A wonderful bonus of belonging to an association, or society, dedicated to the Arts & Crafts Movement is the opportunity to visit private homes from this era. I recently went on such a trip with The CFA Voysey Society, www.voyseysociety.com,to visit The Homestead in Frinton-On-Sea, Essex.
Built by Voysey in 1905-06 as a holiday home for bachelor Sydney Turner, the house is L-shaped in nature with a separate service wing from the living area and two strings of bedrooms above. Voysey also designed all the furniture and fittings for the house probably because his client was unmarried. Turner was an ambitious and successful businessman who used the house to entertain weekend guests hence Voysey designed a large sitting-entertaining-billiard room on the ground floor. Sydney Turner chose Frinton as it was a fashionable weekend destination at the turn of the century with a lawn tennis club and the best equipped golf club in the county. In the 1930s Frinton was popular with movie stars and royalty and it's said The Prince of Wales entertained Mrs Simpson in a residence close to The Homestead!
Now safe in the hands of loving owners who appreciate the integrity of the house, The Homestead is seen today as one of Voysey's last and most mature houses.