If you’ve ever fancied getting your hands on your very own piece of London’s history, I come bearing a picture-perfect pad that might just fit the brief. Epitomising the phrase ‘hidden gem’ (and then some), this mysterious Mile End mansion actually disappeared from sight for over a century. But after a rather extension restoration project, it was brought back to life in the early noughties. And the gorgeous Grade II listed gaff has now hit London’s property market, and could be yours – well, if you happen to have a spare £2.2 million kicking about, that is.
The history of Malplaquet House
Certainly not lacking in tales to tell, Malplaquet House was built between 1741 and 1742 by architect, Thomas Andrews, as part of a trio of townhouses. Named after the Battle of Malplaquet (fought in 1709 during the Spanish Succession). The house was originally occupied by a rich widow, and then a famous brewer, Harry Charrington. Over the subsequent centuries, the house slipped into decline, obscured from view by a row of shopfronts until its identity was pretty much forgotten about for over a century.
In 1998, Tim Knox (the former director of Sir John Soane’s museum) and Todd Longstaffe-Gowan (landscape gardener) began an extensive restoration project, transforming it into somewhat of a cabinet of curiousities and filling to the brim with all manner of unique items and objects. Malplaquet House remains on of east London’s most intriguing properties, oozing character and drenched in charm.
Inside the property
Malplaquet House spans nearly 4,400 square-feet across 4 spacious storeys, boasting 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a ‘sequence of elegant reception rooms rich in period detail’. There are plenty of nods to the property’s lengthy past dotted around the space, from the floors and the fireplaces to the panelling and the plaster walls.
Hidden behind some lush-and-leafy walled gardens, Malplaquet House feels slightly secluded and surreptitious, despite being just a stone’s throw from Stepney Green and Whitechapel stations. It’s on the property market for £2.2 million – so if that somehow happens to be in your budget, you might want to snap it up before somebody else does.
You can take a look at the full property listing here.
