Stable Investment: design-led mews houses for sale in London
Long after they were first used as stables in the 18th and 19th centuries, mews houses have become some of the most coveted homes in the capital thanks to their central locations, adaptable layouts and peaceful cul-de-sac settings. Here, we run through our edit of design-led mews houses for sale in London.
St. Stephen’s Yard, Chepstow Road, London W2
Thanks to their tendency to be located on quiet dead-end streets, residents of mews houses often speak of a strong sense of community and neighbourly vibe that comes with living in one. But, if privacy and seclusion are top on your list, consider St. Stephen’s Yard, a private cobbled stretch of former stables, where a sense of tranquillity is unparalleled.
Once behind the street-facing double doors, a 30-metre-long courtyard opens up with trees and climbing plants making for a verdant antidote to the urban context. The mews heritage has not been lost, with a series of bedrooms occupying the one-time stables overlooking the courtyard.
Queensborough Mews, London W2
The mews house finds its mid-century realisation at Queensborough Mews, built between 1960-1962. The former owners were film director Thorold Dickinson and his architect wife Joanna Macfadyen, who, inspired by the work of Alvar Aalto, fitted out the interiors with large amounts of woodwork, making for an intimate and tactile home that draws in natural light and embraces the surrounding trees.
Princes Mews I & II, London W2
Because mews houses weren’t originally intended for residential use, they tend not to be prescriptive spaces in terms of layout, with open plans that are ripe for contemporary rethinks instead. Such potential has been utilised at this pair of three-bedroom houses between Bayswater and Notting Hill by Neil Tomlinson Architects, who have carved out modern-feeling living spaces with details like slatted timber cladding, minimalist kitchens and open layouts.
Opal Mews, London NW6
If you’re struggling to pick between the peaceful offering of a mews house and the industrial charm of a warehouse apartment, this contemporary interpretation of the carriage house typology is one for you. On a quiet cobbled mews, the three-storey house fuses soaring concrete ceilings, Crittall windows, exposed brick and parquet flooring with the benefits of off-street parking and a communal garden.
Powis Mews, London W11
Designer Ross Lovegrove and architect Miska Miller-Lovegrove have transformed this former warehouse on a cobbled mews in Notting Hill into one of the largest and most adaptable central London homes we’ve ever seen. The current set up comprises a studio on the lower ground and ground floors with a split-level living space above, but the opportunities for a new owner to reinterpret the space are vast.
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