Bloomsbury is one of London’s best preserved planned neighbourhoods, containing many of the original garden squares and stock brick terraced houses planned our by the Bedford Estate. The streets between Holborn and the British Museum have been subject to more substantial change in the years since, and were threatened with wholesale demolition in the twentieth century. We were contracted to upgrade a modest Victorian townhouse on Gilbert Place, ensuring the quality of accommodation aligned with the very highest of modern standards.
The property is undeniably eclectic, distinct in style from the modern office blocks and early-twentieth-century warehouse buildings which otherwise dominate the street. Its low roofline and profile means it is less inclined to make its presence known than its neighbours. Our proposed mansard extension, incorporating a black painted iron Juliet balcony, sits comfortably in its context, remaining lower in height than the properties to either side and utilising traditional materials such as slate and lead. Coupled with the modifications to the front door, which will see the introduction of a stepped entranceway and the replacement of unsightly panelling with handscrafted joinery and glazed details, it will provide for a higher calibre of family home and a more attractive central focus for the street.
Ultimately the modified house will comprise of five storeys on a standard plan, two of which sit at basement level and one within the mansard roof. It will provide for as many as four bedrooms, as well as a formal lounge and a more relaxed cooking, living, and dining space on a challenging narrow plan. The London Borough of Council approved the scheme on the basis that the additional storey was set back and subordinate to the principal façade.
