When a young family bought an end-of-terrace Victorian cottage in the heart of Clapton, they saw its potential straight away. The house sat beside a park, but turned its back on it. They hoped to extend and open up views across the green.
Testing the bookend
Our first instinct was to create a "bookend" to the street by stepping the house out from the building line, a classic feature of many Victorian terraces. We tested this approach carefully. In the end we felt it was more appropriate to preserve the existing grain and scale of the street.
That decision turned our attention to the park side. The question became how the house could address the park more openly and positively, and start a dialogue with it.
Respecting the street
Retaining the gable end of the terrace became a key design move, continuing the language of the street. On the park elevation, we had to balance openness and visual interest with privacy and security for the family.
A wall, and a lighter layer above
At ground level, a high-quality lime-rendered masonry wall now stitches the house, extension and garden together. It replaces a patchwork of sand-cement render, concrete fencing and barbed wire with one solid, continuous boundary.
The wall takes its cue from the Victorian garden wall. It is a grounding element, not intended to shout. Above it, set slightly back, the upper extension is clad in weathered zinc shingles and separated from the original house by a balcony.
From the drawing board: a planning diary
2019: the brief. A young family, an end-of-terrace cottage in the Lea Bridge Conservation Area, and Millfields Park right next door.
May 2020: making the case. Our application went in with a full design and access statement, a heritage statement, a tree plan and a daylight study. A conservation area asks for evidence, not just drawings.
June 2020: showing the park side. We added a dedicated park elevation and views of the proposed balcony, so officers could see exactly how the house would meet the green.
2021: the first appeal. A revised scheme for the rear dormer and extensions was refused by the council, then allowed on appeal.
October 2023: the full design approved. A second appeal, for the complete scheme with a small balcony set into the front roof, was allowed. The inspector found the extensions would "read as high-quality modern extensions and alterations to the historic terrace".
2024: into the detail. A non-material amendment refined the design, and we developed the dormer, balcony and stair in a full 3D model ready for construction.
December 2025: complete. Building Control issued the final certificate, six years after we first sat down with the family.
Planning and heritage consultant: Bidwells.