Westbridge Road II, London SW11

This handsome mid-19th-century villa lies on a quiet residential street in the Westbridge Road Conservation Area, between Battersea Park and vibrant Battersea Square. Both the house and its contemporary ancillary home have been meticulously and cohesively designed by award-winning architects De Matos Ryan. The primary plan spans some 3,000 sq ft and has been subject to a radical, light-enhancing intervention; a tremendous exploration of glass and concrete, the Garden House meanwhile is an entirely new home of almost 2,000 sq ft with its own sunken modernist courtyard and private rear access.



The Tour



The principal house is set far back from the quiet residential road and is entered beneath a canopy of towering London plane trees, which itself becomes a feature of the upper levels. A parking forecourt with a EV charger provides off-street space for two vehicles.



Portland stone steps ascend to the raised ground entrance; there is additional informal lower-ground access to one side of the stoop. Newly installed double-glazed box sash windows punctuate the elevation and security features are by Banham.



Entry is to a wide entrance hall with pale Dinesen oak floorboards underfoot; to the rear is a larger entrance space with full-height glass doors opening immediately to a raised terrace and the garden. A bipartite living room is set across the west range on this floor, with original plaster cornicing and a contemporary stone bolection chimneypiece and working fire. Additional glass doors open to the same raised terrace to the rear of the room.



A contemporary open-tread staircase with a glass balustrade descends to the lower-ground floor, an entirely open-plan space with an underfloor heated resin floor. The kitchen is by Bulthaup, with a separate utility area in the same design. The kitchen is centred around a large central island unit, with integrated appliances complemented by an Everhot range cooker. Space for dining is nearest tripartite sliding glass doors that open to the garden and there is a convenient fitted bar area discretely positioned to one side.



The contemporary central staircase has oak treads and rises from the ground-floor entrance space to the first floor. The principal bedroom suite is sited here, with a spacious en suite bathroom and views from the sleeping quarters to the garden. A separate bedroom on this storey also has an en suite.



The uppermost floor is home to two further bedrooms, one with a vaulted ceiling opened to the eaves. Both share an additional bathroom in the centre of the plan.



The Garden House



Entry to the Garden House is either from the rear garden of the main house, across a foot bridge that traverses its private expansive sunken courtyard garden, or directly from Patricesy Mews, a quiet lane to the rear of the Garden House.



The house is essentially formed of two white concrete cubes, connected by a central section clad with horizontal strips of dark grey stone. Surrounded by a secret flower garden set in a continuous concrete planter, the ‘living roof’ is formed of further natural grass and a cluster of trees offer privacy from neighbouring homes.



The entrance hall is positioned on the ground floor, with a large clerestory window and further elongated roof light set above the open well staircase. The bedrooms are arranged at this level in clean, white volumes that gently float above the glazing below; the combination of internal light wells and roof lights ensure that all are flooded with natural daylight. The top-lit hallways and bathrooms connect the spaces, encompassing two bedrooms and two shower rooms in the east range, and a further suite set in the west.



The lower-ground floor is enveloped by the spacious sunken outdoor terrace, where full-height glass windows flood the rooms with light. The principal bedroom suite is discreetly sequestered to the rear of the plan, encompassing sleeping quarters, a dressing room and en suite bathroom.



An open-plan living room and kitchen forms the heart of the home and opens to an expansive terrace with a seamless threshold connecting the polished concrete floor in both interior and exterior spaces; a cleverly designed lighting system highlights the outdoor space at nighttime. The Bulthaup kitchen incorporates an integrated dining area; there is also a separate pantry. An outdoor kitchen with an integrated barbecue is a clever fluid continuation of interior kitchen cabinetry. On one side is a seating area is centred around an open hearth with a working fire, and full-height glass doors slide back to create a floating upper storey when retracted fully.



Outdoor Space



The main garden is set within the primary home’s spacious plot, encompassing two outdoor terraces nearest the house and a verdant lawn surrounded by mature planting. Multiple slabs of connected cast concrete form a generous pathway to one side, creating an architectural feature that unites both homes.



Part of the Garden House and its outdoor spaces extend eastward from the rear of the main garden and parallel to Patricesy Mews, to form a J-shaped plot in total. The Garden House has its own private garden, connecting the concrete sunken terrace that surrounds the house, and an elevated ground-level garden, with a concrete staircase connecting the two.



The upper garden has an additional seating area, with mature hornbeams affording privacy. There is a larch wood hot tub in place set beneath the trees and a newly created summer house, which would make an excellent office space or private study.



The Area



Just a few minutes’ walk from Battersea Bridge, Westbridge Road is within easy reach of the shops and restaurants of the King’s Road and Chelsea, as well as, more immediately, the amenities of Battersea Square and Battersea Park Road in either direction. Where Westbridge Road meets Battersea Bridge Road, there is a cluster of pubs, bakeries, cafés and delis. Just down Parkgate Road are gourmet grocer Bayley and Sage, the excellent Nutbourne at Ransome’s Dock, and The Prince Albert at the corner of Albert Bridge Road. The Woodman is also a great pub option nearby.



At the end of the road is Battersea Square, a picturesque pedestrianised piazza surrounded by cafés, tea rooms, and some excellent restaurants, including Lebanese restaurant Mazar, Melazana Pizzeria, and Gordon Ramsay’s London House. There is also a branch of Gail’s.



Battersea Power Station is a 20-minute stroll through Battersea Park and is now home to an excellent array of high-end shops, restaurants, and a cinema.



Spanning 200 acres, the exquisite green space of Grade II*-listed Battersea Park is but a five-minute walk from the home. It’s made up of a wonderful assemblage of gardens, sprawling lawns, a boating lake, a children’s Zoo, Pump House Gallery, and sports facilities. The Pear Tree Cafe is set beside the lake and offers vibrant evenings of live music, with food by ex-Petersham Nurseries alumni Annabel Partridge and Will Burrett.



Numerous schools are nearby for all ages, notably the Newton Prep School and Thomas’s School. A few excellent independent schools are just across the river in Chelsea.



Battersea Park and Queenstown Road are closest to Southern Rail and Overground links, and Clapham Junction is also close by. Battersea Power Station’s underground provides quick links to central London via the Northern line. Along with a great network of immediate local buses, some offering a very quick route to South Kensington, buses run regularly to Victoria station from Cadogan Pier, just across Albert Bridge. The Thames Clipper Uber Boat runs down the Thames from the pier to the City and Canary Wharf to the east.



Council Tax Band: G