Westmore Mews

Brick Manufacturer: Forterra PLC

Architect: Peter Barber Architects

Brickwork Contractor: Neilcott Construction/ L&R Brickwork & Construction Limited

Duke Court/Westmore Mews is a development of 37 affordable homes for rent, built on the site of Fred Styles House, formerly a sheltered housing block, providing 42 bedsits, that had been empty since 2013. The development is part of Royal Borough of Greenwich’s commitment to delivering new high-quality homes and sustainable communities.

The new development of 29 houses, 7 flats and 1 maisonette creates a pretty neighbourhood of terraced houses running along Charlton Church Lane, and a series of mews streets which run perpendicular connecting into the urban fabric behind the site. Glazed screens lead into a generous open plan kitchen dining room. Stairs lead up to bedrooms and to a light and airy open plan living room with fully glazed screens leading out onto a secluded sun trap roof terrace.

The buildings along Charlton Church Lane alternate in height between two, and three storeys. The houses are built from a beautiful soft and rustic brick that helps ensure that the new homes feel embedded and ‘worn in’ to the surrounding area. The brick selected was Forterra’s Ecostock Belgravia Gault Blend.

Its varied tone is really important for ensuring the new homes do not feel too monolithic and adds visual interest, factors that were integral to reassuring planners that the brick would be sensitive to its surrounding context.