Built in 1708 as the residence of the Master Shipwright to the Royal Naval Dockyard, the Grade II-listed building is one of the few remaining relics of Deptford’s past.
For the last three decades, it has also functioned as a home, studio and creative hub.
Willi Richards bought the house in 1998 with his partner Chris Mazeika after they spotted it “over a fence”. At the time, it was derelict, flooded and missing floors.
“When we first moved in it was on the at-risk register and it was a wreck,” Mr Richards says.
“Now it’s a stable, viable, water-free, almost wind-free, house,” he adds, with a twinkle in his eye.
The couple spent years restoring the enormous building, keeping much of its weathered character.