Patrick Gwynne (1913 – 2003) was an internationally feted modernist architect best known locally for designing and building his Portsmouth Road family home The Homewood, in 1938 when he was only 24. At this time architects such, as WG Tarrant, G Blair Imrie and T G Angell, were still building the traditional Surrey arts and crafts farmhouse-style house in Esher roads such as Clive Road and Broom Close but Gwynne, always an individual, built something entirely new and different just along the road from those.

Gwynne had been indentured to Ernest Coleridge, a pupil of Lutyens (as was Blair Imrie), but had been influenced very early on in his career by the modernist architect Wells Coates, founder of the Modern Architecture Research Group and Gwynne worked for Coates while designing The Homewood. Coates advised on the technical matters and another of Coates's assistants, Denys Lasdun, designed the elliptical terrace pool. Gwynne’s father Alban called it 'the temple of costly experience' coming in at £10,000 but loved his home although he and Patrick’s mother Ruby only had a very short time there as both were fighting, and then died, during the war in 1942 (he in the navy she in the RAF). After the war, Patrick (who had himself served in the RAF) returned along with his sister Babs (a Wren), who soon married and left. His long-term companion, pianist Harry Rand, moved in and he was made an adjoining bedroom, identical to Gwynne's. Once he had moved back home Gwynne continually remodelled and updated the house and carried on a highly successful architecture practice from there for another 60 years.

Gwynne had many celebrity clients including actors Jack Hawkins and Laurence Harvey, the pianist Clifford Curzon, Leslie Bilsby the pioneer builder of modernist schemes, Gerald Bentall and Sir Charles Forte. He said that, "People seem to recognise my work as being from my hand in spite of the strong influence of client and site,"

He continually modified his house throughout his life so that it now has design elements from inception up to the time of his death and he was even apparently an IKEA fan! "But that's what's so great about the place," according to the V&A curator Gareth Williams, who visited just before Gwynne died. "It's a 30s, 50s and 70s house in one. There are layers of living there, and all the many things he made over the years."

In 1993 Gwynne began the transfer ownership of his home to the National Trust and was insistent that he oversaw all the necessary works. He was so particular about every stage of this that the full handover was only completed 10 years later just after his death.

His obituary described him as, “… a charming and mischievous host, a perfectionist, and a brilliant raconteur.”

Further information on and appointments to visit ‘The Homewood’ must be made through the National Trust on 01372 471144.