A fine example of ‘modest modernism’ the charming municipal buildings at Bowes Road, comprising a library, swimming pool, health centre and caretaker’s flat, are the work of Middlesex County architects Curtis and Burchett. They are redolent of the optimistic pre-war period of London suburban development but now rather forlorn. It is a short walk from Arnos Grove underground station to find them.

Bowes Road Library tower detail

 

W.T. Curtis (Chief Architect for Middlesex County) and his assistant Howard Burchett designed a wide range of civic buildings in the 1930s and early ’40s, including schools, hospitals, libaries and health centres. Working on a limited budget they were able to exploit elements of modernist design (steel frame construction, concrete slab floors, flat roofs, steel windows) to produce elegant and simple designs which cost far less than their Edwardian and neo-classical precursors, but still embodied municipal pride and a fitness for purpose. Typical architectural features of their work include a bold horizontal emphasis with vertical contrast, frequently provided through the use of tall, narrow windows and a central tower. Happily several of their buildings are listed, including the Bowes Road complex and Kenton Library shown below, but despite this Bowes Road is looking a little shabby and would certainly benefit from restoration work. The caretaker’s flat has some delightful exterior features and, as always, we would love to take a look inside and explore.

Kenton Library W.T. Curtis Architect
Kenton Library by Curtis and Burchett (1939)

Bowes Road Library

Bowes Road Library canopy detail
Bowes Road Library
Bowes Road Library lobby detail
Main staircase of Bowes Road library building with brass hand rail visible.

Arnos Baths side elevation

Arnos Pool entrance detail
‘Arnos Pool’ at Bowes Road
Arnos Pool Lobby detail
‘Arnos Pool’ entrance window detail
Arnos Pool lobby skylight detail
Cast concrete skylight with wave motif at ‘Arnos Pool’.
Bowes Road Caretakers flat detail
Caretaker’s maisonnette. Note the use of glass bricks, rounded brick column and port hole window.
Bowes Road Health Centre detail
Bowes Road Health Clinic (1940)

© Modernist Tourists 2017

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