Decorating Princess Road

Princess Road was developed during the 1850s and 1860s as one of the principal residential streets of the expanding Primrose Hill neighbourhood, built on land that formed part of the Eton College Estate. The road was named in honour of a royal princess, reflecting the Victorian convention of conferring dignity on new streets through royal associations. The generous width of the road and the substantial scale of the houses reflected the developer's ambitions to attract a wealthy clientele, and the proximity to Primrose Hill and Regent's Park provided the natural amenity that upper-middle-class Victorians valued. The original houses were built as detached or semi-detached villas, set back from the road behind front gardens enclosed by low brick walls or hedges, creating a spacious suburban character that distinguished Princess Road from the more tightly built terraces of the surrounding streets. The original residents included barristers, physicians, prosperous merchants, and retired colonial administrators who maintained generous households with domestic servants. The Edwardian period saw the addition of some new houses in the Arts and Crafts manner, enriching the architectural variety of the street. During the twentieth century, Princess Road maintained its residential character, attracting the writers, artists, and media figures who have given Primrose Hill its creative reputation. The road falls within the Primrose Hill Conservation Area, with Camden Council maintaining controls over external alterations that preserve the spacious villa character of this distinguished residential street.

The decoration of Princess Road's villa properties requires approaches tailored to the specific architectural period and materials of each house. The Victorian stuccoed villas require Keim mineral silicate paint applied over carefully prepared lime render, with the elaborate Italianate detailing demanding meticulous preparation and precise cutting-in. The Victorian brick villas should have their brickwork maintained in its natural state, with lime-putty repointing where the mortar has deteriorated. The Edwardian properties, with their red brick, roughcast render, and tile-hung gables, require a different palette and approach: the brickwork should be maintained unpainted, the roughcast render treated with Keim silicate paint in colours that harmonise with the brick tones, and the tile-hanging cleaned and repointed with lime mortar. The timber joinery varies by period, from the large-section sash windows of the Victorian houses to the leaded-light casements of the Edwardian villas, each requiring appropriate paint systems. Linseed oil paint provides the most historically appropriate treatment for the Victorian joinery, while microporous paint systems suit the Edwardian elements. The mature garden trees create significant shade that affects drying times and encourages biological growth on sheltered surfaces, requiring biocidal pre-treatment before painting. The ironwork and metalwork vary by period and require hand preparation and appropriate protective systems.