This $5.3 Million Midcentury Home in London Sits Atop WWII-Era Sand Tunnels
In London, it's not every day a listing comes with its own underground maze. But that's exactly the hook at Meridian West, a Grade II–listed home in London's Greenwich district that sits atop a network of historic sand tunnels complete with murals, carvings, and a past life as a wartime shelter.
Accessed via a brick staircase in the garden, the subterranean passages run beneath the house and grounds, forming a series of chambers carved out centuries ago as part of a sand mine. During World War II, they were used as air-raid shelter space; today, their walls are etched with engravings and reliefs accumulated over time. The area around Blackheath is known for these tunnel systems, but few are as intact—or as accessible—as this one. Former owner and architect Ian Morton Wright reportedly even used them for entertaining.
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The underground sand tunnels served as a place of shelter during World War II.
Above ground, the four-bedroom house was designed in the mid-1960s by the late architect Julian Sofaer. It is his only private residential commission. The roughly 2,600-square-foot structure is set into a sloping site and enveloped in the natural landscape along a private road. The front of the house presents a solid, brick-heavy facade, while the rear opens up with full-height glass walls that frame views of the gardens. Original details include redwood-lined ceilings, built-in storage, and a layout that emphasizes lateral living.
The accommodation is spread across multiple levels. The main floor includes a kitchen, dining room, principal reception space, four bedrooms, and a family bathroom, while the lower ground level adds a second reception room, a guest bath, and an integral garage. Morton Wright, whose work has been recognized by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), expanded the house in the '70s, adding three bedrooms and another bathroom, along with the infrastructure for a potential self-contained apartment.
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The living room ceiling is lined with timber redwood beams.
The interiors, as they stand, feel more preserved than polished. But that's part of the appeal. The structure and detailing are largely intact, and the £4 million listing (about $5.3 million ) held by Savills positions the property as a renovation opportunity rather than a finished product.
"This is a once in a generation opportunity to acquire one of southeast London's most architecturally significant homes, which has never before come to the market," says agent Antony Cherriman.
Click here to see more photos of the London home.
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