An Approach to Historic Buildings

“Cadogan Place is the one slight bond that joins two great extremes; it is the connecting link between the aristocratic pavements of Belgrave Square, and the barbarism of Chelsea.”

When ‘The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby’, was written by Charles Dickens in 1838, the houses at nos. 113 and 114 Sloane Street were already 50 years old. The front elevation was undergoing ‘improvements’, yet it would be another 50 years before far more radical alterations would occur. The late 19th Century saw the building increase by three stories and extend back into the garden with a pair of grand additions. Alterations continued throughout the 20th Century culminating in a disastrous cross-lateral conversion into nine separate flat in the 1950s. The mammoth task of reconstruction began in March 2008 and was completed recently in late summer of 2010.

There is no doubt that Georgian and Victorian architecture represent a large proportion of our cultural heritage. Our practice is rooted in a deep respect for historic buildings and for the culture and tradition of good building practices. Sometimes that means clearing away the debris of past work to uncover what is really valuable about the space and what speaks to us about as sense of identity embedded in the building.

With many years of working with historic buildings, we are particularly adept at interweaving old with the new and steering our site team smoothly through the building process so that we get the best out of them and the highest quality workmanship. We were fortunate to work with the Cadogan Estate who not only have expertise transforming historic buildings but also share our approach to this type of project.

We had great communication with the team allowing us to help them understand how historic fabric merges with the new work to create a consistent architectural language. Although styles appear to change from 18th to 20th Century, there is a similarity between stages as they cycle through the tendency towards lightness, density, proportion, scale and material. The new elements were designed to resonate with the retained fabric and restore much needed coherence to the architecture.

Refurbishment of David Le Lay offices, Autumn 2010

We’re enjoying our recently refurbished offices at 39 Old Church Street. We’ve opened up our split level office occupying the lower ground and ground floors of a prominent Victorian building to better utilise the space and the way it interconnects.
In removing a partition wall dividing the ground floor into a meeting room and reception area, we’ve created a single, fluid space throughout. We’ve redistributed our work operation so that the ground floor is now work space, which in turn has freed up space for a meeting table as well as more generous work space on the lower ground floor.
Repositioned light fittings from the partition wall to side walls on the ground floor and newly installed down lighting on the lower ground floor has created a softer look. While sanded and varnished solid oak floor boards and redecorated white walls throughout have given the office a bright, contemporary feel which makes for a very pleasant space.
If you are planning a similar office refurbishment, please call the office on 020 7351 5456.

New Facade for Sloane Street Houses

After a year of work the scaffolding has come down to reveal the new facade. Over the next few months the remaining lower floors will be cleaned and repaired. The whole of the front wall was taken down to the first floor and rebuilt in reclaimed London clay bricks with traditionally built rubbed red brick arches over the windows. Work now continues apace to complete the refurbisment of the interiors.

St. John the Evangelist - Quinquennial Inspecting Architect Appointment

Jonathan Goode has been appointed new Quinquennial Inspecting Architect for St. John the Evagelist, Palmers Green. Jonathan is registered with the London Diocese and the appointment was approved by the London Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches.

The church of St. John the Evangelist was design by Mr J. Oldrid Scott, who rebuilt the west front of Hereford Cathedral. His father, Gilbert Scott, had designed Christ Church,Southgate, and the architect of Liverpool Cathedral was his nephew, Giles Gilbert Scott. The church was started in 1903 with a break mid-way through construction to be completed in 1908. The church in now grade II listed.

New Pavillion for Cadogan Square Gardens

Planning Consent was given for a new pavilion to give shelter in the shared gardens to Cadogan Square. The garden is owned and managed by Cadogan Estates and used by the residents of the square. The garden and square were originally laid out following the Cadogan and Hans Place Improvements Act of 1874 on the site of Henry Holland’s Pavilion and the field behind. Most of the present red-brick buildings that surround the square were constructed between 1877 and 1888.

The design of the pavillion was chosen by the client. David Le Lay Architects prepared the planning application including the landscapeing design as well as advising on the choice of materials and colours. A fully illustrated submission was made allowing local residents to comment on all aspects of the proposal.

Roof Repairs at St. Mary's Church

After a roof leak near the organ Jonathan Goode was invited by the church trust to investigate the cause of the leak and survey the state of the roofs. The picturesque church of St Mary's in Selling, Kent is listed Grade I and dates as far back as the 11th century. The church contains fragments of early medieval painted wall decoration. Hence it is extremely important to maintain a weather-tight roof.


A full report on the state of the roofs was prepared, and the recommendations were fully taken up. A specification and schedule of work was prepared for the trust so that tenders could be sought from local builders. Jonathan recommended in the report and specification to use traditional roofing methods and materials as much as possible, only introducing modern details were improved performance was critical to avoiding future leaks. By using traditional methods and sourcing materials locally the church can play an important part in supporting traditional craft jobs and local businesses; So very important in maintaining a sustainable environment around the church.

Improvements to Chelsea Pub

Planning permission was granted at committee during the summer for a new extension to the Cooper's Arms public house. The extension will house much needed modern toilet facilities that will replace the current facilities, which are arranged over seperate floors.

The project provided a new opportunity to apply our experience of refurbisment and extension in conservation areas to a public building. Past public and community building projects have included works to schools, churches and community halls.