Ballast Quay, London SE10

At Ballast Quay, even the most mundane of domestic rituals is befittingly beautiful: “We fell in love with the pattern,” Michael tells me, gesturing towards a quartet of blue-and-white porcelain mugs, stormy with part-brewed tea. “And they are from the 1820s, you know – around the time that these houses were built. We thought we’d have something from the time.”

It is unsurprising that two artists – both of whom trained at the London College of Printing, now the London College of Communication – have an eye for collecting playful, emotive and arresting objects. Having studied separately, they finally met when they both worked for the BBC in the Open University department – based at Alexandra Palace, the original home of television.

Even in retirement, the couple continued with their artistic practices: a lovingly termed ‘his and hers’ studio space has been carved out in their basement, where many of Pauline’s paintings remain. In the dining room – which stands as a homage of sorts to the late BBC designer and writer, John Sewell – a handful of Michael’s sculptures are on display: “Both of us began sculpture. Pauline, as with most things, is probably better at it than I am … but we all have our strengths.”

Having spent more than 10 years on a waiting list for Ballast Quay, the pair moved in in 1980, after living in Muswell Hill, close to the then Alexandra Palace BBC outpost. The riverside house, along with the adjoining streets, was built on land procured by the charity Morden College in the 17th century. As a result, coming to rent the house (as they did before later buying it) was a slightly more idiosyncratic process: “We were invited by Morden College to pitch for the house, in modern terms, along with six other people,” Michael tells me. “Everybody had to say why they wanted to live here and what they would be bringing to it.”

The pair won the bid by exhibiting their passion for the historic house, promising to care for it, install new central heating, rewire it, and replace the roof. Both Michael and Pauline had been married previously, Michael having already had two children. His third child with Pauline grew up here, the cityscape surrounding the house changing with her. “We built the top floor bedroom for her teenage years,” Michael recalls. “When she comes to visit, she still stays there. There’s a casement window at the front that she painted the changing landscape from regularly, including for her GCSE art.”

Much has changed in the 40 years since the couple first moved in: the quay has gradually evolved from an industrial dockyard to its present-day residential iteration. The house itself has persevered in upholding its Georgian sensibilities while lending itself to Pauline and Michael’s own tastes, with Thonet chairs sourced in Athens, tiles from Bermondsey Market and an impressive assemblage of hand-themed 

“We’ve been collecting the hands since we’ve been together as a couple,” says Pauline. “We’ve just kept going and going and going.” “They’ve become talking points,” adds Michael. “The more you look, the more you’ll find.”

A very welcome change to Ballast Quay has been the waterfront community garden, on land still leased from Morden College. The garden, which is open to those living on the street,  has been landscaped by two of Ballast Quay’s longest residents, one of whom was a garden designer. “She gave us all a key to go and use it for whatever purpose we might want. Over the years, we’ve had everything from Easter egg hunts to birthday parties there.” The garden has become something of a congregation point, with events held throughout the year. An annual get-together sees the gates opened to the public, with residents selling a host of homemade goods to raise money for local good causes.

The secluded green space runs parallel to the river with ladder access leading to the foreshore. Pauline recounts the day their daughter, a curious young mudlarker, lost her wellies to the Thames mud – no doubt to be found and cherished by future treasure hunters. Some of the finds the family have gathered – from the discarded pipe stems of Victorian smokers, to tide-tumbled glass and china and the occasional Oyster card – have made their way through the house and into their enchanting private garden, forming a mosaic of sorts amid the lilacs, rambling roses and Japanese maple tree.

It’s clear being in close proximity to the waters of the River Thames has powerful moments that both Pauline and Michael tell me they will miss most about Ballast Quay. As we look out the first-floor living room window, Pauline reminisces about countless fiery sunsets and sunrises bouncing off the water and Canary Wharf’s towers. Later, as we sip our tea in the dining room, again looking out to the river, Michael discusses the fleeting quality of light: “You have to be there at that moment, which is probably about five in the morning. From being mirror-like, as the tide turns the surface breaks up into a myriad of abstract colours and shapes. It’s a very special moment – something you don’t see unless you live right by a river, as we have been so lucky to do.”

Sophie Sims

Kristy Noble

Homes

Interiors

Over their 40 years at Ballast Quay, Michael Graham-Smith and his wife, Pauline, have had time to take root. They have filled the house with a formidable collection of fascinating finds, from textiles and art (not least made by the pair themselves) to shells and shards of pottery mudlarked from the River Thames, which runs just in front of the house. Now for sale, they tell Inigo about what has shaped their home – and the singular beauty of the river at tide-turning time

A Private View: an artist couple reflect on their rare riverside retreat

Like what you see?