Living in a converted church could be heaven, but when the current owner of this apartment in the bell tower of St Thomas’ in London Bridge took it on, it was sinking downwards — literally.
“St Thomas the Apostle was derelict and in need of love. The museum in the attic didn’t have a lease, the building was held together by a metal strap and had dropped a few inches as the Jubilee line was deep beneath it,” Richard Upton told Homes & Property.
Luckily for the Grade II-listed building, Upton is an expert in conservation.
A commissioner for Historic England — one of just 16 appointed by the Secretary of State — he has overseen the restoration of 90 listed buildings. He also campaigned successfully for the preservation of Smithfield Market, which is being transformed into the new Museum of London.
Built in 1703 by Thomas Cartwright — architect to Sir Christopher Wren — St Thomas’s served as a church to the nearby hospital. The attic used to serve as the store for apothecary herbs used in healing by doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital, before becoming a women’s operating theatre between 1822 to 1862.
Upton purchased the entire church on St Thomas street in 2006 and enlisted architecture practice AHMM to turn the disused belfry into a unique apartment, which is now available to rent for £4,996 a month with Dexters.
Set over five storey’s, the two-bedroom home makes the most of the historic architecture. The old brickwork left has been left bare, and the arched windows have been preserved.
Accessed via a private lift, the apartment occupies the third to seventh floors of the tower. A glass-walled staircase leads to the topmost floor, featuring a grand rain shower lit from above.
“The staircase is fabulous — it used to lead to the bells of the church and now it takes you up to an incredible bathroom with beautiful views over London and St Pauls,” says Upton.
The lower floors are well equipped for entertaining, in style with a grand kitchen featuring dark oak cabinetry and a moody black marble splashback, and a large dining table.
A principal bedroom occupies the fourth floor, with arched windows and a Juliet balcony providing views over London. The second bedroom is on the fifth floor, and the reception room fills the sixth storey.
The atmosphere inside the flat is unique, says Upton. “The grand architecture and soft lighting create a medieval, fairytale-like environment.”
History buffs will enjoy the location, with Europe’s oldest surviving operating theatre on site. Following Upton’s conservation work, the building now contains the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret, with educational displays about the history of surgery and medicine.
The surgical ward is next to the hospital, and women undergoing surgery would be moved next door to the ward to recover. Surgery for the lower income women undergoing procedures in the 19th century were semi-public affairs, with students packing the raised amphitheatre-style seating to observe the surgeons at work.
Prior to 1847 there was no anaesthetic beyond chloroform or alcohol, and sawdust was used to absorb the blood that spilled from the operating table.
Less gruesomely, Florence Nightingale set up her nursing school at St Thomas’s Hospital in 1859, and it was upon her advice that the hospital eventually moved to its new site in Lambeth. The old operating room was boarded up in 1862 and was forgotten until its re-discovery in 1957.
Renters looking to enjoy living in such a part of London’s history can now do so for £1,153 a week.
“The building’s original features are preserved and balanced with the apartment’s contemporary touches, ideal for modern living,” said Chris Ferguson,” board director at Dexters. “It is a one of a kind property in a very sought-after location.”
Upton thinks it would appeal to those who “love authentic unique spaces” and “someone eccentric who loves history — and to look over the capital.”
