housing
Russell Jones, 2020
5 Wembury Mews, N6 5XJ
Wembury Mews was designed by Russell Jones in 2020.
Archway
Harringay
This is a private house and has no step free access.
Guided tour
11:00–12:00
How to book
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Guided tour
12:00–13:00
How to book
Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.
Guided tour
14:00–15:00
How to book
Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.
Guided tour
15:00–16:00
How to book
Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.
Occupying a predominantly Edwardian context, Wembury Mews lies within the Miltons and forms part of the Highgate conservation area in the London Borough of Haringey. Over the past 20 years, Russell Jones has realised a succession of projects here, the most ambitious of which is the house and studio built for his family’s own occupation. The mews has a single point of access through a narrow passageway, necessitating the use of materials that could be brought to site by hand. The scheme, which is distributed across four levels and extends to 127sqm, was further constrained by statutory setback requirements and overlooking on all four sides.
The front elevation is reached across a cobbled forecourt –a treatment that reads as an expansion of the existing carriageway – and corresponds to the line of the garage that formerly occupied the site. Beyond, the building steps down in response to the gentle fall of the ground, generating a complex section of interlocking volumes. In a number of rooms, this arrangement required the introduction of light at high level. A particularly dramatic case in point is the tall studio/guest bedroom, which is set at basement level but illuminated by a narrow band of glazing on the front facade. The section’s complexity is counterposed with the highly axial arrangement of the plan – at ground level, a clear 20m line of view is maintained from the front door to the back of the site. The master bedroom occupies the uppermost floor, from where it enjoys views of the trees populating the neighbouring gardens to the south.
