An Untouched Queen Anne House

Set along one of Deptford’s most historically important streets, this intact home is just one in a row of four on the south side of Albury Street; a surviving terrace following the sweeping clearances of the 1960s and 70s by the GLC.

Forty houses were erected between 1706 and 1717 by Thomas Lucas, a local bricklayer on what was originally known as Union Street. We understand that number 38 would have been built around 1710. These substantial houses are prime examples of the quality of accommodation once provided to sea captains connected with the area’s thriving maritime trade, at a time when Deptford was still a riverside village, far from the metropolis.

This particular house sits within a short terrace, alongside three other refined dwellings, with their facades sharing the same plum-coloured stocks along with red brick dressings. Completely unique to the house, the beautifully elaborate, carved door canopy sits above the entrance door, along with an ornate fan light, a later addition. Four over four sash windows at ground and first floor level face out to the street.

From the moment you step inside, the house reveals its atmospheric provenance. Original timber panelling, well-worn yet dignified, lines the principal rooms, while delicate mouldings, shuttered sash windows, and fireplace surround with fine Ionic detailing speaks to its early 18th-century origins. Much of the original floor boarding remains, contributing to the quietly evocative atmosphere that pervades the interiors.

At the rear of the house rises a magnificent staircase, filled with natural light from deep sash windows. The handrails, newel posts and barley-twist balustrades remain beautifully untouched, their finely over-painted finish echoing the gentle tones of the reception rooms. Its graceful proportions are a reminder of the status of the original occupants, and of a time when the lady of the house would have ascended in the elegant bustle dresses of the era.

The accommodation is arranged over four floors. The lower ground floor presents a substantial kitchen and dining space, with ample room to incorporate a WC and separate boiler room. Above, the ground floor comprises two interconnecting reception rooms, both defined by exceptional ceiling heights and richly preserved features. The first floor offers two well-proportioned double bedrooms, each enhanced by original details including panelling, window shutters and bars, and exposed floorboards. Within the principal bedroom, a particularly rare feature survives in the form of an original H hinge on the corner cupboard. The uppermost floor is dedicated to a generous attic room, complete with two dormer windows and an adjoining bathroom, all neatly contained within the mansard roof.

An extension to the rear of the house is believed to have been added during the Victorian period, to create room for internal sanitation. It would appear this was never used, instead providing additional reception space, room for a dressing room at the first-floor level and housing a boiler room at kitchen level.

Over the four-stories this house endures as both architectural artefact and future home. Extending to just over 1,800 square feet, its interiors retain an extraordinary degree of original fabric, rarely encountered within London’s housing stock today.

In the same ownership lineage for decades, the house was acquired privately in 1995 from a previous custodian believed to have resided here for over half a century and preserved in a manner that affords it a rare “time capsule” quality.

While the property now invites careful and considered restoration, it offers, in equal measure, the opportunity to create an exceptional and deeply characterful home.