Langham House Close, Richmond, TW10

Your home buying journey ends here, where Sir Stirling Began.

The Stirling Prize is British architecture's highest honour, awarded by RIBA each year to the best new building in the country. The Gherkin has won it. Bloomberg's European headquarters has won it. The Elizabeth Line has won it too. The prize is named after James Stirling, and James Stirling began here: a block of flats on Ham Common, designed in 1955 with James Gowan, built in 1957–58, his first major work. The development is listed Grade II* - a grade reserved for particularly important buildings of more than special interest putting it in less than 1% of British buildings – it is world famous and was published in the Architectural Review in October 1958. This flat sits on the second and top floor of the three-storey block.

The detailing rewards a slow walk round: second-hand London stock brick and shuttered concrete, sculptural water spouts, the inverted-L windows that give the elevations their rhythm, all drawn from Le Corbusier's Maisons Jaoul in Paris and then argued with. Ian Nairn praised its 'fierce but not overbearing yellow brick and exposed concrete'; Pevsner called it 'a landmark in the emerging style of the late 1950s in England'. Even the mortar joints were Stirling's call, raked deep so the brickwork reads as pattern rather than texture.

The Company It Keeps.

A building this good generates its own heritage of design. In later life the flat became the home of the furniture designer Jennifer Newman, and the current owner talks about it with much love:

“One of my favourite features, alongside the architectural heritage, is the way the morning sun streams through the far window, right through the home and directly into the main bedroom. It really was well designed by Stirling to achieve that. Modern architects could not have done that.”

The plans agree, the flats interlock around a central spine wall, so each one reaches through the building and takes its light from both sides.

A Gem for the Architecturally Minded. A Very Good Flat for Everyone Else.

If none of the above means anything to you that works too. Here is what is actually on offer: a perfectly located, perfectly designed three-bedroom flat of approximately 777 sq ft (72.1 sq m), on the top floor, with a private balcony and Ham Common's cricket square in view from the living room.

The reception and dining room runs to over 19 ft, with windows on more than one aspect, an exposed-brick feature wall, and room for a full seating area and a proper dining table. The separate kitchen is over 16 ft long, fitted with bespoke white and timber-effect detailing, with matching worktops.

The kitchen is completed with SMEG appliances including a dishwasher and a second exposed-brick wall, and a door opening directly onto the sunny balcony.

Three beds are in.Two Doubles and a Single please.

Three bedroom proeprties are now the most in demand property type in the UK. Both double bedrooms sit at the front with large windows, built-in storage and space for freestanding furniture besides; the main bedroom is where the morning light falls. The third room, with tongue-and-groove panelling and a striking full-width window onto the trees, works equally well as a nursery, a study or a guest room.

The shower room has a walk-in enclosure, white suite, grey floor-to-ceiling tiling, underfloor heating and a heated towel rail, and there is a useful utility cupboard off the hallway. Every window in the flat looks onto trees or gardens, nothing overlooks you.

A 1958 Timeless Classic with 2026 Characteristics.

The building is listed, the living is anything but period. Full-fibre broadband with download speeds of over 1,000 Mbps is available, so the flat will outpace most new-builds on the modern measure of a great place to hang out.

Hot water comes from the very latest continuous instant system serving the whole flat - no tank, no cylinder, no waiting - with a water softener in line. The windows have been upgraded with high-performance glazing, and residents' parking sits within the development, a home for your car, as much as for you.

No Chain Attached.

The flat is offered with no onward chain, and it is worth pausing on what that means especially for buyers unfamiliar with buying in a chain. Most property purchases in the UK sit inside one, a line of linked transactions in which every seller is also a buyer, the slowest link sets the pace for everyone, and one break anywhere can bring the whole thing down (chain collapse remains one of the most common reasons a purchase fails).

 None of that applies here. There is no onward purchase on the seller's side, so once your finance and conveyancing are ready, exchange and completion run to your timetable. For a first-time buyer it removes the biggest risk you cannot control. For anyone selling elsewhere, it makes this the simple half of your move.

Trust us. There is nothing common about living in Ham… Common.

Ham Common brings the village pond, the cricket square and the pub to the doorstep, Richmond Park is a few minutes' walk through Ham Gate, and the Thames towpath is close by. Ham Parade covers the everyday shopping, with regular buses to Richmond and Kingston. The flat will suit a family, a first-time buyer or a downsizer. It will particularly suit anyone who has ever stood in front of a Stirling building and wondered what it would be like to wake up in one.

In March 2022, Country Life described the area thus:

London's most beautiful suburbs? The Richmond villages that offer open spaces, gorgeous cottages and life on the river. They may be tiny, leafy and quiet, but the villages of Ham and Petersham have been ahead of the times for centuries.

Outstanding architecture deserves outstanding schools.

Ham's schools are a selling point all by themselves. The village primaries; Meadlands, St Richard's and The Russell in Petersham, are all within a walk, and so is Grey Court School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted at its most recent inspection, with progress scores in the top tier nationally.

The wider borough goes one better, Richmond upon Thames is consistently among the best-performing state-school areas in the country, and The Vineyard and Marshgate, both also rated Outstanding, are minutes away in TW10. International families have the German School London just up the road in Petersham, and the Tiffin grammar schools, Kingston Grammar, King's House and the coach networks for Hampton and Lady Eleanor Holles are all within easy reach. People move to Ham for the schools alone. With this flat, the architecture is part of the fabric.

Kitchen

Galley style kitchen with a range of white wall and base units, warm wood effect worktops with tiled splashbacks, inset sink, space for appliances, exposed brick feature wall adding character, and a window to the rear aspect with garden outlook.

Lounge / Diner

Bright and spacious open plan reception and dining room with wood effect flooring, windows to multiple aspects flooding the space with natural light, feature exposed brick wall adding warmth and character, and ample room for both a lounge and dining area. A sociable and versatile living space ideal for everyday living and entertaining.

Bedroom 1

A well-proportioned double bedroom with wood effect flooring, window to the front aspect with a pleasant leafy outlook, radiator, and ample space for freestanding bedroom furniture. A bright and airy room benefiting from a tranquil setting.

Bedroom 2

A bright and well-proportioned double bedroom with light flooring, window to the front aspect allowing plenty of natural light, radiator, and ample space for freestanding bedroom furniture.

Bedroom 3

A bright single bedroom or home office with a striking full width window offering a pleasant leafy outlook, tongue and groove panelled walls adding character, and ample space for a desk and storage. A versatile room with a unique feel.

Bathroom

Modern shower room comprising walk-in shower enclosure, pedestal wash hand basin, WC, fully tiled walls and flooring in a contemporary grey finish, heated towel rail, and frosted window to the side aspect.

Disclaimer

These particulars are a general guide and do not form part of any offer or contract. Descriptions, dimensions and details are believed accurate but not guaranteed. Buyers must verify all information by inspection or enquiry. Services, systems and appliances have not been tested and no warranty is given. Lease terms, service charges, and ground rents should be confirmed by solicitors before exchange. We aim to comply with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and NTSELAT guidance on Material Information. Please ask us if you have any questions about information provided.