Langham House Close

Langham House Close
Langham House Close – main block from west pavilion
Etymology	Langham House
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Flats
Architectural style	brutalist postmodern
Location	Ham Common, London
Address	TW10 7JE
Country	England
Coordinates	51°25′59.57″N 0°18′35.13″W / 51.4332139°N 0.3097583°W / 51.4332139; -0.3097583
Construction started	1957
Completed	1958
Height
Roof	flat
Technical details
Material	and concrete
Floor count	2 & 3
Design and construction
Architect	Stirling & Gowan
Developer	L Manousso
Designations	Grade II*
Other information
Number of units	30

Langham House Close on Ham Common in Ham, London is a development of three Grade II* listed buildings designed in 1955 by the British architects James Gowan and James Stirling. The Le Corbusier-influenced buildings were the architects' first major project working together and cemented their reputation as leaders amongst the Brutalist movement. The development was constructed during 1957–58 for Manousso Group.

Langham House Close is a cul-de-sac off Ham Street, Ham Common, London located to the north of the Cassel Hospital and behind Langham House, both Grade II listed. After the death of former owner, Sir Lyonel Tollemache in 1953, the house and garden were sold separately, Langham House was converted from a single dwelling into flats and the garden plot was sold for development on a 999-year lease in 1955.

Langham House Close was the inaugural built design project of the partnership of Gowan and Stirling in 1955. The partnership were engaged by developer Luke Manousso, the father of one of Stirling's former students.

The development comprises three flat-roofed blocks, one three-storey block of eighteen flats designed by Stirling and two, two-storey blocks of six flats designed by Gowan, the two architects following common themes yet expressing individual features. Constructed of second-hand reflecting the construction of old Langham House, the buildings utilise in-situ shuttered concrete, blatantly exposed on exterior and repeated in interior surfaces.

Stirling's large block lies nearest Langham House with three communal stairwells providing access to six flats each. Gowan's "garden pavilion" blocks lie further away from Ham Common. The pair are mirror images of each other and provide access to each of the six flats from a central stairwell. The flats themselves share common features. Each has a central fireplace with back boiler and linen cupboard set in exposed stock brick with concrete lintels and shelves repeating the exterior surface themes on a smaller scale. There are four different designs for the fireplaces though, two in the main block and two in the pavilions which adds variety between each flat. This central unit separates the main living space from the kitchen. The flats vary in number of bedrooms, from one to three adding further variety. Detailed attention has been given to the size and location of windows, a further variable feature.