IT may not look like much – but this lump of rust protruding from a railway bridge in fact conceals an expansive £1million home.
Lying directly under a working viaduct, this unassuming industrial structure is wrapped with slender steel foils, meaning the racket of passing trains is reduced to a whisper within the weathered metal.
And the new home in Clapham, South London, boasts a living space with a 16ft-high vaulted ceiling in the former railway arch, linked to a three-storey atrium that currently houses a photography studio.
The pioneering design won House of the Year at the New London Architecture Awards in 2013 and is on the market for £1.2million.
Skylights and specially shaped walls direct light under the arch, where the new inhabitants of Archway Studios can enjoy 1,600sqft of floor space.
Architect Didier Ryan and his photographer wife Candice Lake have lived in the house since its creation, but as their family expands they have decided to sell up.
Didier said: “This centrally located house brings out the best of inner city living.
“The house is expansive, so you can really unwind or entertain in a huge space filled with light and loftiness, but it is also comfortable and intimate with lots of mysterious corners for private reflection.
“From the outside it appears a curious industrial relic of the railway; from the inside, a bright, white, spacious inner retreat.”
Lake added: “This home has been a real gift to live in. It is huge, like living in a loft.
“I love that it is hidden from the street so you feel like it is your very own secret. I also love seeing people’s faces upon entering, it is like stepping into Narnia.
“It is so big and white and yet it still feels so intimate. It is bright and warm during the whole winter thanks to the huge glass atrium and underfloor heating throughout the house. It is also lovely and airy in summer, with all the large cross ventilating windows.
“After living all over London and New York, this is by far the quietest home I have ever lived in.
“There is no traffic to speak of and the neighbours are all quite a distance, so you never hear anything except the soft hum of a train passing.
“I truly love this home, I would never leave if our family wasn’t expanding.
“My husband has poured so much love into making this home and it was very hard to put it on the market as it is really somewhere I wish my children could grow and see.
“There is a reason it won House of the Year award for London. It is the most magical place to entertain, read a book, lay down and watch the clouds pass by.”
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