Manor Place is part of an ambitious regeneration initiative that is transforming Elephant and Castle in south London. The site has largely been developed for housing by Notting Hill Genesis, offering 270 new homes, many for social rent.

While the former council waste depot was redeveloped some time ago, the public baths and washhouse on site were less straightforward. Housed in a listed Victorian complex completed in 1898, they were among the biggest in London, bringing subsidised laundry and bathing to the community. During the winter months, to save money on heating, the first-class baths were covered with wooden flooring and the space was used for boxing—even attracting the Kray Twins in its heyday.

The site originally had planning in place for 10 flats, with commercial uses to the rear—a configuration that didn’t stack up for potential investors. However, as a fully commercial development it held a lot more potential, with its unique character and incredible space and volume.

We could see that to a creative company, priced out of one of the prime central London neighbourhoods, it would make an interesting proposition, so we began to engage with possible tenants—galleries, film studios and fashion brands. With numerous collaborations, Palace will bring new life into the building and build strong links to the local community. Improvements will retain the original fabric but increase its environmental performance to BREEAM Very Good.

There are only a few developers that could deliver a project of this type—taking a historic building and repositioning it as something special. The interest in the scheme is testament to our network of collaborators but also our ability to tie together a commercial vision with a creative one.