Lichfield Court, on Sheen Road in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, London, consists of two

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

purpose-built blocks of

flats Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Apartment, known as a flat in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), a two-dimens ...

. Designed by Bertram Carter and built in fine

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by Aerodynamics, aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In indu ...

style, it was completed in 1935.

Lichfield House

Lichfield Court is built on the site of Lichfield House, named when the London residence of the

Bishop of Lichfield The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West M ...

. Wealthy sugar factor Henry Lascelles (1690–1753) bought the house and died there by suicide. Novelist

Mary Elizabeth Braddon Mary Elizabeth Braddon (4 October 1835 – 4 February 1915) was an English popular Novelists, novelist of the Victorian era. She is best known for her 1862 sensation novel ''Lady Audley's Secret'', which has also been dramatised and filmed seve ...

(1837–1915), lived there from before 1874 until her death. The house was described in 1907 as a "grand old red brick building with a beautiful formal garden". Sir Henry George Norris was the final resident. The house and grounds were acquired in 1933 by

George Broadbridge George Thomas Broadbridge, 1st Baron Broadbridge (13 February 1869 – 17 April 1952) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician, most prominently in the City of London. Broadbridge was sometime Alderman of the Candlew ...

and redeveloped into the present two blocks of flats.

Design

The company estate office and

porters Porters may refer to: * Porters, Virginia, an unincorporated community in Virginia, United States * Porters, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community in Wisconsin, United States * Porters Ski Area, a ski resort in New Zealand * Porters (TV series), '' ...

' office are situated in the main

lobby Lobby may refer to: * Lobby (room), an entranceway or foyer in a building * Lobbying, the action or the group used to influence a viewpoint to politicians * Lobby (food), a thick stew made in Leigh, Greater Manchester and North Staffordshire, like ...

of the major block. The buildings are surrounded by estate grounds which are a mix of gardens and unallocated parking, the major block having a decorative inner courtyard garden and pond. Initially intended for the rental market, the flats conformed to six different types ranging from studio flats with no alcove, to studio flats with one alcove or two alcoves, and one to three-bedroom flats, some with balconies.

Listed status

The buildings were awarded Grade II listing in January 2004. The

Twentieth Century Society The Twentieth Century Society (abbreviated to C20), founded in 1979 as The Thirties Society, is a British charity that campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards. It is formally recognised as one of the National ...

reported the listing, saying:

Popular culture

Lichfield Court was used as a filming location in the TV adaptation of

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

's novel ''

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" is a popular English language nursery rhyme and counting-out rhyme of which there are early occurrences in the US and UK. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 11284. Rhyme A common version is given in ''The Oxford ...

''.

Notes and references

External links

Official site of Lichfield Court
{{LB Richmond 1935 establishments in England Apartment buildings in London Art Deco architecture in London Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Residential buildings completed in 1935 Richmond, London Streamline Moderne architecture in the United Kingdom Christopher Wren buildings