A 300-year-old pub on the edge of Hampstead Heath in London has been reborn courtesy of an extensive revamp led by the DHaus Company. The Bull and Last received a facelift that maintains the structure’s historic integrity while infusing the space with a modern sensibility. Existing facilities were demolished and relocated underground in order to construct a pair of duplex flats and a six-bedroom boutique hotel concept that channels the coaching inns of yore.
“The pub used to be one of the last inns on your way out of London, so it was a kind of staging posts for journeys into the countryside,” says DHaus director Daniel Woolfson. “We wanted to preserve some of that history in the work we did here, preserving key elements of the main pub keeping it as a traditional dining room as much as possible and hiding all the new services and updated elements in the background.”
Reminiscent of a Victorian inn, the resuscitated property draws inspiration from historic characters associated with the area, including the former Earl of Mansfield. Ventilation systems and dumbwaiters resembling Victorian chimneys help perpetuate the illusion.
Also hidden from view, a new loft extension infills the existing butterfly roof to allow the upper two levels to accommodate hotel guestrooms. Each chamber is crafted in homage to a historical figure. The Faraday Room, for example, is named for scientist Michael Faraday, and includes a skylight above the shower room for stargazing and a freestanding copper bathtub that nods to his work in electromagnetism. Custom joinery details hotel interiors along with hidden jib doors and desk consoles clad with wall panels that match the elegant pub below.
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