Status: Planning Permission Granted

Building Cost: 900k

The site comprises a block of three terrace buildings; Nos. 28, 30 and 32 Penywern Road (main building) and a single terrace building at No. 22 Penywern Road (annexe).

The buildings comprising the current hotel –Mowbray Court Hotel- are part of a terrace of similar architectural style built during the 1870s. The front facades of the terraces of these buildings comprise stucco up to the bay windows at the first-floor level and painted brickwork elsewhere.

The hotel accommodation is arranged over 6 storeys and provides 138 rooms, including those at No. 22 Penywern Road (annexe).

This proposal is an attempt to enhance the environment and although certain design aspects can be seen as unorthodox or unusual those are discreetly concealed from view via the use of seasonal gardening.

A garden should be an attractive place that invites people to enjoy the environment whilst being subservient to the surrounding architecture. However, sometimes we focus too much attention on the building(s), the built environment and its planning restrictions, and we tend to forget to design the spaces between buildings. Very often, the spaces between buildings are those that make places memorable.

It is important to recognise that sometimes, the places that create a sense of identity are those that are perceived as unusual or controversial. Places such as The Treetop Walkway in Kew Gardens, The Scoop Amphitheatre near Towerbridge, and The Serpentine Gallery in Kensington and Chelsea.