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Built in 1933 as a studio for the artist Augustus John, this splendid Grade II-listed building was designed by the celebrated architect Christopher Nicholson. The house can be found in a tranquil rural setting near the popular town of Fordingbridge in the New Forest. Accommodation consists of three bedrooms and a bathroom on the ground floor and a large, light open plan space on the first floor that incorporates a living room, dining area, kitchen and cloakroom. The first floor was the space used by John as a studio and as such has a high ceiling, tall windows and in-built window seats on which his models would have posed. The first floor space leads out onto a large balcony that overlooks the garden, reached by a spectacular spiral staircase. The garden is approximately 1/3 acre in size.
Augustus John Studio
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History
Christopher ‘Kit’ Nicholson (1904 – 1948) was a young, but talented, architect when he designed this studio for Augustus John (1878 – 1961) in 1933. John (a good friend of the architect’s father, William Nicholson) was a much celebrated, if controversial, artist who was spoken of at the time as a painter who was equal, if not superior, to Gauguin and Matisse.
The studio was built in the grounds of a large house owned by John, Fryern Court, and was originally designed solely for the purposes of painting. The generous glazing and high ceiling heights allowed as much light as possible into the studio space on the first floor. The ground floor area was filled in with glazing in the 1960s (when the building was no longer in use by John) to make three bedrooms and a bathroom. Originally there was only a picture store downstairs.
The studio is made with a reinforced concrete frame in-filled with brick. Reinforced concrete cross beams support wood joists for the floor and roof. The exterior, which many people assume was originally white, was in fact painted a light pink. The impressive concrete spiral stair was designed by Nicholson in collaboration with R. G. Robinson, an experienced engineer from Nottingham University.
Although the house has appeared in numerous books and journals, perhaps the most comprehensive account of the building was given by J. M. Richards soon after it was built. “The proportions of the building are entirely based on mathematical calculation”, Richards pointed out, before outlining at length what those mathematical calculations are. “The resulting shapes and surfaces are completely satisfying” he concluded, “the proportions of the interior are noticeably pleasant, combining a sense of spaciousness with one of adequate enclosure”.
The building was Nicholson’s first in the Modern style but it was not his last. Encouraged by his brother, the artist Ben Nicholson, the architect continued to explore the cutting edge of architectural practice and theory and produced another celebrated house, Kit’s Close in Buckinghamshire, as well as other commercial buildings. Nicholson joined the Air Force during the war and throughout his life he had a passion for aircraft. Sadly Nicholson died in the air at the age 44 in a gliding accident in Italy.
This building is without doubt one of the most appealing architectural achievements of the Modern Movement in Britain. The idyllic location and simple but engaging forms of Nicholson’s design make this a house of immense charm.
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