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The Corner House was designed and built in 1929 by Vincent Harris, Architect on the instructions of William Julian Courtauld. Vincent Harris had previously built the Town Hall in Braintree as well as numerous other listed buildings around the UK. Along with Braintree Town Hall, The Corner House represents one of the earliest uses of reinforced concrete.
It is thought that the building was designed as a restaurant because WJC wanted to contribute this civic amenity to the town. It sits opposite Braintree Town Hall and retains nearly all of the original features including a plaque "WJC 1929". The building style is identical to the Grade 2 listed Almshouses also built by Harris with lettering by Eric Gill (TL7555722913).
The building was gifted by William Julien Courtauld, a descendent of the textile manufacturing family, philanthropist and patron of architecture and the arts who commissioned a number of buildings in Braintree from Harris including the town hall of 1926-29 (Grade II*).
E. Vincent Harris, Architect More on Vincent Harris Similar buildings in Braintree
Eric Gill worked on later buildings designed by Harris for Braintree and may also have provided lettering for The Corner House.
The exterior, original wood frontage and internal fireplaces are all intact.
A circular plaque on the left end wall is marked "19 WJC 29" (William Julien Courtauld) and on the right end wall "19 CCC 29", his wife Constance Cicely Courtauld. In the book "The Buildings of England - Essex" by James Bettley and Nikolaus Pevsner, it states The Corner House probably shared the same architect as the Town Hall: E. Vincent Harris.
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