UNDERNEATH THE ARCHES
A unique and historic home, partly incorporated into a Victorian viaduct, has been brought back to life
A terraced home with a difference
Sitting unloved beneath the arches of an old viaduct, this Grade 11 listed Victorian house had been rejected by 50 different viewers when interior designer Wendy Leat stepped through the door. Her grown son, standing beside her, was shocked by the peeling wallpaper, cheap laminate floors, dated bathroom and aura of neglect. But standing in the middle of the damp living room, Wendy felt nothing but excitement.
‘My son Alex was horrified,’ admits Wendy, as she recalls that very first viewing. ‘He said, “I don’t think so, Mum,” but as I looked around me, I could see what a wonderful home this could be.’ Wendy wasted no time persuading husband Ian that rescuing the house from total dereliction was a good idea. ‘The thing was, despite everyone’s misgivings, I could visualise the changes we could make. We’ve renovated lots of properties over the years, so I told myself I had some idea of what to expect, although I’ll admit this one proved to be our biggest challenge to date!’
The terrace, which had originally formed one house with the property next door, was built in 1875 for a sea captain and was partly incorporated into a Victorian viaduct that had been constructed to support the land for dwellings built on the hill above. This meant that the back rooms of the house featured massive domed arches, although these had long been concealed behind false walls and ceilings – and were forgotten over time.
‘The first thing we did when we got the keys in late 2014 was to strip everything back to see exactly what we had,’ explains Wendy. With their daughter Georgie working hard alongside them, Wendy and Ian removed rotten flooring and the plywood walls and ceilings hiding the arches. ‘It was a “wow” moment when we saw just how imposing these were and what a great feature they’d make,’ says Wendy. ‘It was as if history was being revealed after years in hiding.’ The downside of this discovery was realising how bad the extent of the damp was. The walls were covered in dark-green mould and the only solution was to fit an industrialstrength membrane – ‘like a huge bubble-wrap mat of rubber plugs’ – the breadth of the viaduct’s surface, to keep moisture out.
Coupled with the lack of basic facilities, the extent of the work meant that living in the house was far from easy, particularly as winter approached. ‘We just had to knuckle down and get on with it,’ says Wendy. ‘Initially, there was no heating and the only source of water was an outside standpipe. We joined a gym, just so we could use the showers!’ To make the house habitable, Wendy and
Ian created a makeshift kitchen in the box room upstairs and they concentrated on finishing the master bedroom first. ‘It became our sanctuary away from all the mess and chaos, and it’s something I’d recommend to anyone tackling a major renovation,’ says Wendy.
Over the course of the next nine months, the house was slowly restored to its former glory. With the basic essentials – wiring, plumbing and heating – in place, a new space for the kitchen was established at the back of the house, together with an adjacent utility room. Bifold doors leading to a tiny central courtyard were installed to let in valuable light. Windows were repaired, internal plywood doors were replaced with original Victorian ones, picture rails that had been ripped out were reinstated, plaster was chipped off the fireplaces that remained in situ, and decades of paint were removed to reveal wooden skirtings, picture rails and architraves.
Throughout this transformation, Wendy put another of her considerable skills – tracking down a bargain – to excellent use. ‘I scoured antique shops and vintage markets, and was constantly on Ebay,’ she says. One of her most impressive triumphs is the stunning kitchen. ‘The units are actually from three separate kitchens,’ she confesses. ‘I measured up the space and calculated what we needed where, and then tracked down the units.’
Once the various pieces – from cupboards and drawers to the magnificent island – arrived, they were numbered and stored in the living room until the kitchen could be installed. ‘It was almost a perfect fit,’ says Wendy. ‘Only two units didn’t work, and we turned one of those into a sideboard for the dining room instead.’ Once the disparate units were united with several coats of a dark blue-grey paint to complement the oak island, the stunning designer-look kitchen was complete.
Up on the first floor meanwhile, another showstopper
– the bathroom – also benefitted from Wendy’s canny knack for establishing a high-end look without spending a fortune. Travertine wall and floor tiles were sourced to complement the beautiful freestanding bath and walk-in shower. ‘We get a lot of our ideas from boutique hotel rooms,’ she says.
A muted paint palette and striking wallpapers were combined to bring the other newly renovated rooms to life, while a mix of antique, vintage and contemporary furniture, soft furnishing and finishing touches were introduced into the schemes. The end result is a calm, elegant home that feels comfortable and established. ‘When it comes to renovating, my mantra has always been to make the worst rooms the best ones, and then allow the others to speak for themselves,’ says Wendy.