The Homestead

Details

WOODBOURNE ROAD 1. 5104 Edgbaston B17 No 25 (The Homestead) SP 08 NW 6/47 2. 1897, architect J J Bateman and C E Bateman (father and son). Good early Birmingham Arts and Crafts house of some size but so designed by this important Birmingham domestic practice, at this date predominantly the son, to convey a typically unpretentious free vernacular revival character. Concealed from road and approached by Serpentine drive through large terraced gardens retaining much of their original layout and planting. L-plan 3 bay double pile house with main front south facing to garden and entrance to west side of rear wing. Principally of 2 storeys with a 2 storey and attic shallow gabled break to west end of garden front. Roughcast elevations, their asymmetry deftly expressive of the identity of the rooms behind. Extending west from the end of the rear wing (and thus informally defining an entrance court) is a lower painted brick coach house/service range in a more specifically C18 vernacular idiom. Stone slate roofs throughout, hipped over coach house range which has flat roof dormers; overhanging eaves; gabled break to garden has stone coping swept out over small flush kneelers. External chimney stacks, one adjacent to break facing garden and one to each gable end for ingle-nooks where they are corbelled out; tall, slightly battered red brick shafts with thin ashlar caps. Fenestration principally horizontal with typical high quality Birmingham metal, leaded casements, set just under eaves on first floor. Functional vaults, expressive of the interiors, on the garden terrace front; wood mullioned transomed first floor window in gabled break with rectangular bay window below having a pent stone slate roof projecting each side and swept up to the sill of first floor window between break and external stack. Pent roof hall window built out from right hand side of external stack. Bands of windows piercing plain wall to right. The entrance in the rear wing is emphasised by a low, organic, arched stone doorway with deep drip mould and splayed reveal, the arch inscribed "East, West, Home's Best". Door recessed in porch. At the far end of the coach house range is a full height round arched carriageway through to small rear stable yard. Inside the archway ingenious handling of limited turning space; right hand wall opens up by means of folding doors into coach house proper, left hand wall is canted inwards with side door and plain light for access to hayloft attic and coachman's flat to right. Internally the house remains virtually as built, original Arts and Crafts door furniture; most of contemporary electric light fittings; broken white colour scheme; stained oak woodwork. Modest entrance hall/passage leads to the service cross passage of the rear wing and right into the staircase hall of the main south range. The off centre hall, expressed by the external stack to the terrace, is flanked by the long dining room to the east and the drawing room, including the bay in the gabled break, to the west. The whole suite can be thrown into one space by means of the simply panelled folding doors separating the 2 rooms from the hall. The latter has a centrally placed staircase simply rising in one flight between flank walls to first floor rear corridor. The off centre fireplace opposite has a stone surround of simplified Tudor design and including the hearth, is treated with polychrome tiles of a Portuguese C17/18 inspired pattern. Plain walls to living room but with the full width of end wall treated as an ingle-nook, panelled with 2 square wood piers bearing lintel; 2 small lights flank fireplace which has full height stone surround with rosette studded caveto cornice, slightly bowed shelf and overmantel with wreath framed cartouche; hearth has studded brass frame and tent hood. The drawing room ingle-nook is more simply treated with cambered soffit, high dado and plain panelling above. Plain wood mantelpiece with Tudor roses, blue-green hearth tiles, panelled overmantel with convex mirror. The ceiling has "pargetted" decoration on shallow projection of joists. The former billiard room lies behind the dining room and extends slightly further east to gain a south corner window. The fireplace next to it has a full height canted plaster overmantel with strips of pargetting similar to the ceiling of the drawing room. Plain ashlar mantelpiece with deep concave shelf, the stonework carried up 3/4 height of overmantel as pilaster strips. Same tile lining as in hall. Windows on north wall high set, window seats. Plain exposed joist ceiling. Large wrought and glazed scrolled iron five branch billiard lamp in situ. Probably the most innovating of Bateman and Bateman's domestic Arts and Crafts designs. See "The Builder".

Listing NGR: SP0310185970

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

217816

Legacy System:

LBS

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