The secrets of a rare preserved Georgian townhouse in historic Whitechapel

19.2.24

The secrets of a rare preserved Georgian townhouse in historic Whitechapel

This perfectly preserved Georgian house in Whitechapel packed to the rafters with original features is on sale for the first time in more than two decades. Publican Peter Clarke, who now runs The Haggerston pub in east London, bought the three-bedroom townhouse in the Nineties after his father died and left him some money.

The Grade II-listed house is one of a handful on New Road that haven’t been carved up into flats, according to his wife Katy Harris, who works as a yoga teacher.

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The period features, which date to circa 1795, are rarer still.

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“We’ve got all the Georgian panelling, floorboards and shutters, some lovely fireplaces. I think only a couple of houses have any old features.

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“A friend who’s really into Georgian architecture said the kitchen would have been downstairs – it’s now on the first floor – but apart from that, nothing’s been ripped out. It’s in its raw state, so to speak".

But admirers of the house should look further up the façade to spot a tell-tale anomaly in this otherwise uniform terrace.

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Larger windows at the top of the house, a reversal of typical Georgian proportions, indicate an upper floor that was comprehensively rebuilt – almost definitely after wartime bomb damage, says Harris.........

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Read the full article with words by Cat Olley in the Evening Standard online here.