Cabanel Place
London SE11
Architect: Conran and Partners
Register for similar homes“Respecting the charisma and charm of the old school building, we converted the space into a set of homes with a unique presence” - Conran and Partners
This expansive three-bedroom apartment sits on the top floor of Cabanel Place in Kennington, and has a beautiful 850 sq ft private terrace with Corten landscaping designed by Simon Pengelly. Now Grade II-listed, Cabanel Place was initially designed as a school in the early 1960s by Architects Co-Partnership (ACP) and was converted to gated apartments in 2014 to a design by Conran and Partners. The building has been carefully maintained over the years, with communal gardens tended by the residents, and this particular apartment has an onsite parking space. For more information, please see the History section below.
The Tour
The apartment extends to 1,290 sq ft internally. Entry is on the second floor, to a wide and bright hallway that leads to the living spaces on the right, and two of the apartment’s three bedrooms on the left. The current owners have reimagined the interiors throughout, introducing oak floors underfoot and commissioning bespoke storage solutions, plus creating a sleek new kitchen that chimes beautifully with the mid-century bones of the building.
The living spaces have been exceptionally well conceived and embody the meticulous skill of Conran and Partners, who have transformed the educational spaces into a functional and beautiful home. This particular apartment occupies a former classroom. As such, the large open-plan living room and kitchen has wonderfully high ceilings, creating a sense of volume that is amplified by light flooding through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows which encompass the easterly aspect.
Where possible, original details such as the aforementioned windows have been retained; indeed, this extensive glazing, along with the distinctive use of timber, is one of the original building’s defining architectural merits. The current owners have created a concealed storage room adjacent to the living room. Beyond this is the third bedroom, a cosy space lit with ambient light care of a huge skylight overhead.
The opposite end of the plan is occupied by two bedrooms, one of which opens onto a south-facing balcony that overlooks the development’s quiet and manicured internal courtyard. The gentle bubble of a fountain and overall sense of peace belies the incredible central London location. The main bedroom has an en suite shower room adjacent; both bedrooms are fitted with the same dark hardwood blinds that can be found throughout the apartment.
Outdoor Space
This apartment is one of only a few in Cabanel Place with a private roof terrace. The current owners have landscaped the large space, introducing decking, Corten planters and concealed storage to create a wonderful retreat from the city. The surrounding buildings are shaded from view by soft grasses, herbs and structural shrubs that also ensure privacy for the terrace itself.
The Area
Cabanel Place is a short walk to Kennington Road, which has excellent amenities. There is good coffee and cake to be had at Vanilla Black, Sally White and Urban Botanica and there is a local flower market. The nearby The Prince of Wales on Cleaver Square is loved by locals, while only a little further afield is the bastion of pub cuisine, The Canton Arms. Bonnington Square, home to renowned deli and cafe Italo, is also within easy reach.
The Kennington Triangle has undergone something of an artistic rebirth in recent years. Within a short walk are Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery, Cabinet, Gasworks, The Camera Club, The Tea House Theatre and The City & Guilds London School of Art. The manicured open space of the Grade II-listed Kennington Park is under 10 minutes’ walk away from the apartment. It is a short walk or bus ride to the River Thames and the Thames Path, with access to Tate Britain as well as other local riverside favourites such as Borough Market.
Cabanel Place is ideally situated within easy reach of Kennington and Oval underground stations (Northern Line), as well as Lambeth North (Bakerloo Line) and Vauxhall (Victoria Line and overground services). There are excellent bus links into central and south London, and good cycling and walking routes towards the South Bank and Soho, which can be reached within 10 and 35 minutes respectively on foot.
Tenure: Leasehold
Lease Length: approx. 118 years remaining
Service Charge: approx. £2,600 per annum
Ground Rent: approx £450 per annum
Council Tax Band: E
Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.
History
The old Lilian Baylis School is a set of historic school buildings laid out across a series of intersecting courtyards and plazas, which have been transformed into a gated community of apartments and houses that retain their brutalist origins.
The school opened in 1964 and was an integral part of the Ethelred Estate in Kennington, south London; it was named in honour of the theatre producer Lilian Mary Baylis, who once ran The Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells. As with much of the well-conceived public architecture of the time, it was designed by the Architects Co-Partnership for the London County Council (LCC).
It closely resembles the familiar idiom of concrete and dark brick used by Lyons Israel Ellis for a series of well-known schools constructed during the same period. What makes Lilian Baylis special, however, is its plan. Whereas the Lyons Israel Ellis schools, like earlier LCC schools, place all their accommodation in one main block, Lilian Baylis comprises a series of low, linked blocks that form a series of asymmetrical courtyards, with the principal circulation consisting of galleries at first-floor level.
Conran and Partners were invited to reinvent the old campus based on a sustainable vision, after the school was relocated locally. The ambition was to preserve and reuse the existing spaces, building on the unique identity of the expressed concrete structure, expansive brickwork and generous runs of glazing with linked blocks, while adding subtle new extensions to create 149 homes.
