Purley Downs Road is a residential development in Sanderstead, a village within the London Borough of Croydon. Designed by South London-based architecture and design studio Harp & Harp, the project replaces a single suburban dwelling with seven new family homes.
By reimagining an individual large plot as a pair of terraces, the development represents a considered approach to suburban intensification. It demonstrates how sensitive design can enrich established neighbourhoods, making more efficient use of urban land while preserving the character and spatial quality of the surroundings.
Site and arrangement
The site occupies a deep corner plot with a long garden, characteristic of the area’s early twentieth-century suburban layout. This configuration allowed the creation of two terraces: one of three houses on the footprint of the original dwelling (facing Purley Downs Road) and another of four houses extending along the garden’s length on North Down. Each terrace frames a distinct frontage while maintaining a coherent architectural language. Two shared parking courts, one at the front of the site and another between the terraces, organise access, while every home benefits from private front and rear gardens.
Form and architecture
The houses are generous and well-proportioned, with good ceiling heights and large windows that bring in natural light. Architecturally, the scheme reinterprets the Arts and Crafts character that defines much of the surrounding suburb. The design is domestic in silhouette but sculptural in massing, combining recognisable vernacular motifs and proportions with contemporary detailing.
The terraces are designed to be neighbourly, enhancing their suburban context through refined form and carefully considered materiality rather than competing with it. Their sculpted geometries respond to the prominent corner site and the change in orientation between Purley Downs Road and North Down, producing a balanced and composed streetscape.
Material strategy
The material palette was guided by contextual sensitivity and a desire for contemporary expression. It draws from the quintessentially suburban mix of red brick, white render, and tile. Harp & Harp reimagined these elements in more durable, low-maintenance forms. On the front terrace, a combination of pale and red brickwork establishes a dialogue with the surrounding architecture: the lighter brick evokes the texture and tone of traditional roughcast render, while the red brick reflects the established masonry of neighbouring houses. For added texture and refinement, long-format bricks and clay tiles were used to articulate the facade, bringing definition to its edges and horizontal lines.
The second terrace adopts a more varied approach. While a fully red brick treatment was considered, horizontally laid clay tiles were instead introduced to reinforce the sculpted form of the terraces and acknowledge the two-tone material tradition found locally. This reinterpretation of a familiar suburban palette lends the development a sense of weight and permanence while maintaining visual continuity with its context.
Character and intent
By combining familiar suburban forms with a refined, modern material language, Harp & Harp has created a collection of family homes that feel distinctly of their time yet comfortably embedded in their setting. The development demonstrates how thoughtful design can enrich established neighbourhoods, balancing contextual sensitivity with confident architectural expression. The result is a modest yet assured addition to South London’s suburban landscape.
