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Summary

An International Modern Style house built in 1935 for the dancer, Kirt Jooss.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1324962: WARREN HOUSE

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (Built, Mid 20th Century - 1935 AD to 1935 AD)

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 2025, Mastermap 2025 (Cartographic). SDV366286.

L-shaped house at the northern end of Warren Lane.

Historic England, 2025, National Heritage List for England 2025, 1324962 (National Heritage List for England). SDV366287.

Warren House. 1935 by W E Lescaze of Howe and Lescaze of America, assisted by R Hening; for Kirt Jooss. Painted rendered brick cavity walls, concrete coping to the parapets concealing the flat roof which is partly tiled for a roof terrace.
Plan: an International Modern Style house. Overall the plan is L-shaped with a flight of steps up to the entrance porch in the angle leading to a central hall which gives access to all the ground floor rooms. To the left the living and dining rooms have a sliding partition between and the dining room has a verandah on the left side of the house. The kitchen is in the front left-hand wing over the garage which is on the lower ground level of the front. The 'back' stair is next to the kitchen off the hall. There is a curved parition wall separating the hall from the drawing room at the back. To the right of the house at the back is Kurt Jooss's dance studio with a study library off and at the front the main staircase to the first floor. The first floor plan is similar to that of the ground floor but has 2 principal bedrooms, a dressing room, bathrooms, visitors' bedrooms or nurseries and the nurse's and maid's rooms. The front left-hand bedroom has a balcony on the flat roof of the kitchen wing and the rear right-hand bedroom has a smaller balcony over the studio; both balconies were intended for outside sleeping. The main stiars rises to a tower giving access to the flat roof. Small extensions have been added to the left-hand front wing. The house is situated on a sloping site which had to be excavated; the higher ground level is at the back. Although the garage is in a basement storey under the front wing and the stair tower rises above the main roof the house is principally on 2 storeys.
Exterior: Asymmetrical elevations. Basically 3 interlocking cubes on 2 levels with 3 roof heights. As seen from the east entrance front the tallest block is set back to the right its back wall is pierced by rectangular window openings and rises to a flat-roofed stair tower. Set in the angle with the left-hand block steps lead up to the main entrance with a flat concrete canopy supported on a steel post. The left-hand block is lower and has an horizontal window band on the first floor with french doors giving access to the roof terrace over the projecting kitchen block which has a window band on the right-hand corner. The garage at the lower ground level below and a vertical window to the left partly concealed behind the later extension on the front of and to the left of the kitchen block; there is also a later canopy over the garage doors. The left-hand (south) return has asymmetrically disposed windows, the ground floor right of the higher block is recessed and the corner above is supported on a slender steel post to form a verandah for the dining room which has a large fully glazed window area. The right-hand (north) elevation has a narrow horizontal window band (now divided into 3 windows) lighting the dance studio and a slightly deeper window band on the first floor. The rear (west) elevation, the dance studio projects on the ground floor to the left over which there is a roof terrace with access from a doorway in a band of windows on the first floor which continues to the right; 2 windows below to the right. The roof terraces have a steel tube and wire net balustrade. The stair tower has a flat roof which is cantilevered on the inner side forming a canopy. A rendered chimney rises from the flat roof of the lower block to the south. All the windows are steel frame casements and the doors flush plywood. Interior: The dog-leg staircase has a curved solid balustrade faced in Columbian pine plywood with moulded black ebonised handrail sliding partition between the drawing room and dining room. The drawing room has a small fireplace with a plished marble surround. The dining room has a fitted cupboard forming a screen faced in walnut plywood; it has drawers and serving hatches with wooden roller shutters. The first floor has a fittedlcupboard forming a screen faced in walnut plywood; it has drawers and serving hatches with wooden roller shutters. The first floor has a fitted wardrobe in one room. The other rooms have small simple fireplaces with tiled or slate surrounds. The doors throughout are all flush plywood. The metal skirtings are coved at the junction with the floors which are hardwood boarded in the hall and round the other rooms; the dance studio has a floor of jarrah wood. The main stairs rise above the roof into a tower which contains the water tank and givers access to the flat roof terrace. Dartington Hall became the headquarters of the Ballets Jooss and this house was built for its creator, the dancer Kurt Jooss. Reference: Country Life 4th June 1938. The architects drawings in Dartington Hall archive.
Date first listed: 31st October 1983

Historic England, 2025, Warren House, 10 Warren Lane, Dartington Hall, Totnes (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV366568.

Notification that, as part of an Historic England Strategic Project Defined Area Survey (DAS) of the Dartington Hall Estate the entry for Warren House on the National Heritage List for England is being considered for amendment.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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