It was while living in Roundacre, a development designed by the acclaimed practice, Architects' Co Partnership, that young architect Grahame Herbert first identified the plot of land now occupied by the houses on Limpsfield Avenue.

The year was 1965 and Herbert had just left the Architects' Co Partnership to begin his own practice with friend and colleague Tom Bell. Herbert's intention for the land was to design a house each, for himself and Bell, and to put into practice some of architectural ideals he had absorbed during his career as a young architect working at ACP.

Herbert left school at sixteen and managed to find work as a production runner in the final stages of construction at the Grade I-listed Royal Festival Hall, designed by Robert Matthew and Leslie Martin. He was one of the youngest workers on site and was tasked with an array of entry-level jobs, including retrieving lost tools from inside cavity walls (he says his size made him ideal for the task).

After the completion of Royal Festival Hall in 1949, Herbert decided to apply to the Architecture Association, using painting and drawings influenced by his work on Royal Festival Hall. His application was successful and his formal training as an architect began. It was while at the AA that Herbert worked with John Miller and David Jackson and spent time travelling around Europe looking up Modern buildings. It was on one such trip that he visited the incomplete Unite d'Habitation in Marseille and met le Corbusier on site, snagging.  The encounter marked the beginning of a life-long inspiration for Herbert.

While at the AA, he took a course in tropical architecture which took him to Ghana for a year and a half. It was in Africa that he first crossed paths with the founding partners of the Architects' Co Partnership which was at the time one of the best known modernist practices in the UK. The seven partners had formed the practice in the 1930s at the time of the Bauhaus and the development of the modern movement. Herbert joined ACP upon graduation from the AA and designed a number of highly regarded public buildings, alongside low-cost Modern Movement public housing, like Roundacre.

Herbert was influenced principally by le Corbusier, who he has described as, "the master of architectural sculpture. I think he was absolutely amazing. In those days the Modern Movement was still relatively fresh and there were only a handful of really good exponents. Corbusier in my view was by far and away the best." While the influence of Corbusier hangs over much of Herbert's work, he designed each of the Limpsfield Avenue houses without a signature style in mind. His main intention was to make the best use of the site and create two dwellings which complemented each other.

One section of Herbert's design which openly exhibits its 'Corbusian' influence is the spiral staircase at the heart of each of the Limpsfield Avenue houses. Herbert has remarked, "This staircase, for example. If you've been to any of his buildings, the Ronchamp Chapel for instance, or any of his curved structures, you will notice that the Modern Movement was much more interested with interior spatial concepts rather than lavishing decorations... on the exterior of the buildings. The great thing in that regard about Modern architecture is it's balance between creating contextual buildings that fit in, or improve the general environment, but not at the expense of workable liveable spaces. This house just tries to be a comfortable house, utilising plenty of light."

After the houses on Limpsfield Avenue were completed, Herbert worked for 18 years in private practice, drawing up a vast number of schemes including his favourite, a particularly intricate plan for a church on Curzon Street in Mayfair. His career as an architect charted the rise of Modernism in the UK and around the world. Journeying to the Midlands in the sixties, he would regularly catch the train with James Stirling and James Gowan. They would discuss their plans, share drawings and part ways. During this seismic period of architectural change, Herbert's position was principally as a practitioner, but he was also fortunate enough to have a seat in the front row, looking on from a privileged position at some the Modern movements greatest achievements.

Herbert's career, and perhaps his life, has been defined by a restless passion for design in many guises. In the years after his work with Grahame Herbert Associates began to slow down, he designed a number of impressive prototypes for folding bicycles and collaborated on the design of suitcase with a built-in seat with the politician Tony Benn. Herbert is retired now, but continues to work on schemes and designs for projects across a variety of industries.