The Heights, Foxgrove Road, London BR3

This four-bedroom house of almost 1,500 sq ft lies in Beckenham's The Heights, a leafy, Span-inspired estate designed by Ragland Squire in the early 1960s. The house is defined by a large light well that connects the upstairs bedrooms with the free-flowing downstairs living spaces. All of its windows face greenery; at the rear, they overlook a thoughtfully planted and private garden with direct access to an additional communal lawn beyond. The house also has a separate allotted garage within the estate and is a short distance from Beckenham's centre and Crystal Palace just beyond.

The Architect

Raglan Squire was one of the founder members of Arcon, a practice that began work in 1944. Arcon designed the pioneering ‘Arcon pre-fab', which became the second most manufactured prefabricated home in the UK throughout the 1940s. Edric Neel, one of Squire’s partners, previously worked with Wells Coates and Denys Lasdun, and their modernist influence was clear in the practice’s work designing factories, churches and housing around the world.

Squire was inspired by the work of Eric Lyons and Span. Its influence on him is clear in the schemes he developed independently in Beckenham throughout the 1950s and 60s, with terraced houses laid out around communal gardens. The Heights is a beautiful example of designs to be developed during this later part of his working life.

The Tour 

The Heights development is set back from the broad and leafy Foxgrove Road. The house is reached via a luscious pathway that winds through the estate. Typical of the estate, the façade is  purple engineered brick punctuated by large white-framed windows that provide a superb quality of light throughout. As you enter the house there is an overcroft with storage for recycling, passing through the external porch into the inside, there is space for shoes and coats and a WC tucked to the right.

The expansive split-level dining and living room unfurls to almost the full depth of the plan. Texture and depth are achieved through a palette of fine tactile materials throughout, including the bleached oak herringbone flooring laid across this space and an original sapele staircase. Light pours down into the dining area from the open stairwell and enormous skylight above. This window can be opened to provide excellent ventilation to the very centre of the house.

Floor-to-ceiling glazed doors at the rear end of the room allow access to the garden and creates strong connections with the outdoors. During the warmer months, these can be left open to create a continuity between inside and out.

The separate kitchen is generous in size and arranged at the front of the plan. Stained oak countertops sit atop waist-height cabinets that provide plenty of cupboard and preparation space. The sink is of stainless steel, as too are the Neff gas hob and overhead extraction hood. There is a hidden utility area for the washer/ dryer and additional household storage.

The original open staircase leads to the bedrooms. The principal en suite bedroom occupies a peaceful position overlooking the back garden and with far-reaching views to Crystal Palace. Its bathroom is also accessible from the hall and has a large walk-in shower and luxurious marble-topped vanity. Currently arranged as a dressing room with generous built-in wardrobes, the second bedroom also has views over the garden. Bedrooms three and four sit across the landing. There is an additional bathroom with an over-tub shower and mosaic floor tiling. All bedrooms are laid with cork flooring.

Outdoor Space 

The west-facing rear garden has been expertly landscaped by the current garden designer owner with a wide variety of evergreen, flowering plants and bulbs to maximise colour and ornamentation throughout the seasons. Flourishing plants include Japanese anemones, salvias, acers, cistus, climbing hydrangea and mature apple and cherry blossom trees.

Terracing adds depth and visual interest as well as additional privacy at the bottom of the garden, where there is a sheltered seating area. A large patio just beyond the sitting room is perfect for outdoor dining and sees an evergreen view of the garden and mature trees beyond.

A secret gate at the rear fence gives access to a large lawn, part of The Heights well-tended to communal grounds.

The Area 

The house is in leafy Beckenham, a neighbourhood just south-east of central London in the Borough of Bromley. The estate backs onto Beckenham Place Park, which is the largest park in south-east London and is a wonderful green oasis with wild swimming. Residents of the Heights have private access directly onto the grounds of the Palace Park which is home to the Homestead Café, for proper beer, pizza and Square Mile coffee. Kelsey Park lies a 20-minute walk to the south of Foxgrove Road, where there are ornamental gardens, mature trees and woodland, all set around a central lake home to a wide array of waterfowl, including herons and kingfishers.

There are a plethora of exceptional schools in the area. St Mary's primary is well-regarded by parents as too is Clare House. Secondary options include Harris Academy, Ravensbourne and Langley Park Academy Boys' and Girls' schools.

Foxgrove Road sits amid a triangle of stations. Beckenham Junction is the closest, running services to London Blackfriars in around 19 minutes, London Victoria in just 22 minutes, and London Bridge in 36 minutes. Ravensbourne station is 10 minutes’ walk from the house and runs services to Elephant and Castle in around 25 minutes and London Blackfriars in approximately 31 minutes. New Beckenham station runs services into Cannon Street; all stations are in Zone 4. Beckenham Junction is also connected to the tram network that runs towards Wimbledon.

Council Tax Band: E
Service Charge: approx. £125 per month (includes maintenance of the communal grounds and external window cleaning)