Renovating this old workhouse is a chance to let a designer’s imagination run free
As Victorian workhouses go, St Clement’s in Bow, east London, is unexpectedly beautiful. A grand ode to Italianate architecture, the building, which was also a former psychiatric hospital, is relishing its newfound revival as affordable housing, part of a regeneration project by the Greater London Authority. Just metres from the chaos and traffic of Mile End Road, the elegant courtyard and grounds of St Clement’s offer a hushed reverence to those living in this vast Grade II listed slice of 19th-century architecture and the sense of community is palpable.
Inside a ground-floor flat, sunlight floods across the sitting room of Tom Bax and his partner Dr Richard Cole, lighting up the bright hues that are painted on each arched window frame. Sculptural lighting, fitting for the elevation of these 19th-century rooms and a rich colourful narrative is interwoven throughout.