Georgian renaissance in Whitechapel
The meticulous restoration of Gloucester House, an exquisite late 18th century Georgian townhouse in New Road, London E1, captures the zeitgeist around the renaissance of Whitechapel. The house has been imbued with new life and spirit by one of the acknowledged experts in restoration of houses of this period and the house has featured in magazines such as Country Life, The World of Interiors and, most recently, in a newly published book The Romantic English Home.

The architecture reflects the new wealth of its original owners when it was built in 1797, often referred to as water money, as result of the expansion of the London Docks. A wealthy sea captain, Richard Redman, owned No 33 New Road, which looked out over open fields. Eventually, the house was owned by a linen merchant and, as Whitechapels prosperity declined and became dominated by the rag trade, the house became a shop. The house was bought by the present owners in 2000 and work began on restoring the Georgian interior.

Evidence of the original layout of the house was uncovered, along with the original wide board Baltic pine floors and the stone floor on the lower ground floor. Lost architectural details, such as cornicing and chair rails, were recreated and existing panelling was copied to restore the main rooms to their former splendour.

Gloucester House has a lower ground floor, a raised ground floor and two upper floors, with four bedrooms but with the opportunity of creating a fifth bedroom on the second floor. On the lower ground floor, the dining room has a door leading to the garden. There is also a conservatory linked to a summerhouse in the garden.

The restoration of the kitchen has captured great period atmosphere. There is a pantry and plumbing for the essentials of 21st century living, such as washing machine, dryer and deep freeze, all discreetly hidden away. Most of the rooms have fireplaces, many of which were reinstated as part of the restoration.

All the upper floors have good ceiling heights. The front of the house is clad in wisteria and there is a secluded courtyard garden at the rear, with clipped box hedging and evergreen shrubs and creepers. The Grade II listed house stands within the Myrdle Street Conservation Area, a short distance from Whitechapel underground station and within half a mile of Aldgate East underground, and just over a mile to Bank.  

Gloucester House is now for sale, guide price 1.5 million. For more information, contact Dawn Carritt on Tel 020 7664 66467664 6646 london@jackson-stops.co.uk.