Property of the Week: An East London mews house fit for a tech guru
Mews houses are typically associated with quaint, stucco-ed streets in Kensington or Marylebone. But this mews house which has just come on the market at Peary Place, just off the bustling Roman Road in the heart of Tower Hamlets, has a rather different vibe.
Like most mews, Peary Place was built as a stables in the 18th century: in this case to house the horses that once pulled along East London’s trams. It is now one of just two historic mews that remain in Tower Hamlets.
The street was originally called North Passage, but was renamed in 1910 after American explorer Robert Peary. He was believed to be the first man to reach the North Pole in an expedition in 1909, and afterwards visited London where he was presented with a gold medal by the Royal Geographic Society. However, whether or not he actually reached the pole has since been disputed.
The trams were later replaced by trolley buses, and from the 1930s to the 1960s the buildings on Peary Place housed the last remaining working dairy in London; a family furniture-making business; and a picture framer among other enterprises.
‘Creative enclave’
But they later later fell into disrepair, until they started being turned into homes in recent years. The property now being sold was acquired by its current owner in 2011 and has been refurbished to create an open-plan, loft-style home which displays their collection of modern art. Peary Place as a whole has been turned into a creative enclave, and there is now an art gallery at the end of the street which fronts on to Roman Road.
The home has a flexible layout and could accommodate two or three bedrooms depending on the configuration. The self-contained ground floor space has its own kitchen and bathroom and could be used as a stand-alone apartment, large garage or artists’ studio, while the first floor is taken up by the main living space and has another kitchen and bathroom as well as a patio.
The second floor houses the master bedroom suite, which also has its own roof terrace. The home boasts three-metre-high, herringbone beamed ceilings and large windows.The home is being marketed by Knight Frank and the price is available on application.
Simon Boulton, head of Knight Frank’s Aldgate office, says it would suit someone working in the creative industries or an entrepreneur. “It’s increasingly difficult to buy converted warehouses, and the kind of space this offers is quite unique,” he says. “I could see a musician or an actor living there – or perhaps someone working in fintech. That part of London is so close to Liverpool Street, and the ground floor space would be a great place to work from home.”