Wandsworth Cottage, English Building Redevelopment, South London Victorian Terrace House, Architecture Images
Wandsworth Cottage in South London
4 Sep 2021
Design: Patalab Architecture
Location: Wandsworth, London, UK

Wandsworth Cottage
Built in the late 19th century as part of a large new estate in South London, Wandsworth Cottage is a small Victorian terrace house originally built as a modest workers? cottage. The house was in a tired state and there were structural issues that needed to be addressed, justifying the opportunity to fundamentally rearrange the layout.

The 4-meter width of the cottage was the largest constraint and the existing stair position resulted in an unusable skinny second bedroom on the upper floor. This was overcome by designing a reconfigured triple height stairwell ? our main architectural intervention. This has gained generosity on both floors and brings natural light into the centre of the house ? a vital enhancement especially with the additional 2-storey rear extension.
Spatial Sequencing

With Wandsworth Cottage?s long thin open-plan ground floor it was essential to structure the space. This has been achieved by creating a series of centring gestures along the spatial sequence. To the front of the house there is the entrance study area which houses the retained Victorian fireplace. Next is the stair which conceals a small WC and is framed by a purple hued joinery piece.

Most central is the living area which is anchored by a modern brick...