Perran House - originally Woodside - extract from Country Life Magazine

Woodside has this difference which marks it out from most of the houses illustrated in these pages - it was built, not as a family home but for two bachelors. For this purpose the plan was well contrived by Mr. Arthur Messer (of  Messrs. Tubbs, Messer and Poulter). The big living - room on the ground floor is called the smoking room, but it would be as reasonable if labelled drawing-room. The variation from ordinary type is seen more markedly upstairs. The sun-trap plan employed divides the first floor naturally into two wings. The two bachelors have each a large bedroom with bathroom opening from it and a balcony between them as a common meeting ground. There are four more bedrooms on this floor and others in the attic storey. The form of the house was dictated by the wish to make the best of the fine views which open out most attractively from the points where Mr. Messer set the bays on the garden front. For the same reason the owner demanded large window openings, arched transoms and plate glass, instead of the leaded lights which would have been more appropriate to the general character of the house. The English spirit of compromise took effect in the parts of the windows above the transoms, which are filled with leaded glazing. Woodside is like most small modern country houses in that the roof space is not wasted, but used for attic bedrooms. - ... (at this point the original article goes into a very long complaint about the planning system in this country.)

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