There is an exceptional power to good architecture. That is probably not a secret to many who read the pages (both online and in print) of Country Life. I would suggest that our expertise has often leaned more towards the Classical end of the spectrum, but we are something a grand old dame. However, good architecture is good architecture, no matter the style or era.
Royston Summers was a good architect. After training, he worked for Cornwall Country Council, before setting up his own practice in Blackheath, London, in 1964. His housing schemes, for the period, were revolutionary.
He designed the first ever solar-heated council flats. He won a RIBA award for Good Design in Housing in 1969, for his North Terraces in Blackheath (after receiving the award from Tony Benn, he then went to collect his dole money. ‘Such are the vagaries of life in a small architectural practice’, wrote the RIBA Journal in his obituary in 2012).
His most famous works, however, may have been Lakeside Drive in Esher, Surrey, which won the RIBA Architecture Award in 1976, as well as a DoE Medal and Diploma for Good Design in 1980. You can see why when looking at this home for sale with Knight Frank for £2.95 million.
The tranquil cul-de-sac that is Lakeside Drive is set around, well, an ornamental lake. This property might be the finest example of Summers’s design in the development, and has been renovated to a superb standard by its current owners. However, the original style, featuring high ceilings, open-plan living and those large windows remains untouched.
Set in a cross-section, the ground floor offers a spacious dining room, reception room, kitchen (with central island) and attached garage. On the first floor you will find four bedrooms, with the principal suite taking up an entire wing and featuring a walk-in wardrobe and vast bathroom. The other three bedrooms are en-suite, and there is also a large family room.
Outside, as well as the lake, there is a swimming pool and large gardens. Esher itself has an excellent range of schools, shops, bars and restaurants, while Central London is easily accessed from the nearby A3 or various nearby train stations.
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