History

The house was built by the architect E S Prior for the Rev Percy Lloyd between 1903 and 1905, and cost the staggering sum of £60,000 to construct.

The house, originally named Voewood – a word of Scandinavian origin, is known in architectural histories as Home Place. After a short rental period by the Meyrick Jones family it became a private boys school from 1906 until 1914/15 when many of its occupants went off to fight in the First World War. After that it had seventy years as rest and convalescent homes up until the time of its purchase by the current owner Simon Finch.

Pevsner describes Voewood as “…far and away the most interesting building in Holt…seen by few and can only be seen if one looks for it…a most violently idiosyncratic house…the inventions sometimes remind one almost of Gaudi.”

Dan Cruickshank wrote in The Architects’ Journal, that Voewood ”…is an expression of Prior’s key thoughts on the theory and practice of architecture. It reveals his attitude to the use of architectural history and precedent in contemporary design, and is a powerful demonstration that the process by which a building is constructed is as important as the way in which it is designed”.

Please click thumbnails to read the articles. All references in the Dan Cruickshank article to Home Place refer to Voewood.