Your average person might not look twice at this little home in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. But, as of today, Nine Church Walk has been listed at Grade II on the advice of Historic England.
This modernist bungalow was the home of composer, arranger and conductor Imogen Holst, daughter of composer Gustav Holst. It was designed by Jim and Betty Cadbury-Brown, the architect duo behind the 1951 Festival of Britain’s Southbank site. The house is currently owned by music education organisation Britten Pears Arts and is available as a holiday rental, as well as opening to the public every year for Heritage Open Days.
Nine Church Walk was built between 1962 and 1964 for Holst, and she lived there until her death in 1984. It is, as such, filled with idiosyncrasies: it features a soundproofed music room, innovative for the time, where the composer worked. The windows are positioned to frame views of the parish church. Original features include built-in shelving systems and curtains with recessed tracking; Holst’s personal items such as a writing desk and coloured glass panel that she hung over the window to diffuse the sunlight also remain. The property houses furniture that belonged to Gustav Holst, including his oak music cupboard, where Holst stored her father's manuscripts.
Gustav Holsts' music cupboard
In 1952, Holst was invited to assist composer Benjamin Britten on his opera, Gloriana, a work which marked the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Holst later became the artistic director of the mainly classical music festival, Aldeburgh Festival.
She commissioned the Cadbury-Browns to build the house on her land on Church Walk, later writing to the pair to thank them: ‘My IMMENSE and perpetual gratitude for the loveliest house in the world. I think of you both every night of the year and send blessings in your direction for having enabled me to get on with my work in such heavenly quiet and solitude and comfort.’ Her ‘rent’ to the Cadbury-Browns for the property consisted of a crate of wine at Christmas and yearly Aldeburgh Festival tickets.
Imogen Holst photographed by Nigel Luckhurst
Imogen Holst and cellist Steven Isserlis, photographed by Nigel Luckhurst
‘The significance of Imogen Holst’s home extends far beyond its status as an unassuming yet notable example of Jim Cadbury-Brown’s architecture,’ heritage minister Sir Chris Bryant has said of the Grade II designation. ‘It was here at Nine Church Walk where some of the greatest musical minds of the 20th century converged, exchanged ideas and laid the foundations of the Aldeburgh Festival… By listing this remarkable building, we preserve not only its architectural merit but also the rich legacy of Holst and her peers.’
-
The bespoke Jaguar E-Type GTO melds elements from every era of the classic sports carECD Automotive Design’s one-off commission caters to a client who wanted to combine the greatest hits of Jaguar’s E-Type along with modern conveniences and more power
-
Casa Sanlorenzo debuts in Venice as a new hub for contemporary artThe luxury yachting leader unveils a stunning new space in a palazzo restored by Piero Lissoni – where art, innovation, and sustainability come together
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being rebonr as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
A night at Pierre Jeanneret’s house, Chandigarh’s best-kept secretPierre Jeanneret’s house in Chandigarh is a modernist monument, an important museum of architectural history, and a gem hidden in plain sight; architect, photographer and writer Nipun Prabhakar spent the night and reported back
-
Lina Bo Bardi, the misunderstood modernist, and her influential architectureA sense of mystery clings to Lina Bo Bardi, a modernist who defined 20th-century Brazilian architecture, making waves still felt in her field; here, we explore her work and lasting influence
-
Oscar Niemeyer: a guide to the Brazilian modernist, from big hits to lesser-known gemsArchitecture master Oscar Niemeyer defined 20th-century architecture and is synonymous with Brazilian modernism; our ultimate guide explores his work, from lesser-known schemes to his big hits; and we revisit a check-in with the man himself
-
Modernist Travel Guide: a handy companion to explore modernism across the globe‘Modernist Travel Guide’, a handy new pocket-sized book for travel lovers and modernist architecture fans, comes courtesy of Wallpaper* contributor Adam Štěch and his passion for modernism
-
Discover architect Ico Parisi’s modernist sanctuaries on the banks of Lake ComoA string of sculptural sanctuaries by architect Ico Parisi on the banks of Lake Como helped cement the area as the heartland of Italian modernism; we explore his work in an article from the Wallpaper* archives
-
Ukrainian Modernism: a timely but bittersweet survey of the country’s best modern buildingsNew book ‘Ukrainian Modernism’ captures the country's vanishing modernist architecture, besieged by bombs, big business and the desire for a break with the past
-
Croismare school, Jean Prouvé’s largest demountable structure, could be yoursJean Prouvé’s 1948 Croismare school, the largest demountable structure ever built by the self-taught architect, is up for sale
-
Jump on our tour of modernist architecture in Tashkent, UzbekistanThe legacy of modernist architecture in Uzbekistan and its capital, Tashkent, is explored through research, a new publication, and the country's upcoming pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; here, we take a tour of its riches
