Finally! Plans to rebuild No. 18-19 The Pavement

In 1999 there was a fire in No.18-19 The Pavement, which meant that this prominent Old Town property had to be temporarily boarded-up. Except, it wasn’t that ‘temporary’ because, 24 years after the event, the boards are still firmly attached to the facade of the building. A real shame- the location of the building has got to be one of the best in Clapham, with it’s close proximity to the Common, tube stations and the High Street too, there’s no shortage of footfall and we can only imagine how much money a company could be making there. Not to mention it’s an eye-sore; in, what is an otherwise beautiful street, the scrappy boards mask such potential to celebrate old English architecture.

Which is why we were thrilled to learn that there are plans to change this. Architectural company Marks Barfield have announced plans to carefully reintroduced 18-19 onto the streets of Clapham. Their designs have been thoroughly thought through, with attention to the Clapham Conservation Area within which the building falls. The idea is to create a retail/restaurant site at ground and basement levels of the property and the rest will be made into sustainable residential building.

Here’s what Marks Barfield have said about the project:

“The client and project team are aware of the significant importance of the site as part of the Conservation Area, as well as being adjacent to no.17 The Pavement, a fine Grade II Listed example of Georgian architecture… Our intention is to create a distinctive high quality contemporary infill that completes the terrace while respecting its heritage context. Our approach is to the develop a façade that learns from the Georgian façade of no.17, while avoiding any pastiche.”

They’ve also mentioned that they’ll be setting back the 1st and 2nd floors of the building to make sure the new work isn’t overly prominent on the street, as well as using contrasting brick colours to fit in with the lack of uniformity that so charmingly characterises the rest of the street.

It’s been 24 years in the making, but it sounds like No. 18-19 is coming back to The Pavement in style.