Sphinx Hill, also known as the Egyptian House, is a Grade II* listed house in Moulsford, Oxfordshire, England. Designed by John Outram, the Egyptian-style postmodernist house was completed in 1999, making it the youngest listed building in the United Kingdom.
| Sphinx Hill | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The house in 2010 viewed from across the Thames. | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Egyptian House |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | |
| Address | Ferry Lane |
| Town or city | Moulsford |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°32′51″N 1°08′45″W / 51.54751°N 1.14587°W |
| Completed | 1999 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Outram |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Sphinx Hill, its surrounding hard landscaping, terraces and water feature |
| Designated | 20 June 2024 |
| Reference no. | 1485669[1] |
Architecture
editThe house sits alongside older houses, such as Victorian and Edwardian villas, and stands out from its neighbours with its polychromatic Egyptian-style exterior.[2] The symmetrical two-storey structure has barrel-vaulted roofs reminiscent of the funerary complex of Djoser in Saqqara and is crowned by an attic storey which resembles a giant Eye of Horus. The exterior features columns with tartan pattern tiling along the base and black capitals topped with terracotta circles, representing the hieroglyph for the rising sun.[3]
The property's garden was designed to symbolise the course of the Nile and features a rill in its centre which flows down three pools from a fountain.[4]
History
editIn 1994, Henrietta McCall, an Egyptologist, and her husband, Christopher, approached John Outram Associates as they were admirers of Outram's first domestic work, the Grade I listed New House in Wadhurst, East Sussex. They wanted a house which would reflect their shared interest in Ancient Egypt and hoped for a plot near a river to fit the Egyptianate theme. The riverside site in Moulsford, situated on the banks of the Thames, was found after a difficult search and was occupied by an existing 1960s house.[5] Permission for the previous building's replacement was obtained in 1997, with the house's construction starting in Spring 1998 and completion a year later in Spring 1999.[6]
The property was sold in December 2022 for £2.3 million, which led to the Twentieth Century Society (C20) applying for the building to be listed to restrict any "unsympathetic alteration or demolition" to the house.[7] The building and its surroundings were Grade II* listed on 20 June 2024,[1] making it the fifth listed building designed by Outram.[7] It also became the youngest listed building in the country, having been completed only 25 years prior, beating Colin St John Wilson and MJ Long's British Library, which was opened a year earlier.[8] Following the successful application, C20 said it was "exceedingly rare" for a building under the age of 30 years old to be granted listed status, which reflected its "national significance". Historic England described the house as a "tour-de-force of domestic Post-Modernism".[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Historic England. "Sphinx Hill (Grade II*) (1485669)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Roche, Daniel Jonas (27 June 2024). "John Outram's Sphinx Hill House in Oxfordshire is now Grade II* listed". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "Thames Valley of the Kings: Outram's Egyptian Sphinx Hill house Grade II* listed". Twentieth Century Society. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ Ravenscroft, Tom (21 April 2022). "Nine of John Outram's most "rich, tactile and colourful" buildings". Dezeen. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Official List Entry - Sphinx Hill, its surrounding hard landscaping, terraces and water feature". Historic England. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "The Egyptian House (Sphinx Hill), Oxfordshire". John Outram Associates. 31 January 2001. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ a b Charles, Starr (26 June 2024). "John Outram's Sphinx Hill house becomes youngest listed building in UK". Dezeen. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Spocchia, Gino (27 June 2024). "Outram's Po-Mo Egyptian Revival house becomes youngest listed UK building". Architects Journal. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "Oxfordshire's Sphinx Hill house becomes listed building". BBC News. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
External links
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