Why we love a mews house
Some of the most loved and photographed London homes are mews houses…and these are very much in demand, both for residential and commercial properties.
The first official "mews” houses (meaning “stables”) in London date back to the 16C, but were built through to the 19C, with some contemporary re-models, re-creations and copies constructed in much more recent times.
The original Mews in Charing Cross was built on the site of the Royal Hawk Mews, but these royal stables moved to Buckingham Palace Road in 1820. There were also Royal Mews at St James's Palace, with THE working Royal Mews within Buckingham Palace grounds.
So what’s to love about Mews houses?
What’s not to love! Mews are generally quiet, safe streets with no through traffic, located behind main streets, so they benefit from incredibly central locations, but with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
These very lovely properties are perfect as homes or businesses and have remained great investments throughout the centuries.
As good for rentals as they are for sales, they prove time and time again that everyone loves a mews house, being a good size, but not too big, and are pretty “affordable” compared to other houses in prime central London (it's all relative!).
These pretty houses are actually utilitarian buildings and their past lives as former stables/grooms’ accommodation and coach houses actually lend themselves to contemporary reconfiguration and refurbishment, with clever remodels dating back to Art Deco / 1920s and 30s through to the present day.
With fairly uniform rooms and great as blank spaces, but with a quirkiness and creative appeal, they are a designer’s dream, and like many of the interesting and famous (or infamous) mews residents, they are continually able to re-invent themselves!
In terms of living or working in them, they are fabulous and hugely sociable. With their enclosed streets and outdoor areas at the front of the properties, they are great for getting to know your neighbours, especially in the summer months, and tend to have very close-knit communities (which usually have official residents' associations), hence the low turnover in terms of sales, making mews houses highly desirable and fought-over properties!
There are so many stories in these quirky and interesting buildings, made all the more fascinating as they have been favoured by plenty of notable people over the years, including designers, artists, politicians and musicians, as well as providing fabulous locations for many a film shoot - Love Actually, Layercake, Performance, The Profumo Affair, Scandalous and The Big Sleep to name a few.
A few celebrity mentions: St Luke's Mews is known for Love Actually; Queens Gate Mews for Layercake and Performance - and former home of Madonna and Guy Ritchie; Cresswell Place - home of Agatha Christie and Wimpole Mews home of Stephen Ward - Profumo Affair.
Other famous mews dwellers include Sir Michael Caine, Paula Yates, Henry Cavill and many many more we couldn't possibly name ;)
The only downside to mews houses is that they generally back onto other larger houses or buildings, so they don’t tend to have gardens or much outside space, aside from a few that have created very clever internal courtyards. This does of course make them great to "look up and leave" as low-maintenance second homes!
Mews can also be lacking in parking and are generally pretty narrow, but most Mews are very well organised and generally have resident 'permit only' parking.
All in all, it has to be said that the Mews house is as popular today as it ever has been and continues to be a prize property for a London agent.
We currently have a few mews available for both sale and rent:
Kynance Mews - Set in one of the most desired areas in Prime Central London, this is a rare opportunity to acquire a newly refurbished, three bedroom freehold mews in a coveted address. The property has recently been extensively renovated and benefits from a rear patio and a flexible lower ground floor.
£3,950,000 Download the Brochure
Queens Gate Mews - off market - Unusual mews situated one of South Kensington’s most desired areas. Featuring cleverly conceived contemporary and open plan living space and benefitting from a large garage. £3,250,000 subject to contract Download the floorpan
Clabon Mews - coming soon for rent - Interior-designed 3 bedroom spacious mews house in the heart of Knightsbridge. Arranged over 4 floors, it features a principle bedroom suite with sunny terrace, cinema room and integral garage. POA
Under offer - Princes Gate Mews
To have a virtual look around some of the prettiest mews houses in London, check out SecretLDN's article, https://secretldn.com/prettiest-mews-london/