Grand Union Walk II
London NW1

SOLD

Architect: Grimshaw

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"These are the houses of a new age" - Martin Pawley, The Guardian

This iconic three-bedroom townhouse with off-street parking has an excellent location in the heart of Camden, overlooking the Grand Union Canal. It forms part of a small row of highly imaginative ‘High-Tech’ townhouses built in 1988, to a design by renowned architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw.

The houses were Grade II-listed by Historic England in 2019, citing their “bold styling, resourceful planning and creative use of materials and detail… it is a scheme which exploits the canal-side setting with humour and panache.”

The house measures approximately 1,250 sq ft over three floors. The focal point of the interior is a stunning double-height dining area with a glazed up-and-over door, which leads to a balcony overhanging the water. This is open-plan to a smart kitchen with modern fitted units, and adjacent to the reception room, which also overlooks the canal.

The remaining accommodation comprises a master bedroom with fitted wardrobe, second bedroom with en-suite bathroom, third mezzanine bedroom overlooking the dining room, utility room, store room and shower room. On top of the building is a roof terrace with panoramic views. The house comes with an off-street parking space.

Grand Union Walk is close to an excellent selection of shops, markets, bars and restaurants in Camden and Kentish Town, with the more extensive facilities of the West End also within easy reach. Local transport links include Camden Town Underground Station (Northern Line) and Camden Road Overground Station. Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park, with their large areas of green space, are a short walk away.

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw is one of Britain’s most prominent contemporary architects, responsible for the design of buildings including the Eden Project in Cornwall, the grandstand at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, and the Thermae Bath Spa in Bath. The Grand Union Complex is the latest Grimshaw project to be awarded a place on the National Heritage List for England.

Tenure: Leasehold
Lease Length: approx. 974 years remaining
Service Charge: approx. £1,400 remaining

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

According to Historic England, the history of Grand Union Walk, dates back to early 1980s. J Sainsbury PLC took ownership of an awkward strip on land in the heart of Camden with the aim of developing a supermarket.

Colin Amery, architecture critic and former assistant editor of the Architectural Review, was directly advising Lord Sainsbury during the mid-1980s and recommended Grimshaw after a previous scheme for the plot was deemed, “not quite good enough.”

Over the course of planning, the scheme developed into a mixed use project, including the supermarket itself (which has been Grade II listed), the terrace of houses which form Grand Union Walk (Grade II listed in 2019) and a commercial building, known as Grand Union House. All of the elements were designed by Nichols Grimshaw and partners. The ambitious designs were an immediate hit with Camden Council and planning was approved swiftly in just over 6 weeks.

According to Historic England, “The original outline permission for the housing was for flats, but at Grimshaw’s suggestion this became a terrace of freehold houses (actually 10 houses and two flats), which are listed at Grade II. The housing offered Grimshaw his first opportunity to fit out a complete and relatively fixed interior; most of his previous commissions being single volume, open-plan spaces capable of flexible subdivision by occupants. When each house was sold the new owner received an ‘owners manual’, complete with specifications, details of services and suppliers.”

The narrow site and the need to allow sunlight into living areas without south-facing windows dictated the distinctive form of the houses. At first-floor level, L-shaped open plan living spaces are top-lit; their double-height dining areas can act as external spaces, opening to a canal-facing balcony in summer months.

From the early 1990s Grimshaw came to popular attention with flagship projects such as the British Pavilion for the Seville Expo of 1992 for which he was awarded a CBE and the Grandstand to Lord’s Cricket Ground (1998). Grimshaw’s inclusion in the ‘British Architecture Today: Six Protagonists’ exhibition at the 1991 Venice Biennale heralded an international dimension to the practice which included the Berlin Stock Exchange (1997) and Bilbao Bus Station (1999).

Grimshaw received a knighthood for services to architecture in 2002 and was the 2019 recipient of the RIBA Royal Gold Medal. He is considered one of the pioneers of High-Tech architecture, a movement strongly identified with Britain in the late twentieth-century.

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