Mercer Walk Covent Garden, 13-14 Langley Street London Renovation, UK building restoration, Architecture photos

Mercer Walk Covent Garden, London

post updated 25 March 2024

Design: Ian Ritchie Architects Ltd

Location: between Mercer Street and Langley Street, Covent Garden, London, UK

Mercer Walk in Covent Garden

Mercer Walk Covent Garden building street
photograph © Peter Langdown

post updated 4 Dec 2020 ; 23 Nov 2017

13-14 Langley Street Refurbishment

The Mercers’ Company, a City of London Livery Company established by Royal Charter in 1394, commissioned Ian Ritchie Architects to develop the space between Mercer Street and Langley Street in Covent Garden. The £22m scheme was completed in November 2016 with tenants taking occupation through to Spring 2017.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden building streetscape Mercer Walk Covent Garden courtyard
photos © Peter Langdown

The design enhances and complements the surrounding urban realm and was applauded as outstanding by Westminster City Council planning committee when permission was granted. Simple, elegant and beautifully detailed groups of individual buildings reflect the historic typology and architectural appeal of the area.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden 13-14 Langley Street London

Uncredited photos are by Ian Ritchie Architects

A new, contemporary central piazza forms the focal point of the development, accessed from both Langley and Mercer Streets. The development is part of a new pedestrian route from Upper St Martins’ Lane to Neal Street, with the last link from Langley Street to Neal Street yet to be completed.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden 13-14 Langley Street London

The piazza is orientated to optimise sun exposure. Blue Belgian Limestone slabs and setts and white granite setts are arranged in a regular chequered pattern along the streets, giving way to a more elaborate pavement design in the piazza’s centre.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden 13-14 Langley Street London

The refurbishment of 13-14 Langley Street, an original 19th Century Covent Garden warehouse, to create a new flagship retail store within visual reach of the busy Long Acre–Langley Street junction provides an architectural feature designed to draw pedestrians in from Long Acre. Brick bands on the retained east façade wrap onto the rebuilt south façade and determine the proportions of the three large, multi-story vertical and arched glazed openings whose detailing recalls the adjoining brewery buildings in Shelton Street.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden London
photograph © Eva Menuhin

The three new mixed-use buildings provide retail and restaurant space at ground and basement levels with 24 residential apartments on the upper floors. The North Building is formed around one central core. The South-East and South-West Buildings share a residential courtyard. A 4-story cast aluminium screen marks the entrance to the courtyard and creates a visual link between the central piazza and Langley Street. Behind it the buildings are linked by covered walkways at each floor.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden London facade
photo © Eva Menuhin

The new buildings are faced in different colours of brick to ensure continuity with existing buildings in the area. The window reveals for each building are distinct yet subtle variations of the Georgian window style found throughout Covent Garden.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden from iRAL on Vimeo.

All the residential apartments have external space in the form of loggias. Set back within the building’s footprint, they create a distinct language for each building.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden 13-14 Langley Street London

The unusual, intricately detailed cast aluminium folding privacy screens for the loggias are a key architectural feature of the development. In various bright colours, they contrast with each individual building’s brickwork, giving liveliness and visual delight to the courtyard.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden 13-14 Langley Street London

Ian Ritchie Architects have since been commissioned to do Phase 2 of Mercer Walk, which is the internal transformation of the building on Long Acre.

Mercer Walk Covent Garden building London
photograph © Grant Smith

A new mixed-use development in Covent Garden for the Mercers’ Company:

Mercer Walk Covent Garden ‘use of colour’ from iRAL on Vimeo.

Architecture Awards:

RICS Awards (London) – Regeneration: Finalist (2018)
Constructing Excellence Awards – Building of the Year (London and Southeast): Winner (2017)
WAF Awards – Mixed-use: Completed Buildings: Finalist (2017)
WAF Awards – Best Use of Colour Prize: Finalist (2017)
The Building Awards – Building Magazine Project of the Year: Finalist (2017)

Mercer Walk Covent Garden 13-14 Langley Street London

Ian Ritchie Architects
110 Three Colt Street
London E14 8AZContact Us
+44 (0)20 7338 1100
[email protected]

Mercer Walk Covent Garden 13-14 Langley Street London

Ian Ritchie Architects

Mercer Walk Covent Garden London building images / information received 041220

Location: 13-14 Langley Street, Covent Garden, central London, England, UK

London Architecture

Contemporary Architecture in London

London Architecture Links – chronological list

London Buildings Tours

London Hotel Buildings

London Architect

Covent Garden Architecture

Contemporary Architecture in Covent Garden

NoMad London Hotel
Design: Roman and Williams
NoMad London Hotel in Covent Garden
photo © Emsie Jonker
NoMad London Hotel

PACATA
PACATA London Restaurant

Covent Garden London Market
Covent Garden London Market

Covent Garden Flower Cellars
Design: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Covent Garden Flower Cellars

New Covent Garden Market in South London

New Covent Garden Market Railway Arches Building Renewal
Design: Neil Tomlinson Architects
New Covent Garden Market Building
photograph courtesy Neil Tomlinson Architects

Embassy Gardens
Embassy Gardens Nine Elms London
image from Wandsworth Council
Embassy Gardens – One Nine Elms

London Architecture

Smithfield Market Architecture

Comments / photos for the Mercer Walk Covent Garden at 13-14 Langley Street building design by Ian Ritchie Architects page welcome