Motor car house to Durbins

Summary

Garage. Built in about the 1920s as a prefabricated motor car house by the firm Boulton and Paul Ltd.

Reasons for Designation

The 1920s prefabricated motor car house or garage that served Durbins is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a very rare prefabricated 1920s timber motor car house, which is given the appearance of vernacular timber-framing, with a gabled roof and weatherboarding by the firm Boulton and Paul Ltd;

* for the high degree of survival, having seen relatively few later alterations.

Group value:

* with Durbins, an important early C20 house designed by the influential art critic Roger Fry for himself which is listed at Grade II*.

History

During the C20, the proliferation of the motor car transformed both lives and landscape in Britain. Small motor houses (the early name for garages) began to appear from about 1900. They were frequently brick-built and could be added to the side of a house. They can be found in many suburbs; for example, a number survive in Chantry Road, Moseley, Birmingham. In the early days, an inspection pit was commonly fitted. A glass and iron washing shelter in front of the garage was a frequent addition. Prefabricated garages in timber began to be produced from about 1903 by the major manufacturers of prefabricated buildings, such as Boulton & Paul, and were often quite elaborate in design with decorative bargeboards. Asbestos panelled garages appeared from about 1910 but did not become popular until the 1920s. Together with timber garages, these continued to be the most common type until concrete came into widespread use after 1945.

The house known as Durbins was designed by the art historian, critic and painter Roger Fry (1866-1934) for himself and built in 1908 to 1909 in Guildford, Surrey (List entry No 1178005 provides a history of the house). In about the 1920s a prefabricated motor car house or garage was added adjacent to the entrance front of the property. The design matches those shown in 1920s catalogues by the firm Boulton and Paul Ltd as ‘Wood & Iron Motor Car House No B204’. The walls were made in sections to be bolted together and the roof prepared and sent bundled with the rest of the structure.

Details

Garage. Built in about the 1920s as a prefabricated motor car house by the firm Boulton and Paul Ltd.

MATERIALS: redwood framing and timber weatherboarding with some additional iron and steel supports to the roof trusses and frame. The roof is covered in metal sheeting.

DESCRIPTION: a motor car house built to a prefabricated design with a gabled roof and weatherboarding. The upper portion is finished with half-timber overlays to give the appearance of vernacular timber-framing. The south elevation has two boarded double doors whilst the east and west elevations each have a four-light window; the inner lights are fixed but the two outer lights are casements. There are bargeboards to the eaves as well as fretwork and finials to the ridge of the roof.

Sources

Books and journals
Reed, C, Roger Fry’s Durbins: A House and its Meanings, (1999)

Other
Historic England. Introductions to Heritage Assets: Buildings and Infrastructure for the Motor Car (2016). Available online at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/selection-criteria/ihas/

End of official list entry

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