London 1981

Peter MARSHALL


Violet Villa, Putney. 1981
26s-54: house, graffiti, park, flats

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Violet Villa at 51 Disraeli Rd was built by a German artistic designer influenced by the Jugendstil movement in 1896 and had a studio at the bottom of the garden. The facade was originally violet in colour. It sold for £310 in 1903, but is probably worth north of £3m now.
 
Back in 1981 it was sorely in need of decoration and it has since been restored, with the addition of a mural in the central niche and a few very minor changes. The low front wall has also been replaced with a more ornate structure which is a better match for the house. It seems a splendid restoration and I wonder if it the changes were based on photographs of it as built.