Today I visited 78 Derngate, Northampton, a narrow, early 19th-century town house that was home to W.J. Bassett-Lowke and his wife Florence for a few years after their marriage in 1916.
It is famous today because of the identity of the architect they employed to turn it into a thoroughly modern house. It was Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and 78 Derngate was his last major commission and the only house he designed outside Scotland.
As it remains largely unaltered from century ago, the house today attracts visitors from around the world.
I recall a story about a Conservative politician who bought Mackintosh chairs without realising that they were works of art. He placed them around the dining table. Whilst the chairs were able to accommodate the lithe, they failed to function for more portly guests.
ReplyDeleteBassett-Lowke ? The family of model and miniature locomotives, little engines that an on meths rather than anthracite ? The same ?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's that family. W.J. played an important role in Northampton's civic life - he was a Labour councillor.
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