of World War II, when Wells, Hickman and Partners were working, was one of the most exciting and imaginative for private house building in English architectural history. It was directed by three main influences: the availability of large sheets of plate glass, the introduction of central heating (allowing for open-plan living) and the absence of live-in servants. Emphasis was placed on light and space, with areas sometimes only separated from one another by a change in level, a piece of built-in furniture or change in flooring material. A less rigorously defined sense of interior and exterior space developed and allowed buildings to age and weather into their landscape in a traditional way.

There are a number of ways in which this house reflects these ideas. For example, set on a sloping site, it embraces the surrounding landscape, both immediate and distant, with large full-height and full-width openings taking advantage of the elevated position and generating an exciting vista out to the wider landscape. Features such as herringbone timber flooring and rippled-glaze internal doors are also typical of houses of this period.

The houses on Barnes Avenue capture the sense of optimism and innovation of the period. Their elevated positions and large windows engender a sense of being perched within the surrounding trees, making them particularly special.