Five gorgeous developments that give a new lease of life to centuries-old landmarks
A multi-coloured Georgian terrace in Bristol and a historic old company headquarters in the centre of London are among the old buildings being turned into beautiful new homes – Annunicata Walton reports.


Bristol, from £325,000 – Redcliffe Parade
A pleasingly multi-coloured Bristol landmark has been converted into individually-designed one- and two-bedroom flats. Redcliffe Parade West is the much-loved Georgian terrace that overlooks the Floating Harbour.
The façade of the townhouses has been retained, along with many original features, which complement handmade Neptune kitchens and integrated Neff appliances.
The Redcliffe Parade apartments are for sale via Knight Frank and Ocean Homes, starting at £325,000 – the listing for this one-bed has more details and pictures, while here is a listing for a £460,000 two-bed equivalent.
Central London, from £4.35m – Oceanic House
At the north-west corner of Trafalgar Square, WC2, is beautiful, Grade II-listed Oceanic House – the former London headquarters of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, more commonly known as the ticket office for the White Star Line of Titanic fame. You’ve probably walked past it a hundred times and not realised that it was in this very building’s boardroom that company chairman Bruce Ismay famously boasted of his ‘unsinkable’ ship.
Over the years, the landmark building has seen much better luck than the ship it’s associated with and has now been given a new lease of life, as an exclusive development of six luxury residences and a two-storey penthouse. As part of the transformation, the uppermost façade of the building, removed in the 1960s, has been reinstated.
The six two- and three-bedroom residences, which vary between 1,679 sq ft and 5,447 sq ft and of which five are available, start at £4.35 million via agents Strutt & Parker.
This two-bed flat comes in at £5.75m, while here’s a three-bedroom at £12m.
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The four-bedroom penthouse, with interiors by Morpheus London, is a cool £19.5 million. You can see pictures of that one here:
Southwark, £3.5m – A former bear pit frequented by Samuel Pepys
Mere heckling distance from Shakespeare’s Globe, huge care has gone into creating a contemporary living space with historic character at Grade II-listed Pepys House – a former bear pit on London's South Bank, once frequented by the great diarist himself.
With high, vaulted ceilings exposing the original timber trusses, triple-aspect arched windows and plenty of open space, this four-bedroom maisonette is bathed in natural light.
Pepys House is on the market with Jackson-Stops at £3.5 million – see more details here.
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Annunciata is director of contemporary art gallery TIN MAN ART and an award-winning journalist specialising in art, culture and property. Previously, she was Country Life’s News & Property Editor. Before that, she worked at The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, researched for a historical biographer and co-founded a literary, art and music festival in Oxfordshire. Lancashire-born, she lives in Hampshire with a husband, two daughters and a mischievous pug.
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