Between Islington and Shoreditch sits an 1860s warehouse that was converted and extended in 2001 by architect Trevor Horne. The four-bedroom two-storey penthouse has not one but two terraces and is nestled beside the Victoria Miro gallery, also designed by Horne. Nearby is another Victorian warehouse, which was converted into residential accommodation in the mid-1990s. This Shepherdess Walk IV apartment has plenty of original features, including large warehouse doors and steel columns, as well as a large reception room with windows hugging two sides and a Juliet balcony.

Another prime penthouse that pays homage to the original fabric of the space is the industrially minded loft in the Union Central Building in Shoreditch. Here full-height Crittall windows open up onto a private balcony, while steel joints and a steel staircase bring both expression and timelessness to the space. Another home that puts its historical attributes to the fore is a former tobacco warehouse located in Victoria Dock in a thriving part of East London. There are exposed-brick walls, wooden beams and a soaring pitched ceiling, while glazing runs the length of the mezzanine, bathing the upper floor in light.

Private roof terraces are a boon and provide a pocket of peace and quiet amid London’s former industrial landscape. The fourth-floor bohemian Bermondsey loft has a verdant timber-decked terrace, as well as exposed timber trusses and double-height ceilings. Meanwhile, this impressive, bright two-storey Hoxton Square apartment has an L-shaped alfresco dining room, which is protected by a sun canopy. More understated is this two-bedroom penthouse that tops a 1930s red-brick jewellers’ warehouse on Clerkenwell Road, which succeeds in transforming a former industrial space into a homely and welcoming abode. 

Many Victorian warehouses have mercifully escaped the wrecking ball, which has given ample opportunity for ambitious architects to integrate this industrial architecture into the modern cityscape. The early 20th-century Jam Factory in South London, for instance, was converted by Ian Simpson Architects in 2003, who built lightweight floor-to-ceiling glazed penthouses that are set back from the existing façade. If waking up to views of the Shard twinkling in the sun appeals then this one is for you. For something truly spectacular, and also within sight of the Shard, is this three-bedroom penthouse apartment in Pontifex Wharf is located right by Borough Market. Oak and walnut panelling are employed amply to soften the interiors. An arresting intervention by Fentiman Design and Orsinibrewin Architects at the Button Factory blends cross-laminated timber, black corrugated steel and polished concrete to create a modern living space in the heart of Hackney.

And of course, there are penthouses that are there by design. The top floor of this Goswell Road four-storey apartment building plays on the industrial heritage of the area with its exposed concrete ceiling, steel-framed windows and Corian work surfaces. The penthouse of a period mansion block in West Hampstead, recently renovated by award-winning architect and designer Jack Woolley, has a beautiful glazed arch that gives access to the south-west facing balcony, stripped-wood floors and exposed rafters.