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Walter Segal: self-build pioneer in a challenging landscape

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Walters Way houses, south-east London. © Taran Wilkhu

First-time visitors to Walters Way and Segal Close in Lewisham, south London, might wonder if they are still in London or have been transported to Scandinavia, Canada, or New Zealand. The two tiny turnings are unlike other roads in the area. Instead of the ubiquitous Victorian terraces and Edwardian semis, the two mini-estates (which are about a 20- a minute walk apart) are dotted with half-timbered low-rise boxes. The lightweight dwellings appear to sit organically in their surroundings, as if they are part of the natural landscape. Tall trees and bushes create an unusually peaceful ambience, where foxes, squirrels, stag beetles, and south London’s green parakeets can be spotted.

The homes have been likened to Jamaican beach huts, Scandinavian lakeside cabins and Japanese tea houses. In fact, they are the product of an unusual experiment in social housing – Lewisham Council’s self-build scheme that ran in the 1970s and ’80s. The project gave ordinary families needing housing the chance to build homes specially designed to be easy to construct. The names of the roads give a clue as to the designer – the architect Walter Segal.

The man behind these designs had a rich and varied early life that may have influenced his output. Walter Segal was born in Berlin in 1907. His father, Arthur Segal, was an expressionist painter and a founder of the Dada movement. Walter spent his early years in Ascona, Lake Maggiore, Switzerland. He trained in Berlin, where he was taught by pioneers of modern architecture, including Bruno Taut and Hans Poelzig. He left Germany as the Nazis gained power, relocating to Mallorca (where he designed some houses in the Balearic style), then Egypt (where he was a tomb surveyor) and finally settling in London.

We can’t be sure how much the landscapes of his early years impacted his designs. But there is a strong similarity between Segal’s first commission, a lakeside cabin in Ascona built in 1932, and the Lewisham houses. What visitors see in Walters Way and Segal Close are timber frames, overhanging roofs, walls of weatherproof boards and wood-wool slabs, all present in his Swiss prototype. The orientation and outlook of the houses suggest a Mediterranean feel (perhaps influenced by Segal’s work in Mallorca), especially in Walters Way, which has a steep slope, a gentle curve and picture windows all facing south.

Two-storey deck on the side of a Walters Way house.
© Taran Wilkhu

During World War Two, Segal worked for the government’s Ministry of Works, and wrote several studies on public housing, focusing on density. He believed that good quality housing with sunlight and privacy should and could be available to all, even during severe austerity. He set out to achieve this with cleverly designed low-rise buildings. His vision is set out in his 1948 book, Homes and Environment. In careful line drawings, he depicts the optimum estate of the future. Conjoined L-shaped twostorey houses divided by trellises of creeping plants sit side by side in a neat square formation. Each has three types of outside space: a private patio, a south-facing family garden and a common green, with mature trees shared by a neighbourhood of 30 houses. Neighbours are shown sweeping the communal lawn while others chat. Sadly, Segal’s idyllic estate was never built. Despite approaches to local authorities, he never designed a substantial housing estate. Walters Way, his biggest local authority commission, has just 13 houses, and Segal Close has just seven.

Segal ran his one-man architectural practice in London. He designed two apartment buildings in Knightsbridge, one in Streatham, and a small block in West Hampstead. He designed the Tretol factory in Hendon, and several private houses in Camden and Hampstead. Researching Segal, I have spoken to many occupants of these homes, and all report that while their homes are not flashy or iconic, they have an understated elegance and practicality, and are easy to live in.

Painting by Neville Conder of patio houses, from Segal’s book Homes and Environment, published in 1948.

It was an unlikely catalogue of events that led to Walters Way and Segal Close. In 1962, Segal married his second wife Moran, who already had three young children and a tall Victorian house in Highgate. Segal decided to demolish it and replace it with his own modern design. The family needed accommodation during the build, so Segal got his carpenter to assemble an outhouse from wooden posts and wood-wool slabs, held together by friction. Known as the Little House in the Garden, the cabin, which stood freely on paving slabs on the lawn, became well known. It was popular with clients who wanted a cheap, quick, lightweight structure. When one client fell out with their builder and decided to complete the job themselves, the idea of self-build was born.

Meanwhile, by the 1970s, there was a severe shortage of affordable housing in London. Lewisham council wanted to get people off the waiting list and into homes and were willing to try something radical. The borough architects Jon Broome and Brian Richardson met Segal and planned the Lewisham self-build scheme. It took five years of negotiations to get the project started. Families were chosen by ballot and built the first scheme (which included Segal Close) in 1979–81 and the second (Walters Way) in 1985–87. Sadly, Segal died in 1987 before construction was finished, but the two roads were named in his honour.

The houses were designed for economy and ease of build. So, no bricks and mortar. Posts and panels were held together with bolts. No foundations. The frame rested on paving slabs, on piles. The result was a lightweight, flexible house. Rumour had it that when the 1987 hurricane hit London, the self-builders rushed to Walters Way to inspect the damage only to find that an old brick wall had come down, but their partially built homes were still standing.

Once raised, the wooden frame forms stilts. The ground floor is raised and accessed via steps and decking. This means the houses sit amongst the trees as if they are part of a woodland. This type of house became known as the Segal method and has been recreated in the UK and beyond as an alternative to conventional housing. For example, there are several Segal structures at the Centre for Alternative Technology at Machynlleth, Wales, where Segal himself ran courses and Segal-style building techniques are still taught.

Walters Way houses, south-east London.
© Taran Wilkhu

Nearly four decades later, the homes and grounds are carefully maintained by their occupiers. Now all privately owned (after right-to-buy and leasehold reform), the houses have been extended, insulated, reclad, and reglazed, according to the wishes of their owners. Segal believed a house should adapt to its occupants, not vice versa. Segal houses are easier to adapt than conventional ones, as walls are not load-bearing. When one Walters Way family needed more space for a big party, they removed a wall. Several years later, when they wanted more private spaces, they put it back. One family has built a treehouse for their children. Another has a generous double-storey decked indoor-outdoor space. A yoga teacher has assembled a factory-made glass studio. An antiques enthusiast has added stained glass windows. These changes demonstrate the creativity that can be achieved when people have agency over their surroundings.

A factor that joins the community together is that Walters Way and Segal Close are private roads. Residents are jointly responsible for the road surface, street lighting, and common space. Residents sweep leaves and tend communal planters. Neither road has a communal garden or designated children’s play area; children play in front gardens or on the road (they learn road safety at a young age). Each house has a small private garden and a tiny street-facing space where neighbours meet. This convivial set-up came into its own during the pandemic, as residents could step outside and meet neighbours from a distance, raise a glass and check that things were OK.

Walters Way houses, south-east London.
© Taran Wilkhu

If the Segal landscape is so idyllic, why are so few places like this? Self-build might be hard to replicate today, but surely some elements of Segal’s approach – economical, lightweight, adaptable, close to nature – could be reproduced in neighbourhood schemes today. In a bid to inform and inspire others, some of the Lewisham self-build houses take part in London Open House each September, so for those wanting to experience Segal homes, that is a good place to start.

One family has built a treehouse for their children. Another has a generous double-storey decked indoor-outdoor space. A yoga teacher has assembled a factory-made glass studio. An antiques enthusiast has added stained glass windows.

Alice Grahame is a London-based freelance journalist. She has co-authored two books about Walter Segal: Walters Way and Segal Close (Park Books), and Walter Segal: Selfbuilt Architect (Lund Humphries). She curated an exhibition on Segal and the Lewisham self-builders at the Architectural Association in 2016.

Alice Grahame
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