Belvedere Avenue
Wimbledon Village, London. SW19.
23 Belvedere Avenue is an early twentieth-century, locally listed home
situated within a Wimbledon Village Conservation Area. The client’s
brief required transforming the property for a young family by adding a
rear extension and comprehensively reconfiguring the layout to provide
contemporary spatial flows, abundant natural light, and modern services, all
while respecting the building’s historic Arts and Crafts character.
Prior to the refurbishment, the home had not been significantly updated
since the 1960s and retained many original features, which guided the major
design interventions. A key architectural move was extending the original
central staircase—which previously only reached the first floor—upward
in front of the large oriel window. Newel posts, spindles, and handrails
were meticulously copied from the surviving originals to create a seamless
continuation of the historic stair.
Alongside the staircase, surviving decorative plasterwork and cornices were
carefully conserved. Missing or damaged elements were expertly recreated
and adapted to suit the new layouts, matching new plaster profiles to historic
samples to maintain the period character and ensure a cohesive transition
between the old and new volumes.
On the ground floor, a new brick rear extension accommodates the primary
living spaces, including a large kitchen, formal and informal living areas, and
a central office. Designed to match the existing façade, the extension features
contemporary details like slender steel-framed doors and large glazed panels
that frame views of the 100-foot garden and establish the space as the social
hub of the home.
The upper levels were completely reorganized to comfortably accommodate
the family, providing five bedrooms, all with modern ensuite facilities to
improve circulation. This includes an extensive master suite occupying
roughly half of one floor, featuring a large dressing room and a bathroom
strategically positioned to take advantage of the rear garden views.
Ultimately, the project successfully balances traditional timber joinery
and historic integrity with clean, modern finishes. By utilizing a sensitive,
conservation-led approach, the design delivers the technical and spatial
requirements of a contemporary family home while honoring the building’s
heritage and its wider setting within the Conservation Area.
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