Houzz Tour: An Incredible Contemporary Home in a London Cemetery
The unique, glazed design of this house in Highgate Cemetery helps it float above its dramatic surroundings, which are visible at every turn
Living in a graveyard may not be to everyone’s taste, but this striking home in London’s famous Highgate Cemetery could win over most sceptics. A piece of exciting contemporary architecture sitting within a lush, unique plot, it’s a home that’s more magical than menacing. Headstones, obelisks and urns are visible from the huge glass windows, but the site is also beautifully green, wild and private.
‘We used a limited range of materials, including lots of glass,’ says Mike Gibson, architect at Eldridge London, the firm that designed the property. ‘This was a unique site and a wilderness landscape. We simply invited that in.’
‘We used a limited range of materials, including lots of glass,’ says Mike Gibson, architect at Eldridge London, the firm that designed the property. ‘This was a unique site and a wilderness landscape. We simply invited that in.’
This house stands on the site of a home built in the 1970s, on land released by the cemetery the decade before to ease its precarious finances. By the time the current owner viewed this original property, it was in a poor state of repair. ‘The client brought us on site to see what we could do, whether we could refurbish or extend it, or build something new here,’ says Gibson. ‘Unfortunately, the property had deteriorated to the point that refurbishment was not really an option.’
Early consultation with local people and Highgate Cemetery ensured that everyone understood the high quality of the new building that Eldridge London proposed for the site, but the odd grumble was still lodged. ‘One complaint stated that, “The grave owners would be overlooked from the proposed terraces and the large amount of glazing on the west and south elevations”,’ says Gibson. However, the planning department gave the build the green light.
The kitchen and dining spaces sit on the top floor and feature a sliding glass roof light. ‘It measures 6m x 2.5m and opens up completely to the sky at the touch of a button,’ says Gibson.
Early consultation with local people and Highgate Cemetery ensured that everyone understood the high quality of the new building that Eldridge London proposed for the site, but the odd grumble was still lodged. ‘One complaint stated that, “The grave owners would be overlooked from the proposed terraces and the large amount of glazing on the west and south elevations”,’ says Gibson. However, the planning department gave the build the green light.
The kitchen and dining spaces sit on the top floor and feature a sliding glass roof light. ‘It measures 6m x 2.5m and opens up completely to the sky at the touch of a button,’ says Gibson.
Glass floors connect the stairs to the kitchen-dining level at the top of the house and to the living level below, to help light flood down into the entrance hall. ‘The staircase is a series of concrete treads that cantilever off the concrete walls,’ says Gibson. ‘A structural glass central panel drops through the whole of the building and the handrail and a couple of treads on each run are directly connected to this glass.’
The house occupies a small, sloping site on the very edge of the cemetery, separated from it by a fence. ‘The cemetery is a listed landscape, so the building had to be of a high quality to sit within it,’ says Gibson. ‘It’s also a conservation area, so the building had to preserve and enhance that.’
The three upper floors cantilever out from a series of four concrete columns. ‘They seem to hover above the ground,’ says Gibson.
The three upper floors cantilever out from a series of four concrete columns. ‘They seem to hover above the ground,’ says Gibson.
The living space has a wood-burning stove with a long flue. ‘It drops down through the top floor to the living area below,’ says Gibson.
Stove, Focus Fires.
Stove, Focus Fires.
A long glass desk was built into the top-floor study. ‘It’s toughened glass carefully bonded together,’ says Gibson. ‘It was a way of putting furniture in front of the full-height glass windows without obscuring the view.’
This reflective storage and media unit in the living space was created using black gloss lacquer on the joinery. It cleverly reflects the gorgeous view, bringing it right into the house’s interior.
Flap sofa, Edra.
Are we seeing an end to open-plan living?
Flap sofa, Edra.
Are we seeing an end to open-plan living?
Shadows produced via the glass floor in the kitchen above appear on the wall of the living space on the floor below.
‘We used a small amount of different materials in this house,’ says Gibson. ‘Everything is fairly dark and the colours are muted. There’s a lot of greenery outside so we simply allowed the landscape in.’
Glass, concrete and black granite, seen here on the floor, feature throughout. ‘All the materials were intended to have high thermal mass to minimise heating requirements,’ he adds. ‘The roof light at the top allows ventilation and all the terraces are accessed via sliding doors.’
‘We used a small amount of different materials in this house,’ says Gibson. ‘Everything is fairly dark and the colours are muted. There’s a lot of greenery outside so we simply allowed the landscape in.’
Glass, concrete and black granite, seen here on the floor, feature throughout. ‘All the materials were intended to have high thermal mass to minimise heating requirements,’ he adds. ‘The roof light at the top allows ventilation and all the terraces are accessed via sliding doors.’
Speakers belonging to the original homeowner take pride of place in the living room. He did not have a demanding brief, but was drawn to the somewhat masculine mix of materials that Eldridge London specialises in using. ‘He was keen to see what we could come up with for this site,’ says Gibson. ‘We use a lot of glass and concrete. We like the tactility of concrete and the fact that you can give it lots of different surface finishes and colourations. And there are all sorts of wonderful things you can do with glass nowadays, which we continue to explore.’
The granite and concrete tone in beautifully with the weathered stone statuary outside, while the glass helps the building blend into the landscape, with both the monuments and the trees glimpsed everywhere from inside as if they are part of its fabric.
The granite and concrete tone in beautifully with the weathered stone statuary outside, while the glass helps the building blend into the landscape, with both the monuments and the trees glimpsed everywhere from inside as if they are part of its fabric.
The generous glazing on the top floor give this level the sense of floating among the trees. Natural light pours in through the roof light, which can be fully opened, and it illuminates the kitchen island. A dining terrace wraps around the exterior.
A simple, beautiful kitchen preserves the masculine, almost James Bond-like feel of the interior. Crucially, the house’s simple fittings do not distract from the striking views over the cemetery or attempt to compete with it.
b3 system kitchen, Bulthaup.
Discover how to plan perfect kitchen cupboards
b3 system kitchen, Bulthaup.
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All five bathrooms follow similar design recipes and include marble floors, teak shower trays and Corian wall panels. ‘Smooth, seamless Corian is balanced by other nice, tactile details around the space,’ says Gibson. This shower room benefits from a roof light above and a light well running down through it.
Browse ways to add a touch of marble to your décor
Browse ways to add a touch of marble to your décor
Most of the house has exposed concrete walls and ceilings. The walls around the staircase and in the corridors are made from board-marked concrete, created by pouring concrete into moulds made of wooden boards, so that the timber’s knots and grains are visible in it once set. ‘It has lots of texture and character,’ says Gibson.
The three upper floors all have terraces. ‘The direction of the terraces changes depending on the floor,’ says Gibson. ‘Each one has a different orientation, so you can enjoy all the views.’
The huge glass windows are fitted with blinds. ‘They can be closed for privacy or security,’ says Gibson.
The huge glass windows are fitted with blinds. ‘They can be closed for privacy or security,’ says Gibson.
The views from the top-floor study towards the south are very leafy. ‘The site used to have great views over London,’ says Gibson, ‘but the trees have grown up a bit since the house was built, so you see more green now.’
The view from the corner of the living room reveals just how close the cemetery’s monuments are to the house. ‘We obviously were not allowed to go beyond the site boundary and into the cemetery during the build,’ says Gibson. ‘We had to respect the site.’
Clever concealed linear lights with diffusers fitted flush with the concrete create soft light around the edges of the space.
Clever concealed linear lights with diffusers fitted flush with the concrete create soft light around the edges of the space.
One side of the house borders the street and is made from simple black stone, to continue the boundary wall of the cemetery.
TELL US…
Are you inspired by this light-flooded, contemporary home and its unique location? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
Are you inspired by this light-flooded, contemporary home and its unique location? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here Currently a family, but at the time these photographs were taken, it was owned by the professional single man who commissioned the house
Location Highgate Cemetery, north London
Property A contemporary four-storey home, completed in 2008
Size 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Architect Nick Eldridge, who developed the design, and Mike Gibson and the team at Eldridge London
This striking home sits on the edge of Highgate Cemetery in north London. Near neighbours, including Karl Marx and George Eliot, are all now deceased, and the plot has a secluded, peaceful atmosphere. ‘It’s a wild landscape,’ says Mike Gibson. ‘This part of the cemetery is much less busy than other areas and we simply treated it as the client’s own private garden.’