Detached house for sale in Chester CH4, 4 Bedroom

This magnificent four-bedroom house was designed by James Gowan, one of Britain’s most influential post-war architects, in 1982. Positioned just outside Chester on Greenbank, a quiet residential cul-de-sac, it has a large garden of approximately half an acre, which stretches down towards the banks of the River Dee.

Greenbank House is a wonderful example of James Gowan’s later style. It is the second house he designed for the furniture designer Chaim Schreiber, after dissolving his partnership with James Stirling in 1963. The first house was completed in 1964 and is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most iconic mid-century homes, renowned for its sunken glass-domed swimming pool. This second house, built much later, in 1983, offers the chance to survey Gowan’s design in relation to the arc of his long career. His trademark architectural allusions and rigorous technique are ubiquitous in bespoke oak cabinetry, ornate geometric forms and bold landscaping, all serving to playfully express the poetry and functionality of Gowan’s architectural vision.

The house forms the second part of the Gowan/Schreiber, architect/client relationship and signals Gowan’s move to a Postmodernist approach. The house was designed as the rural twin of the Schreiber’s London home. Susannah Charlton of the Twentieth Century Society states, “Its homely shape is subverted by the big circular porthole punched through a triangular gable that is boldly cantilevered out over the terrace.”

Internal accommodation extends to 3,141 sq ft and is arranged across two storeys with a large garage and carport, linked by an extension of the roof’s pitch. Gowan uses pilotis to support the cantilevered first storey and elegantly conceal the house’s guttering, creating a sheltered patio and shade for long sections of lateral glazing on the ground floor. The ground floor itself is comprised of a master bedroom suite with adjoining study and en-suite bathroom, as well as a large partially partitioned living and dining room, leading on to the kitchen. The rooms are lined on the south-eastern aspect with long sections of floor-to-ceiling, iroko-framed windows offering views of the River Dee and the Duke of Westminster’s estate beyond, as far as Beeston Castle. These rooms have direct access to the patio via glazed doors. There is also a further studio space and a family bathroom on this floor.

Gowan has meticulously integrated the heating system into the floors of these spaces, beneath narrow oak floorboards. He also designed the bespoke metal ventilation systems which sit above and below large sections of the glazing. There are original quarry tiles beneath the carpeted areas on this floor. Arguably the most significant feature of this floor is the large open-tread oak staircase, with protruding sections of bookcase, which ascends beneath the flattened section of the roof’s pitch. A gallery has been created around the staircase, as the pitches extend in height either side, essentially dividing the house into north and south wings. Triangular framed windows are positioned at the top of the pitch on either side, drawing natural light down onto the landing.

Accommodation on the first floor is arranged with a large bedroom and en-suite bathroom at the northern gable end. There are built-in wardrobes in this room and Gowan’s trademark porthole window (as seen on the cover of the Architects’ Journal in 1983 – see History) which beautifully exploits the cantilever to provide uninterrupted views of the countryside. This room also has beautifully designed oak air vents, which further assist ventilation across the floors, while the pitched roof functions in these rooms to emphasise the sense of volume and light. Two smaller bedrooms are positioned in the southern wing. Each has skylights with views out towards the river, while the southern-most bedroom has its own large porthole window. There are Gowan-designed aluminium up-lights throughout the house as well as lots of purpose-built storage spaces in the rooms and along the eaves.

A large double garage is connected to the house. It is lined with ceramic tiles, has two floors and a significant amount of storage space. Four mature lime trees to the side of the house, natural wild flower beds, hawthorn trees bordering a small pond, accessed via a footpath. There is a picket gate at the foot of the garden which provides access across fields and the banks of the river Dee. A footpath leads all the way into Chester across the countryside, in approximately twenty minutes.

Chester is positioned close the the Welsh border and was founded as a Roman fortress in the 1st century ad. It is known for its extensive Roman walls made of local red sandstone. In the old city, the Rows is a shopping district distinguished by two-level covered arcades and Tudor-style half-timber buildings. A Roman amphitheatre, with ongoing excavations, lies just outside the old city’s walls. There is rowing and sailing on the River Dee, while Chester itself has a new cultural centre called The Story House as well as many independent shops, restaurants and cafes.

The Clwydian Range area of outstanding natural beauty is approximately twenty minutes’ by car; the highest point is Moel Famau which has breathtaking countryside views. Snowdonia National Park is less than an hour away by car and has internationally renowned hiking trails and walks. Closer by, the island of Anglesey of the north Welsh coast has beautiful beaches and ancient sites of interest.

Chester has a number of excellent schools including Kings School. Shrewsbury independent school is approximately an hour’s drive away. The airports of Manchester and Liverpool are both approximately 30 minutes by car.