Incredibly narrow home doesn't look big enough for a bed - until you step inside

27 February 2024 , 09:35

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The property is incredibly thin (Image: PURPLE BRICKS)

Properties inside a stupidly skinny London building are valued at over £1 million - with surprisingly plush interiors.

At first glance it doesn't seem possible that anyone could live inside one of Britain's thinnest homes or that it could even withstand a strong gust of wind without falling to the ground. However, flats inside the building, which has become a tourist attraction, are valued at staggering amounts.

At its narrowest point the building is just six feet wide and at its widest it measures 13 feet from front to back. From the outside, the tall thin block looks like it could be from a film set - almost as if there is only the front of a house, with no rooms inside.

The rooms are luxe despite its tiny exterior (PURPLE BRICKS)

But inside of one of the immaculate flats it appears to be much bigger, with clean white walls and large bay windows giving it an uncluttered feel. It has two double bedrooms, a large living room, a shower room, and out back there is a little garden.

Located in Thurloe Square, Kensington and Chelsea, the building is in a very desirable setting, directly opposite a park and close to the South Kensington tube station and V&A museum. The prices of properties there certainly reflect that.

'I don't want children staying up late at weekends - I really need adult time'

In 2022 a flat in the block sold for a staggering £775,000 and in 2020, one in Thurloe Square was sold for £855,000, which equates to £1,261 per square foot. Back in 2016, a one bedroom apartment, which is just 600 square feet in size, went on sale for £895,000.

The history of the odd looking property is as fascinating as its appearance. Lots of the houses on the square were designed in the 19th century by London architect George Basevi and were traditional in style with column porches at the entrances. Around 20 years later 23 of them were sold to the Metropolitan District Railway, which was working on what we know today as the London Underground or Tube.

A bathroom inside the 'thin house' (PURPLE BRICKS)

The government eventually banned them from building an entrance to South Kensington station so not all the houses were demolished, although many had their back gardens greatly reduced in size.

Local builder William Douglas saw an opportunity to develop the little triangle of building that was left at 1-5 Thurloe Square into artist's studios as Kensington was becoming a hub for artists at the time. The flats that are now selling for extortionate prices are the original studios he managed to squeeze into the space.

What do you think of the ‘thin house’? Let us know in the comments below.

Beth Hardie