When architectural designer Simon Hawksley purchased a whole street in Rugby in 2002 he discovered a hidden gem amid the buildings which included a pub, a restaurant and assorted accommodation.
Tucked away on the first floor of a boarded up warehouse on Little Church Street was an abandoned Guinness bottling plant.
Simon said: “When I drew the layout of the ground and first floors, I could see first floor windows on the outside that I realised were inaccessible from the inside.
“The 2,000 square feet of warehouse space was initially revealed by simply punching a hole in the ceiling.”
He discovered an Aladdin’s cave full of 18th century medicine bottles, vintage wine, several second editions of books and a Gaggia coffee machine worth £700.
The original machines used to bottle the Guinness were still in situ and there was even a Guinness bottle dating from the 1950s with Little Church Street written on the label, all of which appealed to Simon’s love of historical collectables – he also owns the registered design of the original rugby ball.
“As soon as I saw the space, I could immediately envisage it as a Jackson Pollock Manhattan-style apartment of the 1940s and 50s,” he said.
Inspired by the film Ghost, which sees Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore sledgehammer their way to creating a spacious, high ceilinged duplex, Simon spent seven months converting the old bottling plant into a trendy three-bedroom apartment.
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“As I needed to live in the vicinity to obtain a licence for the pub but did not want to live above a pub, I set about installing an external access door, a staircase and dividing walls,” said Simon.
“I was concerned to ensure that the best and most significant original features remained, such as the hoist, the warehouse doors, the winch, the original metal windows, the sandblasted brickwork, the rivets but most importantly that sense of open space which is lost on conventional modern homes.
“The design for the kitchen was inspired by the Art Deco kitchens of the 1920s, but with a distinct contemporary slant.
“Interestingly, the roof-top garden is the only private residence that overlooks The Close, which is where William Webb ‘first picked up the ball and ran’, defining the game of rugby, and is ripe for further development.”
Simon lived in the apartment with his family after it was completed. They moved out when they needed some more space and let it out instead.
“What I missed most after we left the apartment was the open plan living,” continued Simon, “and being right in the centre of town in a pedestrianised cul-de-sac with every convenience so close to hand.
“It’s surrounded by lots of independent shops and, of course, it’s so close to Rugby School. The town is also ideally placed from a transport point of view. It’s only 48 minutes from Euston, London, while its central position near the hub of the M1, the M6 and the A14, provides easy access to the country in every direction.”
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The striking looking property now includes a long sitting/dining room with double doors to a Juliet balcony. There is an opening to a study and another to an industrial style kitchen.
The apartment has three double bedrooms, one with sauna, and a bathroom with skylight windows.
On the ground floor is a garage and storage. Outdoor space is offered in the form of the substantial roof terrace.
VIEWING INFORMATION
AGENT: Fine & Country
TEL: 01788 820062
WEB: www.fineandcountry.com.
GUIDE PRICE: £200,000