22A Evenlode Avenue, 'The Vines', is a 1970s single-storey flat roof dwelling in Penarth designed by Hird and Brooks. Initials on original plans state 'MH' and dated 1972, and the client at the time of recording believed the chief architect was Malcolm House, who worked on various Hird and Brooks projects. The house, designed for clients Mr and Mrs A. Godfrey, is an open-plan Modernist design with Scandinavian influences of exposed brick, beams, and timber ceilings with a timber clad wall in the living room a noteworthy feature. The north facing rear elevation is heavily fenestrated with large glass doors, allowing much sunlight to enter into the dining room and kitchen, whilst offering views over the extensive garden and pool.
Later changes to the original plans include a conversion of the guestroom into a dental surgery and the study into a waiting room. The partition wall between the two was later removed to allow for a larger room next to the entrance hall, later used as a bedroom with ensuite bathroom. The master bedroom at the north west wing contained an en-suite which was also later remodelled and enlarged, whilst the partition wall between the kitchen and dining room was also removed to create a larger living/dining area with views across the garden. One site plan ('Sketch Design No.2') drawn by 'GB' (Graham Brooks) and dated July 1972, indicates that at one point, a ‘plot’ behind the house and a much more landscaped forecourt was considered.
Proposals were made in 2023 to demolish the building and rebuild on site.
M. Powel, RCAHMW. July 2024.
Sources: Original drawings; Investigator's digital photographs, April 2024; '1960s Hird and Brooks midcentury modern house in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan', WowHaus, 28 July 2020.