Faulkners Alley, EC1M

Dating to the 1870’s, this Splendid freehold Victorian Loft House is located in the Charterhouse Square conservation area believed to originally be part of the Orlando Vidler warehouse development in Cowcross Street and later the home of the Tinfoil Decorative painting company.

Faulkner’s Alley’s routes can be traced as far back as the late 1600’s when it appeared on Ogilby’s maps with its name deriving from the Falcon bird, a pair which still inhabits the local area.

Over the years the house has been transformed into a wonderful home with numerous prominent features highlighted, such as exposed brick work, arches, original flooring and sash windows.

The house offers flexible yet versatile accommodation with some rooms offering exceptional ceiling height of 20ft (6 meters). The current layout offers a home gym area, utility room and shower room in the basement, a formal reception room on the ground floor and the most comfortable kitchen/dining/living space on the first floor.

There are two double bedrooms and guest bathroom on the second floor whilst on the top floor a magnificent principal bedroom suite with soaring ceiling heights, apex window, walk in closet, Corian fronted wardrobes and drawers and ensuite shower room.

A glass reinforced staircase leads to a private and secluded roof terrace designed by the RIBA architects Jake Ireland. This incredible roof extension and terrace have featured in “Don’t Move Improve,” Architects Journal building library as well as being the finalist in Structural Timber Awards 2023.

The space created is an innovative, sustainable and sculptural design which fits so seamlessly with its surroundings, with the remodelled area using Siberian larch glulam structural frame, plywood, Corten steel and glass panel enclosure and an eco-friendly “Ecodec” flooring. The perforations over the door that lead onto the terrace are based on the “Penrose aperiodic tiling” named after the mathematician Roger Penrose.

Faulkner’s Alley is one of the few hidden treasures remaining in Clerkenwell, blink and you will miss it. With a security gate fronting onto Cowcross street which is closed in the evening and a refined office developed which meets a BREEAM excellent rating fronting onto Benjamin Street, where a further gate is closed in the evening.

Yet for all its privacy, it is moments from Farringdon Underground and Mainline Station with access to the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City lines, National rail and the Elizabeth Line. In fact, it is one of the only stations in London that offers north-south as well as east – west connections, making the city, Canary Wharf and London's west end easily accessible, not to mention easy access to Kings Cross St Pancras with its Eurostar terminus.

Clerkenwell first became a fashionable place to live in the 17th century as a destination where Londoners enjoyed tea gardens, theatres and spas: you are still able to still see part of Clerks’ Well after which Clerkenwell was named. The area later became famous as a centre for clock and watchmaking alongside the jewellers and goldsmiths of Hatton Garden. It remains one of the best-preserved village centres in central London – a vibrant modern community with a fascinatingly rich history.

Clerkenwell has been described as the London equivalent of New York’s East Village, but with more notable and diverse architecture and a rich history. With great shopping and tremendous diversity of acclaimed restaurants, bars, galleries and wine bars it remains one of London’s best kept secrets.

This is truly an exceptional and incredibly special Clerkenwell home.