‘It had the air of an ex-rental, and that’s putting it politely’: How an antique dealer transformed a run-down Georgian house in Chatham Dockyards

Stephen Sprake says he’s easily bored. During Covid, the antique dealer specialising in European antique and decorative items, decided to shut his shop, Sans Pretension, on Church Street in Marylebone and sell the loft he owned off Old Street. Looking for his next project, he spotted a Grade II*-listed former captain’s house within the historic dockyards at Chatham in Kent. He set about meticulously restoring the property, which had been knocked about by generations of owners, excavating the depths of eBay for reclaimed materials along the way.

He honed an eye for buying at a young age by trawling flea markets. ‘I grew up in Putney where there used to be a great one. I would also venture up to Camden Passage and Portobello Road with a neighbour who was far more senior, but happy for me to tag along.’ He also devoured the property advertisements in Country Life as a young boy. Having been expelled from a succession of schools — both independent and state — he left formal education at 15 and ended up buying and selling property around France. ‘In the early 1990s, when the property market took a huge dip, I had to re-think my future and gravitated towards antiques. Fortunately, there was a market for French furniture, textiles and lighting and I built the business from there.’

It’s a profession that suits his low boredom threshold. ‘The reality is that antiques are relentlessly interesting. I love making collections — that’s the compulsion. It’s not about greed or monopolising the market. My attitude is that whereas one is boring, 60 is exciting. My stand [at Battersea Antiques Fair] and shop have always sold things you don’t find elsewhere. Now clients can come to the Captain’s House to see them in situ.’

The Battersea Antiques Fair is where Dominic Myland, the 5th generation family owner of the Lambeth-based paint company, Mylands, met Sprake a decade ago. ‘We’ve had a long-standing partnership with the Fair,’ explains Myland. ‘A few years ago, having supplied the paint for the Sans Pretention stand, I got chatting to Stephen and he told me about his recent house purchase and invited me to come and have a look.’ A project which originally began with Mylands supplying paint for a couple of the rooms grew into collaborating on the whole house. ‘Dominic saw it and suggested doing the whole thing — there are no dud rooms so it was a perfect canvas for his wonderful collection of paint,’ says Sprake.

Before that could happen, some renovation work was required. Standing at the end of a row of 12 grand houses on the Officers’ Terrace, the Captain’s House is slightly bigger than the others, in recognition of the senior rank. Built during the 1830s, it had fallen from its graceful beginnings as the significance of the dockyard began to wane. During the 1950s, it was converted into an office and, when the naval base closed in the Eighties, it became a run-down house of multiple occupancy.

‘It had the air of an ex-rental, and that’s putting it politely,’ says Sprake. ‘We gutted it from top to bottom with great care due to its listing as a scheduled ancient monument. It required new wiring — there weren’t enough sockets installed during the last wiring — and replumbed the whole house.’ From eBay, he sourced about 60 cast iron radiators and all 54 windows were refurbished. ‘The last person who had tried to renovate the house had put in fibreglass slipper baths and plastic pipework which is prone to bursting so it all had to go.’ What seemed like acres of wall-to-wall carpet was removed revealing beautiful floorboards underneath, alongside all the gaps which required filling. Then it was time to paint.

Working together with Mylands, a ‘house colour’ of Grey Ochre was chosen for many of the main reception rooms. ‘Alongside Archway House and Limestone, they provide a quiet backdrop and create an overall refined feeling that is at once fitting for the house, but also allows bolder colours to be introduced,’ explains Myland who is the great-grandson of the firm’s founder. In the bedroom, there is a painted rug effect on the floor which uses layers of green, pink and red. ‘One of the most interesting aspects of this project is how colour has been used to add character to a building which is already abundant in personality,’ continues Myland. ‘A traditional rug would’ve been the obvious choice, but Stephen has the confidence to do something a bit different that still feels very comfortable there.’

While most of the colours used throughout the house come from the company’s existing collections, a few were made bespoke. ‘Mylands are great for producing the ultra-matt finishes that are ideal for historic houses,’ says Sprake. ‘And they are so knowledgeable. I sent them a flake of a very unusual blue paint from the railings at the front of the house uncovered under layers of black and they matched it perfectly; it’s now on the front door.’

The ground floor is dedicated to what the dealer describes as a ‘contextual selling situation’; that is, clients and interested buyers can come and view the collection of pieces in an actual living and breathing house, almost all of which are on sale. ‘Some things are so precious that they would never be sold, but others I can replace. The idea is that if someone walks into the house and they like the vibe, they’ll feel comfortable to buy after seeing pieces in context,’ says Sprake. Nothing is slavish to a particular period or style; it’s the juxtaposition of objects, styles or periods that whisks away stuffiness and induces a wry smile. Take, for example, the principal bedroom where a 1950s mannequin hand daintily holds the nail that attaches an Italian Old Master painting to the wall. ‘There is a thread of quality throughout but one of the things I think is important to stress is that there has to be a bit of humour. The Ibizan-style three-twigs-in-a-jar is fine but I’m more about colour, shape and subversion.’