In 1962 young architect Michael Manser (1929-2016) designed one of the first steel-framed houses in Britain, dramatically cantilevered over a hillside in Godalming, Surrey. The steep site provided Manser with an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of steel construction, with the Meccano-like house built on a modest budget and completed in just half the time of a traditional masonry house. Cliffhanger was widely published at the time, and people used to line the fence to look at it, some even knocking on the front door and asking to be shown around.
Sixty years later, his son Jonathan Manser of The Manser Practice was approached by the new owners to undertake a major refurbishment of the house. But by 2022, the house had fallen into disrepair. Water ingress had severely damaged the floor and roof build-ups, there was rotten timber, asbestos, and one of the foundations had slipped which had led to distortion in the steelwork. This meant that the house had to be completely stripped back to its steel frame to allow structural repairs to be carried out. This provided an opportunity to add thermal breaks, where possible, to the steel frame, which was repainted and expressed externally to preserve its original character.
The energy efficiency of the house has also been significantly improved by completely re-cladding and insulating the facade, replacing the original gas boiler and fireplace with air source heat pumps and underfloor heating, and replacing the existing single glazed windows with new thermally broken fixed glazing and opening façade vents to assist with natural cross-ventilation.
Internally, the clients wanted the house to be primarily one level. To achieve this, the upstairs bedroom and study were converted into a large master bedroom suite, while downstairs the four children's bedrooms were converted into a snug and a spacious guest suite. To provide separate access to these two levels - another key client requirement - the staircase was moved from the centre to the side of the house, increasing the size of the main living space and connecting the kitchen to a new external terrace.
The refurbished house feels much more spacious and lighter than it did prior to the refurbishment, and although sixty years of tree growth has reduced its impact on the town, local people continue to walk up the hill to come and look at it.
Architect’s View
“Cliffhanger was designed by my father, Michael Manser PPRIBA, for a journalist/artist David Papworth and his family. The site was on a 50-degree slope and a steel-framed scheme was designed with engineer Jack Dawson, cantilevering from four very slender columns, hence the name of the house. With the exception of the steel frame, the house was self-built (by the Papworths) at low cost, including the foundations. Site visits were weekend family jaunts, hence photographs of my mother, my sister and I wandering around a perilous site. I remember being given a shovel on one occasion and ‘helping’ to dig the foundations. The finished house, a cedar clad timber frame above a steel deck, caused a sensation at the time and soon became a local landmark perched in the trees above the town.
Built on a single level in 1963, an additional storey containing four children's bedrooms was slung underneath in 1968 and, perhaps because of this extra weight, by the time we were invited by new owners to refurbish the house in 2022 the steel frame had sunk by 150 mm in one corner, resulting in a disconcerting downward rake in the floors towards the void below. Together with Andy Downey of Elliott Wood, we took the house to bits and rebuilt it reusing the steel frame with some judicious rearrangement, more to avoid cold bridging rather than to add structure. A new spiral stair tower to the west of the building has replaced the one added to the middle of the house in 1968, air source heat pumps have replaced the old oil-fired boiler and the house is now insulated! These new changes took 18 months to get through planning, whereas the original planning application in 1963 was approved in just three days.
The original owners couldn’t afford Michael Manser’s fees so paid us with two paintings, one of which we still had in our office and gave to David and Pippa, the new owners, as a moving in present. The other still hangs in my own house. We were delighted they invited us back to Cliffhanger and have thoroughly enjoyed bringing the house back to life.” - Jonathan Manser, The Manser Practice
Client’s View
“Having lived in Godalming for a number of years, we were aware of the provenance of Cliffhanger and we felt privileged to become the new owners in 2022. However the house had fallen into disrepair and so we approached The Manser Practice to undertake a complete refurbishment. David’s initial telephone enquiry was answered immediately by Jonathan Manser, who admitted that he was about to go sailing but promised to visit as soon as he came ashore – which he did! And so began our happy relationship with Manser.
The company’s extensive drawing and photographic archive proved to be an invaluable asset when it was decided that, although much of the building was beyond saving, we could broadly recreate its spirit. A minor reconfiguration of the layout, allowed Manser to reposition the spiral staircase in a new Kalwall enclosed stairwell. This 21st century addition has transformed the internal circulation and provides a stunning (particularly when viewed at night) addition to one of Godalming’s most iconic buildings.” - David and Pippa, Private Clients
Details
Architect: The Manser Practice
Structural Engineer: Elliott Wood
Main Contractor: North Downs Construction
Size: 170sq.m
Budget: Confidential
Contractors/Suppliers
Timber Floors: Dinesen
Skylight: Velux
Internal Doors: Eclisse
Stairwell: Kalwall
Cedar Cladding: Accoya
Glazing: Finepoint Glass
Underfloor Heating: Ambiente