return to splendour
This architect relished the challenge of restoring a historic home in east London
When Chris and Sarah Dyson first set eyes on what was once the grand home of an 18th-century, east London physician, it was a derelict wreck. But as an architect well versed in the history of Samuel Worrall, the builder responsible for many of Spitalfields’ houses, Chris relished the challenge of returning the property to its former glory.
The couple moved into the five-storey house with their now grown-up children, Oliver and Isabella, in 1996, and then spent the next 17 years turning it into a family home.
‘The house has a chequered history,’ says Chris. ‘It had lost its original features in the 1930s, when it was turned into a warren of sweatshops, and it was one of a pair in the street that suffered bomb damage in World War II. By the time we moved in, the façade brickwork had been rendered over and the wooden sashes replaced by steel-framed windows. It was structurally sound but needed a new roof, plumbing and rewiring.’
Creating a liveable layout was made easier by the property’s postwar rebuilding. ‘The house was never listed, so we had no constraints, and steel joists had been put in, giving it strength and flexibility,’ says Chris.
Another plus was that the ground floor had high ceilings to accommodate the original shop, a feature that was common in
houses of the period. ‘It’s now the sitting room where we entertain, while the drawing room above is for relaxing,’ says Chris.
The couple turned the basement into a kitchen, and fitted out bedrooms for the children and a family bathroom on the second floor. The open-plan master suite, with zinc tub and dressing room, is on the top floor. ‘There’s no loo,’ says Chris, ‘ but there are three WCS on other floors.’
Throughout the house, the floorboards were stripped back to reveal their natural beauty and the walls painted white, with some blue and grey details that emphasise the original features. The house gradually acquired its period trimmings with Chris’s savvy job-lot purchases in a salvage yard. ‘I got a recessed display niche for the sitting room, columns for the first-floor fireplace and an ornamental column for the front door surround, all in one fell swoop,’ he says.
In 2011, Chris tackled rebuilding the frontage. ‘The render was stripped off, along with the first skin of brick,’ he explains. ‘And we replaced rotting timber.’ Next came the timber detailing to recreate the effect of the original shop front, including a magnificent 8ft-high door. ‘These final touches really reveal the quality, character and craftsmanship we put back into the property,’ says Chris. ‘Restoring this house has been a fantastic learning experience.’