Within the coveted quarters of the Spitalfields Conservation Area, Princelet Street holds a special distinction for its authenticity and beauty. Along with its handsome neighbouring streets, these grand Grade-II listed terraces stand as a monument to the exodus of Huguenots from France during the late 17th Century and have been preserved with a level of care and sympathy rare even among London’s historic landscape.
After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, France suffered an exodus of the Protestant Huguenots. Many of them were skilled craftsmen and a large number settled in London, especially Spitalfields, which already had the reputation for a booming textile trade. Their addition brought with it an expertise in the weaving of silk. These houses formed their community.
One, among the many brilliant architects in east London, has become synonymous with the Huguenot houses and stands above the rest in the restoration, renovation and sensitive expansion of these Georgian gems. Chris Dyson acquired this particular house in 2006 and resurrected it from decades of neglect, restoring it with exacting attention to historical detail and updating it to reflect the needs of modern life, as he and his practice have done for so many of these cherished spaces.
