A breathtaking four-bedroom house beside Waterlow Park, recently completed to a design by the celebrated architects Eldridge Smerin.

The south and west elevations consist of full-height glazing that is entirely frameless. This provides spectacular leafy views across Highgate’s Victorian cemetery, and reduces the mass of the building, settling it into its landscape. By contrast, the street façade is a curtain wall of honed black granite, steel panels and opaque glass, ensuring the utmost privacy.

Accommodation measures 4,225 sq ft, and is set over four floors. The four bedrooms all have en-suite bathrooms. The kitchen on the top floor has a retractable rooflight which, when open, transforms the room into an open-air court. Beside the kitchen is a study area with a bespoke glass desk unit by Santambrogio Milano. There are two terraces, one on the first floor and another on the second floor. A Meridian music system runs throughout, and includes a large pair of speakers in the reception room. There is a home cinema in the basement, a state-of-the-art security system, and a secure garage with parking space for two cars. 

The house has replaced a 1970s structure designed by the architect John Winter, and uses the same footprint (in an article about Eldridge Smerin’s scheme in Architecture Today, Winter called it “as near to a faultless building as I have seen in a long time.”)

Internally, the fair-faced concrete frame has been left exposed on ceilings, walls and columns. The texture of the timber shuttering has been impressed into the concrete, reminiscent of the National Theatre. Aside from the aesthetic benefits, concrete was also chosen for its heat-response characteristics. Eldridge Smerin’s intention was to design a building with significantly lower energy consumption than the original but with a greater floor area. A sedum roof and stone cladding help to restrict temperature fluctuations, and the preponderance of glass limits the need for artificial lighting.

Open-tread cantilevered stairs visually complement the horizontality of the board markings in the concrete. This stairway is separated from the living spaces and bedrooms by full-height frameless doors made from bog-aged oak. 

The house is located towards the top of Swains Lane, directly opposite Waterlow Park. Further open space can be found at Hampstead Heath. The shops and restaurants of Highgate Village are a very short walk away. Swains Lane itself has a supermarket, deli and some good cafés. 

Eldridge Smerin is one of Britain’s foremost architecture practices. Its first project, a private house called The Lawns, was nominated for the Stirling Prize. This house on Swains Lane has been featured in a variety of magazines, including Architecture Today and The World of Interiors, and was the recipient of an RIBA award in 2009.

Read more about the area in our Resident’s Guide to Highgate.

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.