Building record MDO47088 - Glenmorag, Haig Avenue, Parkstone, Poole

A detached house, with gate lodge, detached garaging and swimming pool complex. The house and gatehouse date between 1926-1933 with later alterations, the outbuildings from the late-20th century. The house is constructed from pinkish red brick laid in a basic stretcher bond, with multi-paned timber windows set under plain clay tile roofs; the stacks are of brick. The original plan of the house was a long range, orientated roughly east-west, and was based on a central corridor; rooms were set to either side, with the principal rooms ranged along the garden front, though subsequent alterations have obscured the ground floor plan. The house is a single linear range of two storeys and attic; the original house is of five bays, the central and end bays having projecting gables with stepped brick kneelers.

Glenmorag, together with its attendant gatehouse, was built in the period 1926-1933, appearing on the Ordnance Survey map of that date for the first time; it was built on a site previously undeveloped, and was the one of the first properties to be built along the newly-laid out Haig Avenue. It was reportedly built by a Scottish General as his own home, hence its name. In the late 1940s and 1950s, the house was owned by Leonard Matchan, a local millionaire who stood unsuccessfully as MP for Poole, ran a mink farm in the grounds of the house, and eventually bought a private island where he issued his own stamps. The house has remained in use as a family home, and has been extended several times; in the 1980s, an earlier garage was removed from the east of the house and a new detached garage range was added just to the north east. A large swimming pool complex was added at the same time. After 1987, the house was substantially reordered internally, together with some further alterations to all the external elevations. The gardens were re-landscaped at the same time, creating a large terrace to the rear of the house, with the remainder of the grounds running downhill towards the Luscombe Valley.

A detached house, with gatehouse, detached garaging and swimming pool complex. The house and gatehouse date between 1926-1933 with later alterations, the outbuildings from the late-20th century. The house is constructed from pinkish red brick laid in a basic stretcher bond, with multi-paned timber windows set under plain clay tile roofs; the stacks are of brick. The original plan of the house was a long range, orientated roughly east-west, and was based on a central corridor; rooms were set to either side, with the principal rooms ranged along the garden front, though subsequent alterations have obscured the ground floor plan. The house is a single linear range of two storeys and attic; the original house is of five bays, the central and end bays having projecting gables with stepped brick kneelers. The central bay houses a round arched entranceway with late-20th century door and coloured glass margins. Above this is a late-20th century triangular oriel window. The other bays have a mixture of one, two and three-light timber casements with multiple panes. To the west is a modern extension of two and a half bays, two storeys high, including a through passage. The garden elevation has two projecting gabled bays with a balcony between them at first floor level; the windows are large, multi-paned timber casements. There are three full dormers set irregularly along the original range. The extension to the west has a further projecting gable and another balcony. The interior layout and finishes date overwhelmingly from the late 20th century; the ground floor has largely been opened up to create three large open rooms, and the original central corridor plan has been lost. The fireplaces, panelling, cornices and other fittings are all late 20th century replacements, as are the stairs; the main stair has been altered in its positioning, and the secondary stair has been resited completely. To the first floor, the corridor plan is still largely intact; rooms open off from either side, the principal rooms to the garden front. The attic in the earlier part of the house is now largely a single open space.

Glenmorag is loosely inspired by the type of vernacular houses designed by architects such as Lutyens, CFA Voysey and M Baillie Scott, from the last quarter of the 19th century, which sought to bring back the traditions of English vernacular building. This chimed with the contemporary Arts and Crafts movement, which emphasised the use of traditional materials and craftsmanship. The design of Glenmorag, even in its original state, was never of great interest; the symmetrical front with slightly projecting gables, and symmetrical fenestration, were a rather diluted version of the best vernacular revival styles, which employed asymmetry, variety and organic forms to create interest. The building is not associated with any known architect, and its style is not typical of any particular designer's work. Similarly, the craftsmanship and materials are not of the highest quality: the elevations are built from stock brick laid in the plainest stretcher bond, and there is little in the way of articulation of the surfaces. The stepped brick kneelers to the gables are a neat detail, but apart from this there is very little to relieve the surfaces. In addition, the original interior layout was not of any particular interest, and did not demonstrate any innovation or novelty in its use of space, with rooms simply laid out to either side of a long central corridor. In addition to this modesty of design, there have been substantial losses and alterations which have badly damaged the building's claims to architectural interest. The house has been extended to the west, creating an additional range which is not as well built as the original, and there have been further alterations at the east end. To the rear, there have been major alterations to the garden front, which has dramatically altered the appearance of this elevation, including the introduction of new dormers, the extension of rooms into the former open area in the centre of the elevation, and other alterations associated with the extension of the house to the west. This has resulted in a much altered pattern of fenestration and a very different appearance from that originally intended. Internally, the plan form of the ground floor has been dramatically reordered. Comparison of the plans before and after the two phases of alterations in the 1980s shows that there has been substantial removal of internal walls, which have destroyed the original corridor plan, to create a series of large open spaces. The secondary stair has been resited, and the main stair reorientated. The corridor plan survives more legibly in the first floor, but there have also been some alterations here. The internal decorative schemes have been almost entirely replaced in the 1980s; the fireplaces, panelling, door, cornices and other finishes all appear to date from this period, and there is now very little left to indicate the earlier 20th century scheme. Although a handsome house, Glenmorag does not compare well with those examples of vernacular revival building which have so far been added to the list. <1>

<1> English Heritage, English Heritage Listing File, Adviser's report dated 06-FEB-2008, by A Hooper (Scheduling record). SDO17502.

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1467635 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 5 2023 3:08PM