The houses on Manygate Lane were built in 1964 by the Lyons Group and
designed by the Swiss architect Edward Schoolheifer. They are neatly
arranged around two landscaped quadrangles. Built to a high
specification, these two-storey, three-bedroom houses were originally
sold in the mid-1960s for £7,695 each – a very high figure at the time
considering that the average price for a three-bedroom house in London
was then only £3,500.

The
radical design of the houses, especially the open-plan ground-floor
space, drew much attention when they were first built, and continues to
do so. An extensive article on Manygate Lane written for The Guardian
in 1999 describes the project as “a rare British experiment in
modernist private-sector housing” (Sarah Wise, Space, The Guardian,
7/10/99).

In recognition of its unique and outstanding design, Manygate Lane
was designated a Conservation Area in 2002. The listing information
notes that the estate “combines a stark simplicity of design and use of
modern materials in buildings that are set around traffic-free shared
open spaces with extensive landscaping”. With reference to the houses
themselves, it is pointed out that “the rear and front gardens are
visible through the open-plan living room when viewed from the
quadrangle green… The contemporary modernist concept of blurring the
division between inside and outside is will illustrated in these
properties.” Further information on the Conservation Area can be found
here:www.spelthorne.gov.uk/manygatelanedocumentnov29.pdf

Being
close to the renowned Shepperton film studios, the estate has had many
well-known residents, including Tom Jones (pictured right on the road
at the front of the houses). It is also rumoured that Marlon Brando,
Rod Steiger and Julie Christie have all rented houses on the Manygate
Lane Estate.