The Fun House

The Fun The Fun House House

The Parkers’ bold vision and tenacity helped them transform a derelict grade-II listed space in Hastings into the ultimate family playground

The building looks compact from the front, belying the huge square footage inside

T T he bijou frontage of Laurie and Solomon Parker’s house, set on a quiet street a few roads back from the seafront in Hastings, gives little clue as to what lies within. Stepping inside the property, visitors are transported to a magical land of fun and wonder. The couple have painstakingly transformed the former Turkish baths into a playground for children and adults alike and it now features a vast open-plan living space, bedecked with original fairground

HOME TRUTHS

LOCATION: Hastings, East Sussex

THE OWNERS: Laurie and Solomon Parker live with their son Eli

THE PROPERTY: A converted Turkish bath house, built in 1864

signs, arcade games and a full-size vintage bowling alley.

“We were renting in south-east London and found the house completely randomly after driving down to Camber Sands with the dog,” remembered Laurie. “We ended up following the road along the coast to Hastings, got out, saw all the antique shops and thought it was a marvellous place.”

This day trip prompted ‘Zoopla addict’ Solomon to look at property for sale in the area, which is when he came across a former bath house that had been on the market for ten years. The grade-II listed building was built in the mid 1800s and started life as a Turkish bath house, before being converted into a swimming pool for a local school during Victorian times. After a brief spell as a church, it was then used as a glass factory before lying empty for a decade. “The previous owner wanted to make it into

A love of all things carnival is in the blood for Solomon, who has Romani ancestors It was going to take a huge amount of vision and a sizable fund to turn the building into a home

a family home for his daughter and already had planning permission in place, but then he ran out of money,” said Laurie. “It was just getting more and more derelict – the roof had fallen in and trees were starting to grow through the walls.”

It was going to take a huge amount of vision and a sizable fund to turn the building into a home. “The old owner showed us around. We

The grade-II listed building was built in the mid 1800s and started life as a Turkish bath house

walked in and both knew we needed to live in it, which is weird because it didn’t look like a house at all,” said Laurie.

The couple secured a developer’s mortgage and bought the house in 2013. The previous plans weren’t really usable so they set about getting new planning permission to convert the space into a threebedroom home. What followed was a torturous three-year process.

“We were constantly caught in the middle between the

planning and conservation departments. We were reconditioning a building for a new purpose so there were lots of things that we had to do as per the planning regulations, but they would always conflict with what the conservation department wanted,” explained Laurie. “Also, managing the developer’s mortgage was really stressful because you get your money in stages, but we kept running out and having to find cash from other places.”

The couple added a staircase and converted the roof space into a master bedroom with en suite, while downstairs they created a stunning openplan kitchen/living area and mezzanine, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. While the original Victorian pool

I love sourcing old things and reconditioning them – and then working out how and where I can use them

KITCHEN The kitchen carcasses were bought online and the couple used a carpenter to custom-make the doors from pallets

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The mezzanine features comfy leather chairs and a light-up drinks cabinet

sits under the floorboards of the living space and is used for storage, the other portion of the basement has been turned into a cinema room and utility space.

Luckily, music agent Solomon and counsellor Laurie kept their rental property in London while the work was being done. “That was a

The bowling alley offers plenty of opportunities for family fun

privilege and a luxury but it was the only thing that kept us from going insane,” recalled Laurie. The couple welcomed son Eli, in September 2015 and in November the following year, the project was complete and they moved in. “It was meant to be a weekend place as we had planned to buy a flat in London, but after having Eli, life

The master bedroom features a hidden shower and WC behind a wood partition, while a copper bath sits to the side of the bed just seemed to sort of carry us down here,” said Laurie.

The couple share the same taste in interiors and are drawn to eclectic vintage pieces. “During the build, we put a rule in place that we would only buy things that we both loved. We ended up buying enough to fill a storage container and at the end we didn’t remember what was in there! But somehow it just all came together and worked. Even the sign alongside the bowling alley was the perfect fit but we had bought it in five pieces with no idea where we were going to put it,” explained Laurie.

The finish is a delightful mix of fairground nostalgia – inspired by

GUEST EN SUITE Moody blue walls offer a pleasing contrast to the patchwork tiles

The finish is a delightful mix of fairground nostalgia – inspired by Solomon’s carnivalworking ancestors

Solomon’s carnival-working ancestors – midcentury style, industrial chic and Moroccan flair.

While on paper the house seems like the ultimate party pad, in reality it makes the perfect family home. The couple often have Solomon’s sons from a previous marriage, Louis and Miles, to stay and they dote on their little brother Eli. “The house really brings everyone together. The kids don’t just go off and play computer games because we can all be in the same room doing different things” said Laurie. “It’s great on a Sunday when we sit round enjoying a big family lunch and then the children play around us afterwards while we sit back and relax.”

Living in such a unique space is the realisation of a long-held dream for Laurie. “As a kid, I loved exploring derelict buildings, photographing and drawing them. I have fulfilled a life-time ambition being able to convert and live in one. The conservation officer told us that we’re just custodians of the building and we are here to pass it on to the next people and now I finally understand what she meant.” l

Words: living4media/Amy Maynard Photography: living4media/Richard Gadsby