London SW9

This bright and versatile live/work space sits in a former Edwardian entertainment space on south London’s Loughborough Road. It extends over 3,600 sq ft distributed across a ground floor, basement and a mezzanine. Part of the ground floor is currently occupied by a café and gallery space, while the basement is used as a recording studio and creative atelier.

Setting the Scene

Built in 1900, and originally conceived as a tavern, billiards room and general entertainment space for the urban expansion of Lambeth, the building is nestled among grand Victorian and Edwardian villas that were built to accommodate merchants and clerks leaving the smog of the city. The building has 120 years of history as a pub, club, performance, and get-together space.

With a stint as an acrobat arena, and then as the legendary Mambo Inn, a Latin, African and Jazz club, the upstairs ballroom was eventually converted to apartments in 2008. The space where this listing lies is where the old pub/tavern used to be located. It was recently the subject of extensive restoration works that have conserved the building’s impressive – and rather singular – character.

The Grand Tour

Built in the early 20th century, the building bears typical features of Edwardian style. The red-brick façade is characterised by stuccoed cornices, square columns topped by ornate capitals with floral motifs, and low-relief decorated panels. Steel-framed glazing wraps around the base of the building, introducing a sense of lightness, while the windows on the first floor are complete with flat brick arches.

Entry is via a front door that opens into a vestibule leading to the open-plan reception area on the ground floor. The airy room has double-height ceilings and substantial glazing to one side, and a warm-toned oak floorboard running underfoot. The focal point is a beautiful cast-iron Edwardian and art nouveau fireplace with floral tile inserts. In the past, the room has served as an art space, with still-existing gallery-grade lighting tracks lining the ceiling. Today it is a beautiful blank canvas, sparsely decorated and bathed in natural light.

The second portion of the ground floor is currently occupied by a café. There is also a bathroom with shower, and a separate WC room. A staircase ascends to the double-bedroom on the mezzanine. Here, a balustrade with sliding frosted glass panels overlooks the reception area while providing privacy and quiet.

A straight staircase, with a feature handrail with intricate infill panels and newel post, leads to the lower-ground floor. Here, the main open plan lies at the centre. Crisp white walls and large proportions offer a fluid space that has recently been used as an art studio, and prior to this as a screen printing studio. There is a kitchenette, illuminated by two small skylights from the main ground floor space. To the right of the plan, a partly enclosed area is occupied by an office space with a lightwell on one side and natural light pouring in from above. Cork flooring extends across most of the basement, and a new ventilation system has been installed.

Out and About

Conveniently placed, the ground floor of the building is home to locally revered Annapurna Cafe. Loughborough Road itself is a quiet residential street north-west of Ruskin Park and within easy reach of Camberwell and Brixton, both of which have excellent selections of restaurants, cafés and pubs.

Camberwell is home to Silk Road, The Daily Goods, The Camberwell Arms and Theo’s Pizzeria. There are also excellent galleries in the vicinity, including the South London Gallery, Hannah Barry Gallery in nearby Peckham and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. Peckham has a wealth of bars and restaurants, including Levan, The Begging Bowl, Artusi and countless others.

There are several excellent state and public schools in the area, including Dulwich College, James Allen’s Girls’ School, Alleyn’s School, The Villa Pre-Prep and Nursery and Dog Kennel Hill Primary School.

The Victoria and Northern lines run from nearby Stockwell Underground station. Loughborough Junction is a short walk away and runs Thameslink services into Elephant and Castle, Blackfriars, Farringdon and St Pancras International. Denmark Hill station is also nearby, with direct rail services to Victoria, Blackfriars and St Pancras International as well as Overground services towards Clapham Junction or Dalston Junction via Canada Water (Jubilee line). Camberwell is also well served by many bus routes.

Tenure: Share of Freehold
Lease Length: Approx. 987 years remaining
Service Charge: Approx. £8,000 per annum
Council Tax Band: E