This 1727 Georgian townhouse has got to be one of the most interesting homes I have ever read about.  The four-storey building was in great disrepair when Historian Dan Cruickshank bought it 30 years ago and he has since restored it to absolute perfection.

Full of 18th century decorative detail, stepping into Dan’s home is like entering a time capsule.  I love the rickety antique furniture and the distressed, flaking paint on the wall above- what stories must these four walls hold?

‘Old Georgian houses like mine have a very strong, benign presence,’ says Dan. ‘Far too many have been changed too much – modern things have been inserted: heating, lighting, or a ghastly power shower. The atmosphere that is present in these buildings has been destroyed’.

Whilst many homeowners may choose to introduce modern amenities subtly,  I do understand where Dan is coming from.  Not including such luxuries (or are these things, such as a power shower, viewed as essentials these days?) will literally transport you back to Georgian times.  I nice idea but can it really work in the long run?  Dan has, after much deliberation, included electricity discretely beneath the woodwork.

Every detail right down to the type of soap has been carefully considered

The hallway looks stunning with its wooden flooring and duck egg blue staircase.  Original pine panelling adorns most of the rooms in the house, along with dados, cornicing, doors and architraves.  Dan would look for remnants of original paint colours when decorating and match them the best he could.

Opening up the boarded windows revealed original 18th-century Crown glass – an early type of hand-blown window glass.  Can you imagine the excitement?  Dan also uncovered old visiting cards, children’s playing cards from the early 20th century, a newspaper dating back to 1848, old bottles and while repairing one fireplace, late 18th-century Delft tiles.

What a privilege it must be to get a glimpse of history first hand.

Story and images via Period Living

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