{"id":48244,"date":"2026-10-06T15:40:32","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T14:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=48244"},"modified":"2026-10-06T15:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T14:41:09","slug":"ihbc-features-heritage-from-the-trust-doorstep-a-house-that-changed-architecture-richard-su-rogerss-modernist-masterpiece-given-to-the-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=48244","title":{"rendered":"IHBC features \u2018Heritage from the (trust) doorstep\u2019: A house that changed architecture: Richard +?Su Rogers\u2019s modernist masterpiece given to the nation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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image: SVPetersham, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The modernist family home designed by architects Richard?+?Su Rogers?that inspired some of the world\u2019s most celebrated buildings has been given to the National Trust for the nation by the Rogers family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The National Trust writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22 Parkside in Wimbledon,?London, created for Richard\u2019s parents, will be cared for by the National Trust in a move that will protect one of the UK\u2019s most important examples of modern architecture for future generations. Through the generosity of the Rogers family, the house has passed from private ownership into the shared inheritance of the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The two single-storey buildings were a testbed for some of Richard Rogers\u2019s seminal ideas that would later play out on the international stage, inspiring the Centre Pompidou in Paris and helping shape the design of the Lloyd\u2019s building in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben?Rogers, the son of Richard and Su Rogers, said:?\u201922 Parkside is much more than a family home. It is one of the most important buildings my father and mother created \u2013 a place where many of the ideas that would go on to influence my father’s work and some of the world\u2019s most celebrated architecture were first tested and explored.??As a family, we wanted to ensure that this remarkable house would be protected, cared?for?and shared with future generations, rather than?remaining?a private asset. The National Trust brings the?expertise, public purpose and long-term commitment needed to safeguard its future, while?opening up?its story to students, researchers and visitors.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The charity plans to work with the local community and with international partners to inspire the next generation of architects, designers and creatives. Activities being explored include guided visits, educational partnerships and interactive, digital content, with the aim that the building becomes a creative and educational resource for schools, universities and other heritage organisations around the world. Having raised a significant endowment from individual donors and charitable trusts including Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Sigrid Rausing Trust to guarantee 22 Parkside\u2019s future, the National Trust is now inviting further philanthropic support to bring the new vision to life and connect more people with modern heritage in London and beyond. Ben continued: \u2018We are incredibly proud that 22 Parkside will become part of the nation\u2019s heritage, but there is still more to do. Continued support will help ensure that its legacy of creativity, innovation and public benefit can inspire people for generations to come.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22 Parkside is considered one of Richard Rogers\u2019s most personal and influential works. The glass and yellow steel exterior exemplifies his modernist and functionalist design approach?and?was?an early example of High-Tech architecture. The house aimed to show how homes could be built quickly and cost-effectively, using a pre-fabricated construction system. Meanwhile, the open-plan kitchen was inspired by Rogers\u2019s upbringing in Italy – where food was a mainstay of family get-togethers – and designed for his mother, who loved cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruthie Rogers, Richard Rogers\u2019s wife, said: \u2018Richard regarded public access to culture – whether architecture, art, theatre, music, or design – as one of the great aspirations in life. It filled him with such joy that the public would have access to this house that was once private, a house that was a prototype for what he thought houses could be for all. I am grateful to everyone who has generously supported this project.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renzo Piano, who designed the Centre Pompidou with Rogers, said: \u2018There is no doubt that 22 Parkside was one of the most important buildings that Richard created. It worked as a miniature prototype for the sort of approach we took in the Centre Pompidou.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acquisition?represents?a rare opportunity for the National Trust to tell the story of a modern building in an urban setting and broaden the range of 20th-century heritage it cares for, which includes 2 Willow Road in Hampstead and The Homewood in Surrey. Hilary?McGrady, Director-General of the National Trust, said:?\u2019We are profoundly grateful to the Rogers family for placing this extraordinary house in our care. Their generosity means that 22 Parkside will now become part of our shared inheritance, belonging not to a single family but to the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This extraordinary gift will ensure that a building where world-changing ideas were born continues to inspire new generations of thinkers, makers and creators.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord Norman Foster, a pioneer of High-Tech architecture, said: \u2018In many ways the building encapsulated the spirit of the 1960s. It was the essence of optimism. It is a tribute to the National Trust they have taken this initiative, this responsibility to preserve it for future generations, to visit, to enjoy.\u2019 Architect, broadcaster and National Trust Ambassador George Clarke, said: \u2018For me, this is one of the most significant acquisitions in the National Trust\u2019s recent history. 22 Parkside not only followed in the footsteps of some of the most iconic modern homes on earth, such as Farnsworth House by Mies Van Der Rohe (1951) and the Glass House by Philip Johnson (1948-49), it sowed the seeds of some of the most incredible, functional, modernist architecture Richard Rogers was to produce until his passing in 2021. This is one of the most significant homes in British architectural history.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22 Parkside opened to the public for the day on Saturday 12 September as part of London\u2019s Open House festival. A week later, festivalgoers had a rare chance to step inside the Lloyd\u2019s Building, where Rogers\u2019s ideas from Parkside were used in astonishing ways, as part of the landmark\u2019s 40th anniversary celebrations. To play a part in 22 Parkside\u2019s next chapter and support the restoration of the internationally important building, or to contribute to the education and learning programme, visit 22 Parkside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

image: SVPetersham, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The modernist family home designed by architects Richard?+?Su Rogers?that inspired some of the world\u2019s most celebrated buildings has been given to the National Trust for the nation by the Rogers family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[29,1033,814,1034,1035],"class_list":["post-48244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ihbc-newsblog","tag-heritage","tag-modern-architecture","tag-national-trust","tag-richard-rogers","tag-su-rogers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48244"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48247,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48244\/revisions\/48247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}