Published: 16 February 2012
by DAN CARRIER

JACK Woolley has 12 patented inventions to his name, and the range of his work is broad.

It includes: a mop that can reach those hard-to-clean areas; a device that not only warns of impending explosions in coal mines but shoots out rock dust to capture flammable particles in the air; an agricultural fertiliser spreader; and an aerated water jet.

Now, Islington-based designer Mr Woolley, who is also an architect and an engineer, has scooped an award for his first ever commission – he learned this week that he has won the prestigious Architect’s Journal Small Projects Prize for 2012.

He has designed a new home, which is hidden from view behind a brick wall, in Almorah Road, Islington.

From the street, the building is invisible – and Mr Woolley has concealed the entrance in what appears to be a solid brick wall.

“I used London stock bricks from the original wall,” he said.

“We cut them in half to reduce the weight and then I designed a steel door with strong hinges. We have matched up the bricks with the wall so it is completely hidden.”

It had been the home to a man he knew only as “Kenneth”, a self-employed artisan who used the workshop part of the property for more than three decades to handcraft walking sticks.

He sold them across London, and supplied the well-known umbrella and walking stick shop, James Smith and Son, in Gower Street.

Mr Woolley said he instantly found the workshop inspiring.

“He was not the tidiest man in the world and it was like a real Aladdin’s Cave,” he said.

The clients needed somewhere to both live and work, and Mr Woolley was adamant he would re-use as much of the material as he could,  that it would occupy virtually the same footprint, and not be visible from the street.

“The wall running along the street was lovely old London stock brick,” he said.

“The site is long and narrow, coming in at 15 metres in length and just four-and-a-half metres wide.

“We needed to make the most of a long narrow space.

This meant digging out a basement as a living area.

The kitchen, bedroom and living space are below ground and lit by windows sunk into a patio above.

“We did not want to go up and damage the integrity of the original wall nor affect the streetscape, especially as there are rows of trees that are beautiful to look at. We didn’t want to obstruct them.”

Upstairs has two work studios, sitting either side of a front entrance.

Mr Woolley, who before setting up his own practice worked for design company Isis, based in South End Green, wanted to ensure nothing on-site was wasted.

The original workshop had been added to over the years – “Kenneth” the walking stick maker had knocked holes in walls to create windows when the need for them, arose. It meant Mr Woolley had a large selection of different windows to salvage.

“Nothing matched,” he said.

“It was fascinating.”

The original roof also offered potential.

“It was covered in moss and then coated in asbestos cement, which obviously had to go,” said Mr Woolley
“After we had removed that we found tiles made out of pitch pine and they were in good condition.”

Pitch pine was traditionally used in ship-º building as its high-resin content meant it lasted for a very long time.

The pine panels were in such good condition, despite their age, they could be reused.

A crafts workshop in Belfast stripped and planed the wood to use for new kitchen cabinets.

It was touches like this which persuaded the judges hand Mr Woolley first prize.

Images of his work are now on display at a special exhibition at The Small Projects exhibition which runs from February 9 to March 10 at the NLA, Store Street, WC1.