Murray Mews VI
London NW1
Architect: David and Ann Hyde-Harrison
Request viewingRegister for similar homes“An expressive mid-century home on the iconic Murray Mews”
This extraordinary house on Murray Mews was built by architects David and Ann Hyde-Harrison in 1965-67 as their family home. One of a kind, much of its astonishing original design remains intact. While many of its features are typical of the mid-century period, its ingenious approach to form, colour and space renders it markedly individual. Unusually for the mews, the house has a generous private garden hidden away at its rear.
For an in depth read about the colourful history of this home, see our Journal feature.
The Tour
The house’s façade cuts a dramatic profile from the street, with vibrant yellow panelling that contrasts brilliantly against slate tiling. Its geometric forms and clean architectural lines epitomise the mid-century period in which it was built. The garage and outside storage cupboards are accessed from here, with doors released via a button in the entrance hall; there is also a bin store and a parcel cupboard tucked away. For more information on Murray Mews, see the History section.
The house is peppered with ingenious details designed for modern living, including a rubbish chute in the kitchen, drawers that open on both sides and cleverly concealed cupboards.
The front door opens onto a hallway with an open-tread staircase ahead; three of the bedrooms extend from here, each with the original five-finger parquet underfoot. All have glazed doors that either open directly to the garden at the rear, or to a patio at the front. An inventive approach to colour and form characterises the first floor, with its considered pops of olive green, orange and pink. There is also a family bathroom and kitchenette/utility room on this floor.
The living spaces occupy the entirety of the first floor and have been designed to harbour as much light as possible. Largely arranged in an open plan, each zone is versatile but created with a specific purpose in mind. A sitting area is demarcated by merlot red beams above that add depth and distinction.
The formal dining room sits next to the kitchen; open shelving divides the spaces, creating clear lines of sight and useful passages for food and drinks when cooking or entertaining. The kitchen still retains its original cabinetry and ship-lap-clad walls that continue into the dedicated breakfast nook that juts out from the front facade.
A second living space on the opposite side transitions into an office with built-in desks; this area can be closed via sliding wooden doors or left open to create an easy sense of flow between the rooms.
A fourth bedroom is below the pitch of the loft upstairs, with ship-lap ceilings, textured wallpaper and a strip of clerestory windows that invites light in. On this level, there is also plenty of storage in the eaves and a sizeable bathroom with vibrant yellow fixtures that echo the façade’s cheery paneling.
Please note that the house is largely in original condition and may benefit from a series of updates.
Outdoor Space
Laid mostly to lawn, the garden is enclosed with mature trees and greenery that drapes over the surrounding fence. A stone patio lies to the left and leads to a useful shed for storage. Surrounded only by neighbouring gardens, this area offers a peaceful spot to read and entertain.
Area Guide
Murray Mews is a quiet cobbled street just off Camden Square. Particularly popular with architects, it is home to a number of other outstanding modern houses by well-known practices, including Tom Kay and Team 4 (Richard Rogers and Norman Foster’s original practice). The house is wonderfully positioned for the best of Camden and King’s Cross. Regent’s Park, one of London’s favoured green spaces, is within walking distance and has a boating lake, as well as numerous cafés, sports facilities and ornamental gardens.
The King’s Cross regeneration project, which includes Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard, is on the other side of Regent’s Canal, approximately a 15-minute walk from the apartment. Alongside existing outposts of Caravan Coffee Roasters, Waitrose, Dishoom, and audiophile bar Spiritland, the Thomas Heatherwick-designed Coal Drops Yard has brought Margaret Howell, Tom Dixon and Aesop stores to the canal.
Murray Mews is within the catchment area of a number of local schools, including the renowned state Camden School for Girls.
The house is approximately equidistant between the Underground stations at Camden Town (Northern Line), Kentish Town (Northern Line) and Caledonian Road (Piccadilly Line). Camden Road Station is a 10-minute walk away, and there are Overground services from Kentish Town and Caledonian Road. The house is also well placed for access to the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International.
Council Tax Band: G
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
Murray Mews charts the work of many key architects, with a particular focus on their approach towards challenging residential projects. Located on the eastern edges of Camden, each house was designed to serve the needs of its original occupants while also responding to the strict building and planning regulations imposed on the tight spaces that typically define a London mews.
The site was first recognised and developed in 1963 by Team 4, the architectural firm established that year composed of Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, Su Brumwell and Wendy Cheesman. The practice developed houses 15-19 using their favoured building components at the time: brick cavity walls and concrete floors. The project proved to be a challenging and often lengthy process, as the mews had to be developed in such a way that the public space was not overly encroached on by the newly built houses. The architects’ frustration with this is proven by their noticeable departure from this style in their later residential work, as evidenced by Rogers and Brumwells’ 22 Parkside, constructed at the end of that same decade.
Despite these challenges, the architects achieved their aim of establishing privacy for the occupants while simultaneously creating forward-thinking, open spaces using skylights and a predominantly axial structure. Indeed, these early homes are demonstrative of the type of work executed by many architects engaged in the housing debates of the 1960s. The development reflects a clear drive to create a built environment that served both the private requirements of their occupants and protected the needs of the community.
In the mid-1960s, these same design challenges were tackled and interpreted by the likes of Richard Gibson and Tom Kay, as Murray Mews quickly became a destination for other architects and their families. While by the turn of the century the mews had become less of an architect’s haven, in 2006 Hay Currey, a partner in FLACQ Architects, undertook his own project at number 32. The original design principles are structurally evidenced through the space’s open internal layout, however, its zinc external cladding can be seen as a significant point of departure from the brick walls of Currey’s predecessors.
In this way, Murray Mews has acted as a blank canvas for architects since the early 1960s, with each unique home respecting the aims of the original project, while also reinterpreting the design challenges faced by the urban space.
