One of the largest three-storey townhouses in Dulwich, the layout of the Rock Hill houses is similar in many ways to the ‘Serial 4’ used on the Whytefield Estate but with a deeper plan. The ground floor projects out at the rear and contains both the kitchen and dining room; the integral garage is forward of the front elevation and provides a pleasant ‘entrance courtyard’. The front and rear elevations have full-width strip windows with the front spandrels clad in either ceramic tiles, mosaic tiling, or a coloured sparkling render – the specification reduced as building went on. Rear elevations are clad in white timber boarding.

Rock Hill is situated in a large area of land in south-east London that has been maintained for over 400 years by the Dulwich Estate. In the 1950s, the estate ran into difficulty after being badly damaged during the Second World War. Lease lengths were running so short that banks were no longer happy to lend on the houses, and selling was becoming more and more difficult. People were leaving the area and renting their houses out.

In 1954, Austin Vernon & Partners were called on to design a scheme that would rejuvenate the Dulwich Estate. Vernon himself had formerly been a pupil at Dulwich College (from 1898 -1901) so knew this area well; his uncle, Frederick Austin Vernon (1882-1972), was also a surveyor and architect for the Dulwich Estate.

By 1957, Vernon’s first scheme of building was completed. Over the next 20 years, more than 2,000 new homes were designed by Austin Vernon & Partners, resulting in a concentrated area of 1950s and 60s-era architecture. The houses and flats were designed to a high standard and made excellent use of large expanses of glass, open rooms and central heating. Also quite remarkable was the landscaping that was planned for the estate. The roads were separated from pedestrian areas, and large areas were given over to communal gardens and spinneys. The result was a beautifully designed, verdant and peaceful estate.