ARCHITECTURE and planning student Elliott Sargent has been digging deeper to find out more about Downend’s lost ‘House of the Future’.
This fantastically-advanced building, featured in an old BBC One West report detailed in July’s Voice, was testing energy-saving technologies 60 years ago.
CHAP member Elliott spoke to former Downend resident Beryl Cook, who revealed that this forward-looking house was erected in just one week in late 1964, and occupied part of the walled garden of the former Cleve Hill House Estate. This was on Cleeve Court, just off Cleeve Park Road.
The house was designed by John Ollis, a lecturer at Bristol’s School of Architecture. The timber-frame design and glass curtain-walling on the south-side meant the house was very quick to erect. Even this aspect of the house was very advanced: it came flat-packed, like a piece of Ikea furniture!
The bungalow design was to conform to a council ruling that nothing should be built higher than the garden wall.
The house was highly advanced for its time, including a deep concrete base that helped to draw heat up from the ground. This was a very early form of ground-source heat pump, a heating method now being employed to aid our conversion to renewable energy.
The walls were constructed of multiple layers: wood on each side, silver reflective foil and two-inch polystyrene, which helped with heat conservation. This was an innovative method of insulation, and helped contribute to energy savings.
The living/dining room and two bedrooms looked south onto the walled garden, but did not have opening windows: instead doors opened out onto the garden, which aided heat retention.
Unfortunately, the house was later demolished, we believe around the turn of the millennium. CHAP would be fascinated to hear any other local memories of the house, particularly if anyone remembers attending a playgroup that used to be held in the garden of the house, known as “Mrs Cook’s Playgroup”.
This was led from the garage of the house, which had been converted into a permanent playroom, and run by Mrs Cook for seven years.
Please contact CHAP at big.gin@talktalk.net or 49 Overnhill Road, Downend, Bristol BS16 5DS, to share your memories.
Elliott is passionate about 20th century architecture, and has produced a trail map of buildings in Bristol which is available from Elliottsargent.etsy.com
Downend Community History and Art Project (CHAP) is a not-for-profit voluntary organisation that aims to produce a community history resource, encourage the local community to take part in activities and create a coherent identity for Downend and Emersons Green, built around interesting or significant places, people and events from the past.
Helen Rana