Work

Heron House, part of the Richmond Riverside Estate on the banks of the River Thames, was built in the early 1700s, and for a short period in the early 1800s was home to Emma, Lady Hamilton, the mistress of Horatio Nelson.

From then it became part of a hotel and a Women’s Refuge, before it fell into disrepair and dilapidation in the latter half of the 20th Century. In the 1990s it was refurbished and partially rebuilt by the Traditionalist architect, Quinlan Terry, as a facsimile of the original building, with a cellular plan form representing it’s residential heritage.

TPM Studio’s brief was to make the space work as a contemporary office space, whilst staying within the tight design guidelines established by the building’s Grade II Listed status. The original plan form of the building was respected, but existing openings were rationalised and expanded, to create a more open and more striking internal environment. A finishes palette was chosen that was current, but also respected the heritage character of the building, creating a design where the historic and contemporary aspects of the building worked in harmony with one another.