Web Page  No 2274

24^th   June 2016

Top Picture: Sunspan from the Portsdown Hill Road

 Second Picture: Wells Wintemute Coates

 Third Picture: Drive view of house

Forth Picture: Looking up from the garden

Sunspan

I am sure that we have all seen the modernist Sunspan House which sits on the Bedhampton end of Portsdown Hill overlooking Langstone Harbour, but what do we know about it?

It was built in 1936 and was designed by Wells Coates and David Pleydell-Bouverie.

Wells Wintemute Coates was born in 1895 in Tokyo of Canadian parentage. His father was the Rev. Harper Havelock Coates, Missionary and Professor of Comparative Religions and Philosophy at the Aoyam Theological College in Tokyo. His mother was Sarah Agnes Wintemute Coates who was the first woman to train and to practise as an architect. She had studied under Louis Sullivan in Chicago between 1880 and 1886. She also founded, designed and was the principal of the first School for Girls to be built in Japan in the 1890's. She had six children, two boys Wells and Willson and four girls, Mary, Lila, Bertha and Carol.

The "Sunspan" house was designed with the assistance of his partner D. Pleydell Bouverie and it was exhibited in 1934 at the British Empire Exhibition. Several houses of this style were built around the country but I understand that the Bedhampton one was built for a Mrs. H.M. Hill.

It is a stunning building with its white-painted rendered brickwork and flat asphalt roofs strangely it is diagonally-set on a north-south axis with curved north and south corners; the south is the garden front and has a broad flowing terrace over a projecting basement and is flanked by the kitchen and garage wings. The symmetrical north front has a curved corner at the centre and the central recessed porch has a curved door and a flat integral canopy.

The entrance is on the north corner of the house facing Portsdown Hill Road and is at a higher level because of the sloping nature of the site. The whole building actually consists of two storeys and a basement.

The first floor is set back and has three windows, the centre of the building, as with the rest of the house is curved. Set back on the roof is a block which contains the water tank with an integral chimney.

The south garden front is also symmetrical with a curved central corner; the basement projects and has curved window bands and a central doorway. There is also a terrace and the house has typical all metal-flame casements windows with curved glass on the corners.

The interior and most of the original details still remain intact I am informed. The drawing room has the original brick fireplace and plywood folding doors into the dining room and study, which have cast moulded plaster electric fires set in walls. There are also similar fires in bedrooms. The staircase is built at an angle behind the central chimney stack and has a solid balustrade with chromium-plated tube handrail.

One of the unusual features is the curved door to the master bedroom. The design of the house with its variants was intended for speculative builders as an alternative to the usual traditional design of house and that the architects would receive royalties on the copyright. Despite its large appearance the house only has two bedrooms, one bathroom and two reception rooms. The two sets of double gates even have sun bursts moulded into the ironwork.

There is a local rumour that the house was once owned by Gracie Fields, she might well have done but there is no evidence that she ever lived there. But there is evidence that the building was used after the Second World War as a home for the District 2 Income Tax Office. This was not a site popular with the office employees as it was a long walk to and from the bottom of Rectory Avenue to get to the bus stop.

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

Steve writes about The Messiah,

I sang the Messiah in the late 60s when Mr Wray was the music teacher

Does that mean there was a second version I did not know about?

Maureen writes:-

I was there, amongst the unsung hero's of any production that Manor Court produced, but then and as with my future career I was behind the scenes - In the Kitchen.
 
I recall that Carol Osborne was the master of the Victoria Sponges which rose on every occasion whilst mine still struggle  to raise its head. My 'Piece de resistance' was Brandy Snaps; 5 to a tray, as that was all you could roll before they got too cold to roll, and I had to churn them out by the dozen, no wonder I have cast iron hands and no one can stand the heat of  my washing up water. It was nice to be wanted.

On this day 24th June 1960-1965

On 24/06/1960 the number one single was Three Steps to Heaven - Eddie Cochran and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/06/1961 the number one single was Surrender - Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations.  A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/06/1962 the number one single was Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley and the number one album was West Side Story Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/06/1963 the number one single was I Like It - Gerry & the Pacemakers and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/06/1964 the number one single was You're My World - Cilla Black and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.