The Homewood

The Homewood is a Modernist country villa that the architect Patrick Gwynne designed for his father, mother, sister and himself, completed in the early summer of 1938 on the edge of Esher Common. Gwynne lived here for the rest of his life, keeping the interiors fashionably up to date until his death in 2003, and his friend Sir Denys Lasdun called the house the great love of Patrick's life. Guided tours enter through a front door framed in glass blocks, climb the spiral staircase to a living room built for parties, with a sprung maple dance floor and a fold-out bar, and finish in a woodland garden of rhododendrons, stepping stones and colour-themed planting. Reviewers praise the guides, whose knowledge and enthusiasm bring the family's story to life. Tips from visitors: tours sell out quickly, so book as soon as dates are released, and photography is not allowed inside. The toilets and cafe are at Claremont Landscape Garden nearby.