The Beaux Arts Building, London N7

“The Beaux Arts Building forms one of London’s finest examples of the Parisian Beaux-Arts style”

This elegant duplex apartment sits within the monumental Beaux Arts Building in Islington, north London. The building’s distinctive use of light and space is reflected throughout double-height and floor-to-ceiling windows and complemented by sophisticated finishes. Well-placed, the home is in easy reach of Upper Street and Highgate Village, and within walking distance of the lush greenery of Hampstead Heath.

Setting the Scene

The Beaux Arts Building, designed by Wagner and Rutherford and completed in 1909 as the Post Office’s Money Order Office, was converted into flats in the 1990s. Described by Nikolaus Pevsner as an angular take on Edwardian Baroque, with hints of Lutyens, its façade is among London’s finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style. The building takes its name from the Parisian Beaux-Arts School of Architecture, and its foyer divides into three wings named after the notable architects of the style – Garnier, Baltard, and Labrouste.

The Grand Tour

A grand first impression, the entrance on the first-floor lobby echoes New York's Grand Central Station, featuring ornate plasterwork, mahogany accents, and stained-glass blue medallions.
The duplex offers a distinct sense of sanctuary from the street below.


The entrance opens directly into the heart of the home, an open-plan space where the living room is seamlessly integrated with the kitchen and dining room. The room is bathed in natural light from two windows that span nearly the entire double-height ceiling, with inward- and outward-tilting vertical panes and views of the private internal courtyard gardens. Original oak parquet flooring runs underfoot here, with a patinated and enduring quality.

Walls are painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Oxford Stone’, also used on the kitchen cabinetry and splashback tiles, and appliances are integrated. A dining table is arranged opposite, and curtains matched to the walls conceal ample storage space.

A staircase painted the same shade, with a metal balustrade, fans around one corner and rises to the mezzanine level. The space underneath the stairs has been utilised to create a useful storage area.

As in the rest of the apartment, the double-height windows draw in daylight and create a restful feel in the bedroom. Making the best use of space, a dressing area sits adjacent, with abundant shelving for clothes, while an office area bookends the mezzanine and overlooks the living room below.

A beautifully composed bathroom sits next door with copper-coloured walls in ‘Dead Salmon’ by Farrow & Ball, simple white tiles, a Philippe Starck designed basin and a built-in bathtub with an overhead shower.


The Great Outdoors

Residents have access to well-maintained communal gardens planted with a variety of shrubs and trees, as well as shared roof terraces with sweeping views of the surrounding area and the city of London.

Secure gated ground-level parking is available, subject to availability, while further amenities include a private gym with a sauna and a steam room, secure bike storage, and a 24-hour concierge.


Out and About

Manor Gardens is a quiet residential street, tucked in the Borough of Islington.


The area is well-connected with plenty of excellent independent restaurants and shops. Local food and wine favourites include Fields, Provisions, Westerns Laundry restaurant and an outpost of Jolene, Hornsey Road Bakery. Fiercely independent Fortess Road, bridging Tufnell Park and Kentish Town, is a 15-minute walk away. The popular bars, restaurants and specialist food shops of Highbury and Upper Street are 35 minutes on foot, including Trullo and The Compton Arms.

Well-placed, Whittington Park, Tufnell Park Fields and Highbury Fields are easily reached on foot. The wide-open greenery of Hampstead Heath is a 40-minute walk away
with its famous swimming ponds and the iconic Robert Adam’s designed Kenwood House.

London Underground stations are within walking distance, including Holloway Road (Piccadilly line) and Archway (Northern line). Upper Holloway Overground (Suffragette line) is 10 minutes away. Bus connections can be picked up from the corner of the street, with direct services to King’s Cross St Pancras in 15 minutes.

Tenure: Share of Freehold | Lease Length: 184 years remaining | Service Charge: £100 per annum | Ground Rent: £4,652 per annum | Council Tax Band: E