Open House London: The Glasshouse in Petersham

I have enjoyed the garden at The Greenhouse many times and because the house as an awful lot of glass facing the garden I have seen some of the inside too. The Open House London allowed me to go inside and that was an opportunity not to be missed.

I got there a comfortable while before the official opening time of 10:00 on Sunday morning and was not first in the queue. There were about a dozen of us when the door opened and we were let in.

The approach to the house is probably its least interesting feature. It looks very private and there are no windows, not even a little glass in the door, on the side of the house facing the drive.

The basic shape and design can be determined from the outside. The house is clearly not that wide and there is a lot of glass on the left-hand side next to the garden.

It has rained every so slightly and ever so briefly that morning and we intruders were asked to remove our shoes on entry. That act reinforced the cleanliness and tidiness of the house and even though we were allowed to roam unguided through most of it I did so with a sense of trepidation in case I made a mark or inappropriate noise.

One long room faces the garden. This is split in two by the entrance arch (there are no doors downstairs) from the hall/corridor. On the left is the dining area.

On the right is the slightly less formal kitchen area. This also has a long table and shows more signs of use, a mug.

The house is L-shaped and this is the hall/corridor along the base of the L. The kitchen and dining areas are just to the right on the upright of the L. The entrance hall/corridor is beyond that.

Actually it is not quite L-shaped but that is the closest letter in the alphabet. There is a room on the ground floor that protrudes below the base of the L, that is the study that is through the door in the centre. This is used for work, by a doctor judging by the books glimpsed through the door, and was closed to visitors.

Turning around from where the previous picture was taken reveals the square sitting room with the main part of the garden to the left. There is a smaller garden to the right with a soothing water feature.

This is a room that I could spend many comfortable hours in.

At the top of the stairs rising from the sitting room is a study area on the landing. The base of the L is shorter upstairs but the impromptu study is still much bigger than most people are used too.

Most of the bedrooms were off-limits, indicated by no more than a closed door, but we were allowed in to the master bedroom at the top of the L above the entrance. Again the size is impressive and it takes the reflection in the mirror to show that there is a large bed in the room too.

The garden can be seen through the windows on the left though the upstairs protrudes a little forward (see top picture) so it is only the far window that has this view.

I love the carpet.

Actually, I love almost everything about the house except for its a little bit out of the way location, it is good to have shops in easy walking distance and the nearest shops from here must be a mile away.

It would look a lot different if I lived there too as I am not always quite as neat and tidy as this.