Built in the late 1930s, this semi-detached cottage styled house has seen a few changes. It survived the war despite being very close to the known target that was Biggin Hill Airfield, and has been a residential property ever since then. Originally the garden was much smaller, but after an extra strip of land was gifted to the owners in the 80s the plot outline took on the size and shape that it has today.
From 1962 until 2023 the house was owned by George and Barbara Guy, who looked after it and began to develop the garden into something that worked well for their needs. Both of them favoured the look of a long lawn stretching away from the house, with plants and beds down the side, and the wooded area off in the distance. At various times they had ponds and features scattered around, but as they got older and maintenance became an issue (as well as defending the fish against any passing heron) they filled them in and opened up the lawn vista even further.
George built several sheds around the garden, all for specific uses, and continued to maintain and work in them well into his nineties. Many of these are still there and in use, although some will require replacement as they have started to become unsound.
Although they tended to deny it if challenged, both George and Barbara were keen artists. George developed a strong interest in photography and went on to gain his Licenciateship of the Royal Photographic Society with a portfolio that explored the limits of what could be done with traditional film-based photography, and Barbara was a painter who worked in almost all mediums over the years, including oils, acrylics, watercolours, pastels, and even Chinese brush work. Examples of their work are available to view around the house and outbuildings.
Barbara died in 2013, and George continued to run the house until early 2022. Around that time it became too much for him to do, and so his son, Graham, took over the day-to-day running of the house and garden - as well as looking after George until his death in 2023.
When Graham eventually took on the place full-time he realised that the gardens were far too large just to use them as somewhere to wander on a summer afternoon, and decided to carry on the artistic heritage of his parents. So he began the plan to open it up as an arts facility. He too is a photographer and has been teaching Argentine Tango and Modern Jive for a number of years. It was only natural therefore that he would include those into the plans for the house.
The name 'Abrazo' comes from our passion for Argentine Tango, as it is the name given to the embrace or hold used in the dance. But it also translates as 'hug', which is how we want you to feel when you are here.