Mare Street, London, E8

This Grade II-listed, three-bedroom townhouse is a paragon of Georgian elegance in Hackney’s Regent’s Canal Conservation Area. Behind its stock-brick façade lies a series of interior spaces masterfully reimagined by Lynch Architects, who have struck a fine balance in celebrating the building’s 19th-century fabric while interweaving contemporary interventions. More recently, the current owners have added a series of vibrant pops of colour. Nestled between London Fields and Victoria Park, the home is in easy reach of the varied delights that make up Broadway Market, Victoria Park Village and Bethnal Green.

Setting the Scene

Originally built for a stone merchant in c.1800, the house forms part of an elegant Georgian terrace along Hackney’s Mare Street. Cast in variegated London stock brick, the row is distinguished by its frontage punctuated with sash windows set in arched recesses and under gauged, flat brick arches, with doorcases of fluted pilasters, cornice heads and delicate fanlights. A sweeping stone staircase today winds up the core of the house, standing as a reminder of its first owner and earliest beginnings. For more information, please see the History section.

The Grand Tour

The house is set behind a row of spearhead wrought iron railings which sweep to form handrails to the front door at the top of a short flight of steps. The five-panelled door opens to the hallway, where restored floorboards run underfoot, and high ceilings are adorned with an intricate cornice.

To the right of the entryway is the kitchen and the dining room. Panelled folding doors divide these rooms; when pulled back, they create a wonderfully open-plan arrangement ideal for hosting friends. The kitchen sits to the front and is finished in a gentle shade of grey that is echoed in bespoke cabinetry and the marble fireplace surround. A central kitchen island is appointed with a four-ring induction hob. The dining room adopts a different palette, with walls and ceilings drenched in ‘Blazer’ by Farrow & Ball; a scheme developed in conjunction with Jessica Williamson of BVDS Architects and the current owners. A six-over-six sash window frames a view across the walled garden at the back of the house.

In the hallway, a striking stone staircase with a wooden handrail rises to the first floor, where the living room occupies the piano nobile. Two expansive sash windows with embrasure shutters peer over Mare Street below. At one side of the room, a fireplace surround is carved with a frieze of swags and tied ribbons and the corner blocks with urns.

The family bathroom also sits on the first floor, with original floorboards and a decadent fireplace surround. A timber-panelled bathtub with a rain-style shower head above is lined with neat green tiles. There are two built-in cupboards, one for storing towels and linen and one with laundry facilities.

On the second floor, there are two double bedrooms; one with views over Mare Street, the other with an outlook over the silk tree in the rear garden and the Regent’s Canal beyond.

The primary bedroom and its en suite are on the lower-ground floor, with a mixed tile and flagstone floor. The bedroom is positioned towards the garden, fostering a private, tranquil atmosphere. The en suite bathroom has a free-standing bathtub in front of a large hearth used historically as the kitchen. Exposed timber floor joists run overhead; from here is a doorway that accesses vaults beneath the pavement, excellent for storage.

The Great Outdoors

There is a mature walled garden to the rear of the house that flourishes with sweet lavender, roses and acanthus. A grapevine creeps across the stock-brick walls and a Persian silk tree leans over a patio where a table and chairs can be arranged for al fresco dining in the summer months. At the end of the garden is a bike store and a gate that opens to a paved walkway, leading to the house’s designated parking space.

Out and About

The house sits moments from the Regent’s Canal. There are many fantastic cafés and restaurants locally, Lardo on Richmond Road, Café Cecilia and Sune of Broadway Market, Elliot’s on Mare Street, and Pidgin and Violet on Wilton Way. There is an overwhelming sense of community in the area, with weekly markets at Victoria Park and Well Street, as well as on Broadway Market. E5 Bakehouse, on the edge of London Fields, is excellent for freshly baked artisan bread and grains, and Forno is just a few minutes from the house.

Victoria Park Village is a short walk away, where there is a wonderful array of organic cafés, shops and delis. Local favourites Ginger Pig butchers, The Deli Downstairs, Jonathan Norris fishmongers, Bar Bruno wine bar and bottle shop, Pophams café and the eponymous Gail’s bakery. In the warmer months, the village comes alive, attracting residents from across east London to the park’s green open spaces and the vast array of picnic provisions. There is a food market on Saturdays and Sundays.

The choice of local parks is exceptional; the borough of Hackney has the most park acreage in London. Victoria Park, east London’s largest park, encompasses over 200 acres of green space. Designed by John Nash’s pupil Sir James Pennethorne, it was laid out in the 1840s and is now a Grade II*-listed public space. Attractions include the vast boating lake, several activity spaces, tennis courts and the ever-popular Pavilion café at the heart of the park.

In the other direction is London Fields and its much-loved lido. The Regent’s Canal towpath is a popular destination for flaneurs and makes a quick route by foot or bicycle to Islington or Limehouse. The towpath will also take you to Hackney Wick and the Olympic Park, and Hackney Marshes is approximately 10-15 minutes on bike.

For transport links Cambridge Heath and London Fields stations are a five and 10-minute walk respectively, running London Overground services to Liverpool Street in under 10 minutes. Numerous bus routes run citywide from Victoria Park Road and Mare Street, while the Central Line operates from Bethnal Green station, a 5-minute cycle ride or 15-minute walk away. Mile End is a five-minute bus away for Hammersmith & Circle lines. 277 and 425 buses take you to Homerton or Hackney Central respectively.

Council Tax Band: E