A couple who have lovingly restored their 1960s Essex home during the past decade have put the property on the market.
Alan Walker and his wife Sandy bought the detached home in the town of Loughton in 2013.
They are the third owners of Sussex House, which was originally built in 1965 and lived in by the architect Geoffrey Bateman.
A profile of the property appeared in the 1969 edition of the ‘Daily Mail book of House Plans’.
This four-bedroom home in the Essex town of Loughton is for sale for £1.85m via Savills estate agents
The property appeared in the Daily Mail book of House Plans in 1969 (scroll down for the full profile)
In the 1980s, the previous owners who were doctors and had a family moved into the property. While they hadn’t made many changes to the house, they had carried out some alterations such as covering the laminate walls with wallpaper.
On buying the property, current owners Alan and Sandy immediately stripped the property back as far as they could to the original features.
These features include terrazzo flooring and teak panelling as well as some aluminium window frames.
The property has a modernist style, characterized by volume, asymmetrical shapes and minimal ornamentation.
Other features in the four-bedroom house include black brickwork and golden joinery.
The estate agent handling the sale of the property is Savills, which is advertising it with a price tag of £1.85million.
The current owners have lovingly restored the property that was built in 1965 by the architect Geoffrey Bateman
The garden has also been renovated to a high standard and includes a small putting green
We spoke exclusively to the current owners Alan and Sandy Walker about the renovation of the property
In an exclusive interview, Alan and Sandy revealed their favourite parts of the landmark house.
While Alan highlights his ‘man cave’ on the lower floor of the three storey home, they both agree that the upper level adjacent to their bedroom is their favourite part of the house.
Alan explains: ‘I am lucky as I have a man cave downstairs. The house is on three levels. I have my own area where I can work there.
‘But our favourite part of the house is the upper level adjacent to our bedroom. It provides a panoramic view with views right into East London.’
And Sandy adds: ‘It was interesting when we spent one New Year’s Eve at the house as we were watching the fireworks not only in the sky outside but also the same fireworks on the TV in the house, just with a 10-second delay.’
The house is very representative of its time, due to the materials used, according to its current owners
This part of the property included an exposed brick wall that is black and a cladding ceiling
The kitchen has integrated modern appliances and a dedicated space for a table and seating
The property has a modernist style, characterized by volume, asymmetrical shapes and minimal ornamentation
Alan recently turned 70 years old and the couple are now looking to downsize to the coast.
Sandy explained: ‘We thought this would be our forever home. But we don’t have any children so we can’t leave it and all our belongings to some random person to sort out. We need to sort out our stuff now.’
She added: ‘The house is very representative of its time, due to the materials used, such as the teak walls.
‘The specification is high, and there are details that you don’t realise when you first walk in.
‘There are no exposed surfaces or pipework on the exterior of the house. No guttering or services at all, which was so advanced for its time.’
Alan and Sandy are the third owners of Sussex House, and are now looking to move after a decade living at the property
The house is representative of its time, due to the materials used, including various types of brick
The property has four bedrooms, including this one with far-reaching views from the large window
The ground floor of the property includes a large living room and kitchen, along with two bedrooms.
Alan’s ‘man cave’ on the lower ground floor includes reception room, study and the fourth bedroom. The area could be turned into a separate self-contained flat.
The main bedroom is on the top floor, along with an ensuite shower room and a separate family room.
Outside, there is a paved driveway with parking for several cars and a double car port.
There is a landscaped garden with a sun terrace, an ornamental pond and a putting green. The summer house has sliding doors to the garden.
Floor to ceiling windows in the living area look out onto the garden at the 1960s property
There is a living space on the lower ground level that is flooded with light
Sussex House is on St John’s Road, which contains some of Loughton’s finest properties
The upper level has a large terrace, which has been described by the current owners as their favourite part of the property
Sussex House is on St John’s Road, which contains some of Loughton’s finest homes.
It is well placed for local amenities, including the town’s leisure centre, forest and High Street.
Good transport links provided via Loughton, Debden and Theydon Bois stations, which are all within two miles from the property.
At the same time, the overground at Chingford terminates at Liverpool Street.
And there several schools all within a mile of the property, including Woodcroft, Oak View and Staples Road primary school.
