Trying to sell a block of newly-built flats hasn't been easy in the last few years, so developers Cullen & Davis must have been counting themselves lucky when things began to get moving again at the end of 2019. With a converted church ready to come onto the market, they must have been punching the air with joy at their good timing.
But fate giveth and fate taketh away, and the lockdown that began in mid-March was a setback for their hopes of selling the 21 apartments fitted neatly into the Edwardian church of St Barnabas in Woodside Park, North London.
Fast forward a couple of months and things are back moving again: the St Barnabas flats are open for virtual viewings, and with some in-person viewings also currently permitted the market is coming to life.
Built with a few Gothic flourishes, St Barnabas Church — which was originally built in 1912 — has retained all manner of original features in the transformation process. Some apartments boast ceilings as high as 18ft, while others have stained glass windows and original stone arches.
There has been a complete redesign of the original 7,000 sq ft interior, keeping the original framework by architect J.S Alder intact, yet adding a further 19,000 sq ft. Columns have been preserved, and new windows built in the original style to blend in with the church's design.
The flats includes a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes with mezzanine levels and a variety of layouts including open plan living, dining and kitchen areas, spacious bedrooms and bright, marble-effect bathrooms.
The interiors are a mixture of high quality, modern finishes with elegant touches of the building’s past, from high ceilings, delicate architraves and stone beams to engineered oak flooring, recessed LED lighting and fully integrated, bespoke kitchens and appliances
The virtual tours put together by Cullen & Davis apparently include a salesman on-hand in cyberspace — we're not entirely sure if that's a good thing, but at least you know you can ask your questions straight away rather than have to take notes.
'Living in a quirky building such as a former church is appealing,' says Cullen & Davis's John Collins. 'We believe we have divided the space inside creatively to offer a selection of apartments with some expansive spaces and the feeling of grandeur inside. Well executed church conversions like this don’t come around every day and every apartment in the building is completely unique, so once they have gone, they’ve gone.'
Prices from £485,000 to £1m+ — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Platform Property
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