Peckarmans Wood, Dulwich SE26
Midcentury town house
Architect: Austin Vernon and Partners
Year built: 1960s

I mainly associate Peckarmans Wood near Sydenham Hill with those amazing ranch-style houses with pitched roofs built by Austin Vernon and Partners in the 1960s. Forming part of the same development, this house that we went to see recently didn’t have quite the same wow-factor but was nevertheless architecturally interesting and a bit different to your usual mid-century terrace. It also shared the same wooded setting (quite literally, the walk from the station to the terrace of houses was through some kind of wood).

While the house wasn’t in the best condition and hadn’t been presented in the best way for the viewing, it was pretty substantial in terms of size and unusual in the way it was split over four floors. Upon entry, you had a cloakroom and storeroom. A short flight of stairs went up to the kitchen and dining room, which opened out onto the garden. A further short flight of stairs led up to the living room. Another short flight of stairs led up to one of the bedrooms and the bathroom and the final flight of stairs led up to three further bedrooms, which appeared to have pitched roofs and there was also some kind of skylight in the hallway.

With quite a lot of investment, this could have been a spectacular house. Looking down the terrace of houses, it was clear that a couple of the others had been restored to their full potential and the setting was absolutely beautiful. At the time of writing, the house is still on the market, having been recently reduced.