The Art of Design Issue 19 2016 | Page 4

The after shot Quintessentially London Theatrical Living by PEEK Architecture + Design Ltd The property consists of nos. 409–410 The Strand. It occupies an enviable position next to the Adelphi Theatre, a stone’s throw away from The Savoy and the River Thames. It’s a site steeped in history, and the Architects, PEEK Architecture + Design, felt a duty to bring the property back to life while staying true to its architectural principles. Georgina Turvey of PEEK Architecture says ‘’We wanted this building to have something of the eccentric about it. These rooms were the dining rooms above the theatre restaurant, so imagine the after parties that went on there, full of actors and London luvvies. We wanted to bring that fun back to life.’’ The History and Inspiration - The building was opened in 1885 by The Gatti Brothers, as The Adelphi Theatre Restaurant, and the upper floors housed the private dining rooms. The Strand had become a newly fashionable address, and was one of the most elegant streets in London. Many avant-garde writers and thinkers gathered here, among them Thomas Carlyle, Charles Dickens, John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer. ‘’But the past dies very hard in the Strand. It puts up a struggle. There still remain buildings which are as our grandfathers knew them..’’ (From ‘Ghosts and Greasepaint’ by W. Macqueen Pope 1951) The before shot