Most of us can identify a Georgian build, know Brutalism when we see it and could even take an educated guess at Sixties versus Seventies.
But the lines get a little blurrier around the ephemeral Arts & Crafts movement.
A cluster of architects modelled this very British style after the arts movement of the same name, which saw main proponent William Morris attempt to re-establish the use of traditional craft skills as a rallying cry against mass production.
Distinctive yet hard to define, the movement’s know-it-when-you-see-it design relished in asymmetry, idiosyncratic details and the use of local materials.
Purists will note that the ‘true’ Arts & Crafts homes were built just after the turn of the century (spot the gems below) but some housebuilders into the Twenties and Thirties incorporated Arts & Crafts thinking into their designs.
Here are ten of the best for sale now.
Muswell Hill, N10
£2.5 million
An detached Arts & Crafts gem with six bedrooms and four bathrooms, plus a utility room, garage and eaves storage. Sited in the Rookfield Estate Conservation Area, it also comes with a huge blank slate garden.
Prickett & Ellis, 020 3869 5336
Putney, SW15
£675,000
A characterful two-bedroom flat with a panelled hallway in a smart Jacobean-influenced complex arranged around a central lawn. Further perks include residents’ parking and an on-site caretaker.
Allan Fuller, 020 3870 4163
Hampstead, NW11
£2.75 million
A rare (and cavernous) Grade II-listed seven-bedroom house just north of the Hampstead Heath Extension, designed by Edwin Lutyens. It’s in time-capsule condition for those after original features.
Hamptons, 020 3835 5083
Kingsbury, NW9
£550,000
A three-bedroom semi in the Sir Frank Baines-designed Roe Green Village near Kingsbury Tube station. The wraparound plot is one of the biggest in the conservation area.
Anderson, Brown & Clarke, 020 3907 3531
Greenwich, SE3
£1.875 million
This unique detached house near Greenwich Park has almost 3,000 square foot of space, including seven bedrooms and an integrated garage. A home studio with air conditioning is a back garden bonus.
Comber & Co, 020 3892 6002
Brockley, SE4
£575,000
This bright three-bedroom maisonette with its own entrance and private garden is arranged over the top two floors of a distinctive building, complete with turret, in the conservation area.
Conran Estates, 020 8629 8164
Maida Vale, W9
£4.65 million
A one-of-a-kind home on a prime road near the Tube and Paddington Recreation Ground. It has a deceptively high-tech interior and almost 3,000 square feet of living space.
Goldschmidt & Howland, 020 3840 3709
Streatham Hill, SW2
£325,000
A one-bedroom apartment with a sensible layout on ground floor of an attractive detached house set back from the road. A share of the freehold and no chain make this a practical purchase.
Hunters, 020 3828 7314
Muswell Hill, N10
£750,000
This three-bedroom apartment overlooks the communal gardens of this listed Collins-designed mansion block. From here it’s a short walk to the independents and pubs of Muswell Hill proper.
Prickett & Ellis, 020 3869 5336
Chelsea, SW3
£3 million
A three-bedroom apartment in a beautiful Arts & Crafts block tucked away behind the King’s Road, with attractive mullioned windows and a thoughtfully decorated interior. Share of freehold.
Russell Simpson, 020 3835 6490
