John Archer Way, London, SW18

Architecture & Interior

Through an oversized door on the ground floor, a solid concrete communal stairwell connects a small number of apartments, this particular one being found on the first floor.

Step into the entrance hall and you’ll find a double bedroom and WC before reaching the main event – a stunning central living space.

This triple-height room has dual aspect stone mullion windows casting light across the warm timber floors beneath a striking vaulted ceiling. Salvaged Spanish tiling and parts of old pews (reclaimed from the church next door) add eclectic style to one of the walls, while a small circular nook in one of the building’s many turrets is an ideal spot for contemplation, mindfulness or reading.

Look up and you’ll see a pair of mezzanine floors stacked within the void. On the first level, the kitchen looks directly over the living space among the drama of beams, with extra daylight from a large velux in the roof line. Above here, the current owner has installed a bed deck/storage space that adds an extra 63 sq ft (5.85m2) on top of the official floor space in a hugely practical touch that comes as a real bonus.

Sharing the kitchen level is the main bathroom which has an entire wall of deep storage built into the eaves. Back on the landing, a fire door provides a second access to the communal stairwell.

Outside

Royal Victoria Patriotic Building sits amongst some of London’s largest swathes of fields and woodlands, and you have to remind yourself you’re only a short distance from the centre of the capital.

Within the building, the deep sense of community revolves around a central courtyard that’s home to local business space including a restaurant and coffee shop. The apartment also has a parking space along the private one way road running round the building’s perimeter.

In The neighbourhood

With a location on the edge of beautiful Wandsworth Common and its charming Skylark Cafe, the Royal Patriotic Building is within walking distance of Bellevue Road and Northcote Road, each with a thriving scene of independent places to eat, drink and shop, from coffee to cocktails and from breakfast to bedtime. Favourites include The Hope, The Althorp and The Bolingbroke alongside the longstanding local treasure, Chez Bruce.

Transport & Connections

Clapham Junction station will take you – or connect you – to pretty much anywhere from its 17 platforms of National Rail and London Overground lines: just one stop from Victoria and Waterloo, there are fast trains to Gatwick, Brighton and most of Surrey and Sussex, plus north through Watford Junction for connections to Birmingham and beyond.