Royal Hill and Butting House, London SE10

Whether it’s Simon and Garfunkle, peanut butter and jam or the Two Ronnies, everyone loves a duo – and the same is surely true when it comes to architecture. That said, it’s not often one sees a Georgian home with a contemporary annexe. Could such a combination work, you wonder? Well, having taken a tour round Royal Hill, an 18

-century beauty in Greenwich, and Cutting House, its much younger sister around the corner, we can confirm that the answer is a resounding yes. And, happily, both are 

Royal Hill, a handsome double-fronted Georgian house with a porticoed door, was built in the 1770s. Set on a quiet residential terrace, it’s hard to imagine that it’s just moments from the heart of Greenwich, with all its vibrant independent shops and proper local pubs. Inside, the same is true. The four-bedroom home has an air of the countryside about it, we feel. Perhaps it’s all that cosy panelling? Or the fact that every room in the house has at least one fireplace? We’re particularly fond of the rustically scrubbed lintels that make a punchy counterpart to the house’s more refined gesso detail.

And, speaking of counterpoints… Around the corner, on a nearby perpendicular street, is Cutting House – the Clyde to Royal Hill’s Bonnie, the Jagger to its Jerry Hall. Recently redesigned by E2 Architecture, it was once a Victorian railway cutting building that has been transformed into a high-performing timber-frame annexe, its bedroom wing topped by a biodynamic green roof. Inside, all is smart and serene: think clean lines, elegant marble and white, white, white. Is this new-wave neoclassicism? Perhaps not quite – even if the details might chime. One thing’s for certain, however: ours is a double.

Homes

We love a bit of mixing and matching at Inigo, which is why our top spot this week goes to a historic home with a decidedly more modern addition. There’s delight to be found in the difference

A Polite Request

Inspiration of the Week: Georgian grandeur and contemporary sophistication meet in a daring double act

We love a bit of mixing and matching at Inigo, which is why our top spot this week goes to a historic home with a decidedly more modern addition. There’s delight to be found in the difference