This eight-bedroom house on the bank of the River Thames on the market for £3.25 million still has plenty of original 1970s details — including the designer wallpaper.
Located at 50-56 Ferry Street in the Isle of Dogs, the home was the product of a collaboration between Stout & Litchfield and Jenny and Michael Barraclough, the married couple who first lived there.
Stout & Litchfield is the architecture firm behind New House in Shipton-under-Wychwood, which starred in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
The house on Ferry Street, which completed in 1979, was originally intended by the Barraclough’s to be a part of a larger self-build scheme of 44 houses. In the end, only three houses and a flat was built.
The unique importance of 50-56 Ferry Street was recognised in 2021 when it was awarded Grade II listing.
“Remembering our battle to get planning permission to build on what was, in the ‘70s, the down-at-heel, unloved, riverside of the Isle of Dogs, we are delighted to be honoured in this way by Historic England,” Jenny and Michael Barraclough said when it gained protected status.
“When we bought the site opposite Wren's Royal Naval College — now said to have the best view in London — it was a failing marine paint factory and our neighbour in the draw-dock was a scrap metal merchant.”
The house has been a mainstay of architectural tours in London, and has become a landmark for passing riverboat cruises.
It’s sawtooth profile is created by a diagonal split apex roof clad in Westmorland slate tile, with triangular clerestory windows allowing riverside light to reach inside the home.
The interiors still have plenty of 1970s design elements, including Scandinavian-style wooden boards lining the ceiling of the principal suite.
Original wallpaper from patterns by Victorian designers William Morris and Charles Rennie Mackintosh is still in situ.
Including the self-contained annexe, the house has eight bedrooms, plus outbuildings, an undercroft, and a single garage.
“This property is exceptionally rare to market, and is one of the most recognisable residential buildings on the Thames,” said Hugh Ball, director at Strutt & Parker.
“Its striking architecture and contrast to the backdrop of financial buildings of Canary Wharf behind have cemented it as a real landmark,” he added.
“What’s on offer here is a fantastic opportunity to acquire a slice of the side of the Thames, with exceptional views, and so much potential to create a really impressive space or revive a post-modern marvel.”
