Pioneer Centre VI
St Mary's Road, London SE15
Register for similar homes“Set within a striking and truly innovative mid-century building”
Set over two storeys of Sir Owen William’s Pioneer Centre on St Mary’s Road in Peckham, this two-bedroom apartment of over 900 sq ft has been vibrantly updated. The Grade II-listed art deco building lies within gated green grounds and is characterised by expansive banks of windows that flood its interiors with light. The building has a strong community feel and, due to its early history as a health centre, residents have access to wonderful amenities, including a 1930s swimming pool, tennis courts, bike storage, a gym and gated grounds. The apartment also comes with a private off-street parking space.
The Architect
The Pioneer Centre was designed by Sir Owen William, best known as the principal engineer for Wembley Stadium and Birmingham’s ‘Spaghetti Junction’. Using concrete and steel in the centre’s design allowed the architect to realise ambitious, striking shapes. The building’s pool is at the centre of the building, set beneath a glazed roof that draws in an astonishing amount of natural light. For more information, please see the History section below.
The Tour
Located on the first floor, the apartment is accessed via a pool-side corridor. Entry is to the main open-plan living spaces, which unfold across the entire upper floor of the apartment. South-west-facing, slightly curved glazing fills the far wall, drawing in a brilliant quality of light care of its south-west-facing aspect.
There is a wonderfully unrestricted feel to the room. Only the kitchen is fixed, although its L-shaped dove grey cabinetry and granite countertops ensure that it stays open to the rest of the room. Appliances here have been neatly integrated and are by Bosch. A bespoke graphic splash back runs behind, adding a subtly striking focal point. The rest of the room is divided between a dining space and a sitting area, with honey-hued Havwoods parquet grounding throughout. This space is well-served by air conditioning.
A spiral staircase winds down to the lower storey, where the two bedrooms make use of its peaceful ambience. Both are a generous size and have wall-to-wall windows that overlook the green communal grounds. The main bedroom has a smart en suite finished in a pared-back colour scheme. A second near identical bathroom lies opposite the second bedroom and also has a bathtub and a shower.
Outdoor Space
As a result of its early history as a health centre, residents have access to unrivalled facilities, including a striking 1930s swimming pool, tennis courts, gym and gated grounds.
The Area
The Pioneer Centre is excellently located between the thriving areas of Queens Road Peckham and Nunhead. Recent developments along Queens Road continue to contribute to the area, notably the Blackbird Bakery under the railway arches, Mama Dough’s pizza restaurant, and several new independent bars. Nunhead Lane has a village-like feel, with a greengrocer, a fishmonger, a deli, a café and a new community centre by AOC architects. Popular local pubs include the Old Nun’s Head and Beer Shop.
The nearby Bellenden Road has become a centre for some excellent independent restaurants, bars, and shops, including Artusi, The Begging Bowl and Flock & Herd butchers. The Bussey Building, off Rye Lane, hosts an active and varied programme of yoga/dance classes and workshops, along with a residency from the Royal Court Theatre. Peckham Levels hosts street food, bars and cafes, along with live music. The green spaces of Telegraph Hill, with wonderful views over the city, and Peckham Rye Park are a short walk away.
The building is well located for local schools; within walking distance are St Thomas The Apostle (secondary and sixth form), with local primary schools including Edmund Waller, Kender, John Donne, St Mary Magdalene Church of England, and Hollydale.
Queens Road Peckham is the nearest station, just a five-minute walk away, running London Overground services to Shoreditch High Street and Dalston Junction in one direction and Clapham Junction in the other. Connections to the Jubilee Line can be reached at Canada Water (10 minutes) and the Northern Line at Clapham High Street (11 minutes). Southern trains run services to London Bridge with a journey time of around 7 minutes. Nunhead station is a seven-minute walk away with connections to Victoria (in 15 minutes) and King’s Cross St Pancras (in 25 minutes).
Tenure: Leasehold
Lease Length: Approx. 100 years remaining
Service Charge: Approx. £3,000 per annum
Ground Rent: Approx. £125 per annum
Council Tax Band: C
Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.
History
The Pioneer Centre was purpose-built for what became known as ‘The Peckham Experiment’. Two doctors, George Scott Williamson and Innes Hope Pearse chose Peckham because the “populace roughly represents a cross-section of the total populace of the nation with as widely differing a cultural admixture as it is possible to find in any circumscribed metropolitan area”. The doctors believed that medical practice was overly focused on curing disease, rather than on cultivating good health and preventing illness. Instead, they believed that given the right tools, people would take responsibility for their own well-being.
The experiment began in 1926, using a house on Queen’s Road SE15 as its base. For the new Pioneer Centre, Sir Owen Williams devised large open spaces to allow the Centre’s doctors to properly observe the members. Williams was formally trained as an engineer and is best known for his design of the Express Building in Manchester, along with forward-thinking designs for Britain’s motorways including ‘Spaghetti Junction’. Using concrete and steel allowed the architect to realise ambitious shapes that housed a gymnasium, lecture hall and rest and recreation rooms. At the centre of the building is the swimming pool, whose glazed roof allows in as much natural light as possible, along with windows that could be fully opened to circulate fresh air into the building. Cork floors encouraged people to walk barefoot.
Members paid one shilling a week to access organised activities, games and workshops as well as yearly medical examinations to keep track of progress. Central to the Pioneer Centre’s philosophy was the belief that left to themselves people would begin to organise in a creative way, which indeed happened. The centre closed in 1950 despite public support, as its innovative approach did not fit with the tenets of the newly formed NHS. However, its ideals inspired further projects in the field of social biology.
