St Mary's Somerset Tower

The client’s brief was for the restoration and conversion of this 17th century, Grade I listed, Sir Christopher Wren designed church tower into a single private home. The tower is located on Lambeth Hill in the City of London, south of St Paul’s Cathedral. In 1871, the church was demolished but the tower saved. The tower stands at approximately 35 metres and is faced with Portland stone. Lines of windows, alternately circular and arched, run up each side. The unique feature of the tower is the eight Baroque pinnacles. Between each of these are 6 metre tall obelisks, with ball finials. The tower was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950. A new extension is added to the north of the existing tower to house new services and bathrooms, reducing the need for additional partitions within the existing structure. The living space is located at the top of the tower. The existing lead lined roof has been replaced with a glazed terrace, thus creating a relationship between the refurbished interior below and the obelisks above.