These 3 characterful and individually designed houses were converted from a former dairy. They have been beautifully restored and converted into two 3 bedroom and one 1 bedroom mews style properties, set within a private gated yard and with courtyard gardens to the rear.
Formerly the building was used by the Wimbledon College of Arts and then as a warehouse for a local business who maintained the Wimbledon Tennis Ground. Early Maps show that when the property was built it was in open countryside and probably was connected to Merton Farm just over the road. As the terraced streets were built up around, the building became tucked away within the secluded oasis of Salt Yard.
During the construction works Salte took great care to conserve and ‘exhibit’ as much of the original building fabric as possible, retaining and cleaning the bricks, cobbles, coachhouse doors and floor joists. The original cuts, scrapes and patina has been retained. This rawness is contrasted with a new, crisp, honed concrete floor, which gives the space something of an art gallery feel.
Each house has been lovingly crafted to provide well proportioned spaces, each with bespoke joinery and thoughtful touches. For example the exposed steel ridge beam is a nod to the building’s utilitarian past. Blackened Ash cladding wraps the newer single storey extensions, the contrast in material making explicit the junction of old and new. Arched openings have been lovingly inserted into the elevations, recreating the original design in reclaimed bricks saved from elsewhere in the build. The building has been brought in line with modern expectations and underfloor heating warms the concrete floor while the walls and roof have been well insulated, all the windows are all double glazed and have been hand made to an exacting original design.
Notable architectural features are found in each of the houses. In No.1 there is a huge, gravity defying Oriel window-seat, where its possible to sit and contemplate, almost surrounded by glass. In No. 2 there is an almost comically oversized bespoke timber door which leads to the garden, giving a slightly odd sense of scale as though you’ve stepped into a giant’s house. In no No. 3 the concrete floor, exposed ceiling joists and open plan L-shaped floor plan give it an unusually open and light feel.
These enjoyable and liveable homes have been wrought out of a building which has had many lives since it was first built. These complexities of working with the historic building have made the designers and builders have to work hard to retain the essence of the building, but the finished articles are jewel like and each with an inimitable character.
May 2018