A flying-freehold.

This unique South London mews has a life of its own and provides an oasis just off the hurly burly of Peckham Rye. Filled with plants and fragrant with the smell of flowers the single entrance to the square from Choumert Grove means that there is a strong sense of community and security. The property which is the smallest freehold house the Practice has worked on to date, occupying only 35m² of space, is of single aspect and has no external walls on the ground floor which is lit only with roof lights. It’s the central part of a trio of houses of which the entire north side of the square is composed, a very unusual arrangement. Turning the house upside down and living on the first floor with its picturesque bay window means that maximum use is made of this larger space, which was previously a bedroom and a bathroom. A small bathroom has been ingeniously inserted on the ground floor with the bedroom placed in a screened off area to maintain privacy whilst giving maximum openness. Every corner and recess is used for storage and hiding things such as washing machines making the house reminiscent of a caravan or ship. (Featured in the Architects’ Journal Small Projects Award 2012).

Date: 2011
Photography: Jefferson Smith
Construction management: Jane Opher