One of the things that inspired me to start this site was the discovery of unusual houses, and the need to share them with a wider audience.
I’ve no formal qualification in architecture, and to be honest, I don’t know what I am talking about when it comes to such things. But I do know what I think looks good.
First up – and I am annoyed that I found this a week before a twitter writer with 19k followers did – is this wonderful Brutalist housing estate in Frimley, Surrey. So, better late than never, here’s my take on it.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-60761190.html
Frimley is an interesting town. Most interesting, is the value of this property. On at £350k, for a three bedroom house in one of the less leafy, but still quite affable parts of Surrey, this is a steal. Duller houses go for a lot more.
So…
What’s to like?
If you look out of the curved windows, you’ll look out onto communal grounds (I imagine there’s a service charge within the covenant for this). You’ll also look out onto similar houses. You don’t get architecture like this in every commuter town. In fact, you don’t get it in many places at all. I imagine waking up here is a bit like waking up in one of JG Ballard’s short story. A sort of Myths of the Near Future sort of house.
It also benefits from open plan living, and a peculiar staircase. This one has a modern kitchen and bathroom. It’s the sort of house that if you decorate it right, you can make the most of its volume, light and space. Decorate it wrong and you’ll feel very sad indeed.
And also… Just take a look around…
The house (first)
And then, let’s go outside as George Michael would say (I don’t think this is what he had in mind, but it’s a nice segue.
What’s not to like?
Well, that’s subjective. Parking is in an en-bloc garage, which is the worst type of garage, lets be honest. Street parking also at a premium. So don’t be thinking of having more than one car, or you’ll be risking a difficult falling out with the neighbours (possibly – we all know what people are like, and parking is the number one issue for pretty much anyone who owns a car)
Also subjective is the architecture. Not everyone’s cup of tea, as the sold prices for Frimley on Rightmove would suggest. That said, if you can find the right person who wants to commute the 1h 10mins to Waterloo every day (you’d need a smart-alec hipster job in London to want to buy this, lets be honest), you will love the house, and you probs won’t need a car. Frimley Station is about a ten minute walk. Annual season ticket is around the £4k mark, which when compared to places a similar length of commute from London is actually quite competitive.
So, what’s Frimley like then?
I don’t actually know, but will do the research so you don’t have to. I remember they had a Combined Counties League football team back in the early noughties when AFC Wimbledon played at that level. I also think Frimley neighbours another village, Frimley Green, which is home of the Lakeside Darts, (that’s the “professional” darts played mainly be amateurs, still on the BBC, and not as good as the one on Sky). Perhaps, like Wimbledon Fortnight, you can make a mint renting this out to a plumber from Durham who throws arrers on the side. You never know.
The town itself appears perfectly pleasant if a little bit like Guildford’s sad little brother. It’s stuck out right by the border with Hampshire, and has a population of under 7000 according to the last census. This can be a good thing, and a bad thing. Fall out with wrong people, feel unwelcome forever. Or, to be more positive, make friends for life and feel like you live in a nice modern “village” with a Waitrose (of course it has one), and a couple of pubs.
Big employers in the town are BAe and Siemens – Farnborough, with it’s airshow, is just down the road too.
The Local.
I like a pint. Who doesn’t? Niall Quinn? Oh… Anyway, if you’re not Niall Quinn, (and I don’t think he is averse to a pint to be honest), there’s a Greene King place called The White Hart about a five minute walk, which is nice if you like that sort of thing, and further out of Frimley, down towards Frimley Green, there are some places that look over the water, which, on a summer’s day, is about as good as it gets.
Who do I contact about it if I want to buy it because I am looking for “An Interesting House”?
Well, not me clearly. Agents for this are Michael Usher Sales and Lettings – you can ring them on 01276 585 079. They don’t know I am posting this, but feel free to tell them you heard about it here. Also, the photos are copyright them – they’re being shared here and I will remove them if asked.
That's an Interesting House 