Here stands The Mushroom House. It is a peculiar structure that sparks the imagination. This fairytale house in London resembles a giant mushroom.
The Mushroom House is Grade II-listed. It sits in a large private garden on Wood Green High Road in North London. You might be surprised to learn it went on sale for £350,000.
Believed to date back to the early 1800s, The Mushroom House has a fascinating past. It was once a lodging house. The house accommodated the gatekeeper and staff of the Chilts House Estate. The estate was sadly demolished in 1895.
The Mushroom House may have been a children’s playhouse. It could have been an ornamental dairy. These dairies were popular displays of wealth. Aristocrats often had them during the Georgian era. Historic England lists it for its “curiosity value”.
The Mushroom House is constructed around a central double brick chimney breast. Wood beams and structural features are visible throughout. The ground floor has a kitchen and living area. These surround the fireplace.
Upstairs in The Mushroom House are two double bedrooms. One has a brick fireplace. The bathroom is stripped back to its beams. It features a tin bath. The stair supports are made from repurposed iron bars. There is also a loft space accessible from the hallway.
Underfloor heating lies beneath parquet flooring. The building stays remarkably cool in summer. It retains heat well. That is rare for a Georgian-era property in London.
Independent builders of the era put their own spin on property in London. The Mushroom House is an incredibly rare example of this. It sits on a huge plot. The garden has been re-wilded. It is essentially a playground. The setting is something of dreams. It is set into a park. It is fenced off from wandering eyes.
Retts Wood, her partner Nate Petre, and their two children called The Mushroom House home. They lived here since 2016. When they bought it, the home needed considerable work. It was filled with mould. It had a number of interior issues.
Parts of the estate still remain. George Meehan House is on the south side of Woodside Park. It has also been Grade 2 listed by Historic England. They describe it as having the appearance of an “C19 Ornamental Dairy”.
The agents at Unique Property Company say it is an incredibly rare find. They say the setting is a dream. Despite the main entrance being on a bus route, you barely hear the traffic inside The Mushroom House. Wood Green tube station is only a 10-minute walk away.
The Mushroom House stands as a testament to unique architecture. It reminds us of the whimsical possibilities within the city.