High Cross House, Dartington

After many failed attempts in the past (not open at the weekend) we finally managed to take a trip to visit High Cross House on the Dartington Hall Estate, a short(ish) riverside walk from Totnes Railway Station, to introduce Betsy (aged 5 weeks) to the delights of Modernism.

Built between 1931 and 1932 to strict International Modernist criteria by New York based architect Williams Lescaze, High Cross House was to house the Headmaster (William Burnlee Curry) of Dartington Hall's progressive new school (he had previously been Headmaster at Oak Lane County Day School, Philadelphia, the building that had made Lescaze's reputation in the US). Originally designed to be constructed of reinforced concrete, this proved beyond the local builders (Stavertons), and it was eventually built of brick cavity walls with steel beams for cantilevers and wide spans. Like Kettle's Yard, the interior is a "lived in" space where you can sit in a classic Wassily (Model B3) chair, and admire a fine selection of artwork by, amongst others, Ben and Winifred Nicholson, Cecil Collins, and David Jones.

Sources

Cherry, Bridget and Nikolaus Pevsner (1989). The Buildings of England, Devon. Second Edition. Penguin. pp. 316-317.

High Cross House information leaflet. Dartington Hall Estate.