Warehouse exterior, modern interiors: Islington's mews houses are the perfect blend of old and new
Ripples of development spreading out from Shoreditch and Islington are meeting in the middle. Not so long ago each area had a distinct property market — the former noted for cool loft living, the latter for gentrified period townhouses.
Blurring the border now is a crop of new projects that combine the best of tasteful contemporary design and handsome traditional architecture.
Regent’s Canal and City Road Basin are key pieces of the jigsaw. Wharves and factories are making way for smart new homes; architects, designers and digital start-ups are settling into the quiet backstreets, and there’s a sprinkling of gastropubs such as The Rosemary Branch, also a noted theatre and music venue.
Near the canal, Shepherdess Walk is lined with warehouse conversions and is neither Angel, nor Clerkenwell, nor Hoxton. A street plaque says in 1861 it was part of the parish of Middlesex, as was De Beauvoir Town, a coveted enclave of early 19th-century houses built on the back of the canal trade.
“The district appeals to City bankers who want to throw off the shackles of a suit in their downtime,” says Nick Davies of Hackney estate agent Stirling Ackroyd.
Three superb mews homes have been created behind a Victorian warehouse façade at 23 Elizabeth Avenue. Spread across four levels, the light-filled, open-plan interiors have double-height spaces, glass walls, exposed brickwork, timber floors throughout and multiple terraces. Prices from £2,295,000. Call 020 7749 3810.
