A Glass House Mysterious Enough for Three BBC Crime Dramas

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Listing of the Day

Location: Highgate, north London

Price: £7 million (US$8.6 million)

There’s something a bit James Bond about this contemporary property in north London, with its striking concrete design, “private and mysterious” street facade, and sliding glass roof.

The property, shrouded in greenery, is nearly all glass on its south and west sides, with adjoining balconies and terraces.The home’s architectural drama went to work on more than one occasion, serving as a filming location for BBC crime series “Luther,” ”Silent Witness” and “Spooks.” It has also featured in several books on modern architecture, according to its selling agent.

The RIBA award-winning Grey House, as it is known, is in the affluent neighborhood of Highgate and overlooks Highgate Cemetery in Waterlow Park. Built in 2008 by London architects Eldridge Smerin, its owners have also used it to host live music events.

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The home’s first floor living space has a vast lateral layout, with a poetic mix of linear lines, light and expansive natural views. It has high concrete ceilings and full-height glass walls that sweep around to sides, making the surrounding greenery feel part of the house. All of which makes a great backdrop for entertaining on a grand scale.

On its top level, there is a contemporary kitchen lit by a dramatic skylight, which retracts back to give natural ventilation and open views of the sky. It has an adjoining dining room with glass walls and a terrace overlooking the tree canopy, which floods everything with light. Its street facade, meanwhile, has a curtain wall of honed black granite, steel panels and opaque glass.

On the market for the second time in its short history, the property is “bright, open and airy, with lots of techy features. It’s a true example of a modern home. It’s an ideal house for someone who collects art and plays musical instruments,” said selling agent Yasmin Stone.

Stats

The Grey House has 4,162 square feet of space, plus a garage with room for one car and a small gym. It has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, three reception rooms, a utility room and an office over its top three floors. It has a lower ground floor with a home cinema, a ground floor garden, two balconies on the first floor, and a terrace and a balcony on the second floor.

Design Notes

The Grey House has won a RIBA award and was nominated for the Manser Medal as well as the Stephen Lawrence prize. It was also runner-up as RIBA London’s Building of the year. Its designer, the U.K.-based practice Eldridge Smerin, is known for creating The Lawns house, also in Highgate, which was nominated for the prestigious 2001 Stirling Prize.

Neighborhood Notes

The house lies on Swain’s Lane, a narrow road in Highgate, sandwiched between Waterlow Park and Highgate Cemetery. It is half a mile from Highgate High Street, Archway Tube station (which has Northern line services) and the wide green spaces of Hampstead Heath.

Agent: Mike Tracy and Yasmin Stone of Knight Frank

View the original listing.

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