‘’This is like a baptism of construction’’ One of the Engineers said as he sipped a black coffee, one dreary morning in February 2018 at our Studio in North London, He was explaining that with-in this project we have pretty much every single possible type of construction that is practised in present day London.
We could not agree with him more, the refurbishment of the Bull & Last Pub has the following: Basement dig, Concrete ground beams, Cellar hatch piston lift, Under Pinning, Below Ground Drainage, water proofing, new commercial kitchen, Sumps, pumps, Cold Rooms, Dumb waiters, Extract ventilation, Fire Curtains, Beer runs, Bar, Restaurant, Hotel, Loft extension and finally new build residential apartments all in one drawing.
That’s just from a construction point of view, this project covers so much more from a historical and sustainability point of view, we worked with Camden Planning Department on this historic corner of London will hopefully be persevered for another 300 years. We have re-instated the pub as an Old Coaching INN as it once was in the 18th Century.
Located on the edge of Hampstead Heath and loved by locals, the pub, first mentioned in 1721 started life as a coaching inn with a drinking trough for horses out front. It burnt down in a fire but was rebuilt in 1883 and sat on the route Northwards from London. The name supposedly due to “The Bull” having once been the most northern pub on the road as you left London, so the coachman would shout “The Bull, and last stop”.
We were introduced to the owners of the pub through a mutual acquaintance who is a regular in the pub and when they mentioned they needed an architect we went to meet them to discuss the project. Working with the client we developed a brief based on preserving the pub and reinstating it as a coaching inn.