History & Context

We understand that the houses in Ormeley Road were originally built speculatively to rent around 1894 and that the rent office was one of the lower numbered houses.

The street follows a bend meaning that even the long party walls of the house are not parallel and and the cross walls are not at right angles to them.

The houses follow a typical Victorian plan with two principal ground floor sitting rooms and a rear 'addition' containing the kitchen and, in the back garden, a 'outhouse' WC.

The rear gardens of this street are particularly rich in wildlife due to the unusually long back gardens of adjoining properties.

This means foxes of course...but also wrens, woodpeckers, jays, blackbirds, robins, tits, wood pigeons, crows & parakeets.

Light Work

We are an Anglo-Italian family and the Italian side needed as much light as possible into the north facing kitchen / dining room.

Remodelling

In 2011 we remodelled the ground floor, rear garden and extended the first floor rear addition to make a larger bathroom and bedroom.

In 2017 we remodelled the front garden, path, gate to complete the works.

The Design

The design of the ground floor started with a hand sketch showing the rear garden sloping gently upwards, away from the house, framed by low, dune-like walls sloping in the opposite direction.

This artificial slope was realised with Turkish Travertine slabs, the golden colour of which recalls a beach, leading to the 'beach house' nickname for the project.

The low walls were made from rendered blockwork, left unpainted as it was on the whole of the rear facade.

Visitors will be able to see how the pictures of the completed project taken in 2012 differ from how the house is today, as nature has taken its course.