Castle Club

The Castle Club is a Grade II listed building located along the eastern side of Hurlingham Park at the heart of Parsons Green. Originally built as a “Ragged school” in 1855, by architect Horace Francis, the building has fallen into a state of disrepair over the years following diverse uses as a school, youth club and until recently as a guardian dwelling.

The elaborate elevations retain much of their original character, though substantial stone and brickwork repairs were carried out in the 1970s. The building also retains key original features internally, including the plan form of a series of large, open classroom spaces as well as exposed timber ceilings, rafters and corbels, carved stone chimney pieces, stone flag flooring and ornate joinery.

In order to prevent the Castle Club from slipping further into dilapidation, Darling Associates and The Thackery Estate have worked to reignite the site, with a comprehensive restoration of the existing building whilst providing modern facilities; returning the building to its former glory. The resulting scheme comprises of a 32 bedroom Luxury Care Home, re-using and modifying the listed building, with a sensitive complementary extension.

The design will reinvigorate and reinstate a local landmark building, while fully respecting and retaining the historic character and principal architecture. The new extension is designed to sympathetically integrate with the existing massing, carefully unifying both historic and contemporary design, through the use of a sensitive material palette and juxtaposition of elaborate Gothic revival style with clean modern lines, further enhancing the existing streetscape in this conservation area.

A thorough consultation process including pre-application discussions with the council, public consultations and a Design Review Panel were undertaken and the scheme received planning consent in 2021.

Having commenced work in November 2021, Knowles Construction were appointed as main contractor to complete Phase 1 shell and core work, working closely with Darling Associates to bring the historic Grade II listed building back to life. Once fully completed it will be home for a new state-of-the-art care home with KYN Homes, the personalised holistic care home provider and is due to open in Spring 2024.