Haslemere Road, London N8

On a quiet tree-lined avenue, just south of Crouch End’s energetic Broadway, lies an artful reimaging of a grand Edwardian semi-detached house. Its design was conceived by the architect Niall McLaughlin, resulting in a brilliant centrepiece and observatory to its tree-filled surroundings, and a gallery-esque backdrop for a family of collectors. The house exceeds 3,400 sq ft over four storeys, with five bedrooms, and two dramatic lower levels that interact beautifully with one another and with the substantial private garden.

The Tour

The house sits back from the already quiet residential street behind a front garden and parking area with space for several vehicles. Between beds bursting with mature lavender and a distinguished silver birch tree, a path leads onto a front portico and up steps to the raised ground entrance.

Upon entry, a window of green graces the view, framed within the double-height glazing that forms a large portion of the back of the house. A wide hallway extends to the rear and turns through a full height door into an enormous double reception, almost 10 metres in length. At the front, the original form of the house provides a significant bay protrusion on three levels. In each bay, massive sash windows invite in southerly light, dappled in the lower two bays by the ingenious creation and installation of around eighty delicate plates of acid-etched nickel silver that serve as the most elegant of brise soleils; a work of art in their own right.

The ground floor reception achieves a sense of floating above the lower ground level through a series of gallery ledge openings to the massive atrium void and front bay. Engineered oak floors with underfloor heating run underfoot and recessed track lighting by Erco offers directional illumination for artwork, sculpture and mood.

Steel steps descend to the garden level which revolves around a similarly large hallway to that of the ground floor entrance. It offers independent side access and contains a guest WC.

The kitchen, breakfast room and lounge extend over twelve metres to the back of the house and move round in an open plan to the incredible formal dining space that occupies the glass-backed atrium.

The kitchen is by Bulthaup with appliances by Siemens. Floors are a shuttered concrete and shift from a wide format to an imitation of thin slatted timber in the dining space. Two sets of French windows open from the sitting room onto a decked section of garden.

From the ground level hall, steel open tread steps rise to a first floor landing which rests within a further double-height, roof-lit space. The upper levels contain five substantial bedrooms with two bathrooms between them. Four have built in wardrobes and one, its own roof-lit desk space.

Outside Space

The private rear garden is a serene oasis bordered by mature trees and shrubs, with a long central lawn. At the back is a garden studio and home office, clad in western red cedar.

The Area

Haslemere Road is brilliantly positioned along a tranquil stretch between Highgate Village and the Crouch End Clock Tower.

To the north is the heart of Crouch End Village. There are plenty of excellent cafés, bakeries, and eateries along the pretty high street. Beam is a wonderful breakfast option and Sourdough Sophia is known for its wonderful cinnamon buns. Local pubs include the Maynard Arms, serving craft beer alongside a changing seasonal menu. The Kings Head pub also houses a much-loved comedy club downstairs, and Little Mercies on Broadway Parade is one of London’s best cocktail bars. Independent cafes abound – LoFi coffee is just one of many excellent choices. Small Beer provides craft brews and artisan Pizzas. Paesan is a celebrated neighbourhood Italian.

Highgate Village is also nearby and has a wide variety of shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants, including wine shop Bottle, popular pub The Flask, and fruit and veg shop Greens of Highgate. There is also The Grocery Post on Archway Road, which serves good coffee and groceries.

Within walking distance are several parks and tennis and cricket clubs, including Coolhurst Tennis & Squash Club, North Middlesex Cricket Club and the Highgate Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. Parkland Walk is a much-loved trail on a disused railway line that connects Finsbury Park to Highgate. To the west is Waterlow Park and Hampstead Heath, and beyond Crouch End, to the north is Alexandra Palace.

There are excellent schools in the area, including Highgate School, Highgate Primary School, St Michael’s Primary School and Channing.

The house is close to Highgate Station (Northern Line), as well as Crouch Hill (London Overground), and is a short bus ride from Finsbury Park tube station (Victoria and Piccadilly line). Various other bus routes also connect Crouch End to the West End and Central London.

Council Tax Band: H