Taymount Grange IX
Taymount Rise, London SE23
Architect: G. Bertram Carter
Register for similar homes“A beautiful and well-preserved example of art moderne architecture”
This sensitively renovated two-bedroom apartment sits within Taymount Grange, one of London’s best-preserved modernist estates. Designed by George Bertram Carter and built between 1935 and 1936, the estate is on a wonderfully elevated spot in leafy Forest Hill. The flat occupies a highly sought-after corner position within the building and has been sympathetically updated with the original modernist ethos in mind. Surrounded by extensive communal gardens, allotments and wide lawns, the building sits close to all the area has to offer, from its woodland walks to the popular Horniman Museum.
The Building
Taymount Grange is instantly recognisable by its white-painted stucco façade and striking mint green-framed Crittall windows. Its communal areas are in great condition and still retain many of their original modernist features. Smart lifts and richly carpeted stairwells hint at the glamour of the building’s early life, when a restaurant and lounge occupied the lower floors. The apartment has a caretaker, an intercom system for access and plenty of bike storage. For more information on Taymount Grange, please see the History section below.
The Tour
The front door sits next to the recently renovated galley kitchen, characterised by its understated white cabinetry topped with cool grey-veined quartz worksurfaces. Plywood shelves – a material accent that continues elsewhere in the apartment – add plenty of additional storage.
The living area is adjacent, where impressive original Crittall windows frame a view of luscious tree canopies. A beautifully proportioned space, the apartment’s original picture rails emphasise the tall ceilings in this room that continue throughout. Floorboards installed during the building’s construction have been carefully retained and stripped back, bringing warmth to a decorative palette of predominantly white-washed walls.
Two spacious bedrooms lead from here, connected via a long hallway with original storage cabinets and associated door furniture, which sit boldly against the pink raw plaster walls. The dual-aspect configuration of the main bedroom allows an exceptional quality of natural light to pour in while providing sweeping views across the immaculate communal gardens. A neutral bathroom sits at the rear of the plan.
Outdoor Space
All residents of Taymount Grange enjoy the use of communal gardens to the front and rear of the building. These tranquil spaces include a shared barbecue area and established allotments with a variety of fruit trees.
The Area
Taymount Grange is located close to the Horniman Museum and Gardens. It’s well placed for the shops and restaurants of Dulwich Village and East Dulwich, as well as the open spaces of Sydenham Woods and Dulwich Park. Local highlights include Bona, Pantry, and Aga’s Little Deli.
All of the amenities of Forest Hill, including its railway station, are approximately five minutes away on foot. Regular trains run from Forest Hill to London Bridge, with a journey time of 12 minutes. The station is also a part of the London Overground, with services running to Dalston via Canada Water (Jubilee Line), Shadwell (DLR), Shoreditch High Street and Whitechapel (District and Hammersmith & City Lines).
Tenure: Leasehold
Lease Length: approx. 141 years remaining
Service Charge: approx. £3800 per annum
Ground Rent: approx. Peppercorn
Council Tax Band: B
Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.
History
Taymount Grange was built in 1935 to designs by English architect George Bertram Carter. Carter had studied at Blackheath School of Art between 1911 and 1915 before joining the Royal School of Art. He worked at Edwin Lutyens’ office as a student before setting up his own practice in Clifford’s Inn in 1929. Prior to Taymount Grange, Carter was responsible for two large factory designs in Tottenham and Whitechapel respectively. Carter designed both Taymount Grange and Lichfield Court (now Grade II-listed) in Richmond in 1935.
Taymount Grange sits at the top of Taymount Rise in Forest Hill, on the previous sites of Taymount, a 19th-century house, and Queens Tennis Club. It embodies the ‘style moderne’ aesthetic that stemmed from the art deco movement during the 1930s. Unlike art deco, style moderne – also known as ‘streamline moderne’ or ‘ocean liner style’ – prioritised clean shapes, long horizontal forms, and a lack of ornamentation.
In his thesis The Servant Problem Solved: Modernist 1930s Residential Blocks, Damian Minto describes the history of Taymount Grange:
“[It] is built on the site of the original Queens tennis club. An important similarity with many modernist schemes was the fact that the existing earlier building (often a detached villa) was to be demolished to make way for the new block of flats. The site’s natural contours made it an ideal location for panoramic views of the London docks and rural edges of suburbia, a feature of which the flats take full advantage.”
