This was a mixed-use project and consisted of 33,000m2 of commercial space, 40 residential apartments, 3000m2 of retail space and 1400m2 public realm space. It was also situated just 500 yards from Liverpool Street station.
The site boasts lots of history, with continuous occupation from some of the blocks from medieval times. Bishopsgate and Shoreditch High Street was one of the most important Roman roads leading north from London from the earliest times of settlement.
By the early 18th century, when Spitalfields was becoming an important silk manufacturing area, more extensive redevelopment occurred in Blossom, Fleur de Lis, Elder and Folgate Street (then known as White Lion Street), on which many houses were built up from the 1720s.
Nicholls and Clarke gradually acquired adjoining properties on Blossom Street in the 1880s and 1890s. This period saw the beginnings of Nicholls and Clarke’s extensive empire of showrooms, shops and warehouses that was to cover much of Shoreditch by the 20th century. The firm began as glass merchants in c.1875 before expanding into paint, ironmongery and sanitary ware, trading almost from the outset from a shop on Norton Folgate and warehouses on Blossom Street.
The total renovation cost for this project was almost £200m and spanned a number of streets.
Mumford & Wood manufactured 142 Box Sash Windows, 19 Casement Windows, 48 Conservation Doors and 2 Bi-folding doors. The design of these reflects the architectural importance of neighbouring Georgian and Victorian properties.
The products were finished in a mix of dark greys, blues, greens and also a lighter off-white colour.