A life on the tiles: young Londoners are renting rooms in some of Clapham's most notorious nightclubs

Property guardians now pay up to £500 a month to live in the former 390-capacity nightclub. 
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A “hedonistic” nightclub where ravers would dance until the early hours has been turned into a temporary home for young key workers who are struggling to afford to live in London.

The Artesian Well venue in Clapham, south London — described as a Grecian-themed hotbed of “Bacchanalian revelry” — is one of three former nightclubs and a closed pub that will provide rooms for 28 renters.

They will pay between £400 and £550 a month, including bills — about half the price of conventional tenancies, according to the company behind the scheme.

Property company Lowe Guardians, which converts empty buildings into living spaces, is offering the unusual pads in vacant premises awaiting redevelopment or refurbishment.

They are also fitted with shared bathrooms, showers and kitchens.

Residents, known as “guardians”, typically get a minimum of three months’ accommodation with 28 days notice given if they have to leave.

They are usually in their twenties or thirties, and could work in health or education, for example.

They sign a licence agreement which gives them fewer rights than a standard tenancy and allows their rooms to be accessed by architects, builders or planners involved in the changes to the property.

A night on the tiles: Clapham's hedonistic night spot is now a temporary home for young Londoners
Lawrie Cornish

The other former nightclubs on offer are Mist on the Rocks, and Lost Society, also in Clapham, and the Pavilion pub in Battersea.

The 390-capacity Artesian Well in Wandsworth Road stayed open until 3am at one stage, before Lambeth council clamped down on late-night noise.

Other unusual properties include former bank buildings in the West End, Mayfair and Marylebone where office floors have been converted into bedrooms and basement bank vaults turned into gyms.

Tim Lowe, founder of Lowe Guardians, said: “The choice to transform these redundant buildings into Lowe ‘pads’ helps balance affordable housing with a trendy market.

"Each property has a unique history and this is a way of preserving that whilst offering a housing solution to London’s key workers.”

£585 FOR A ROOM IN THE HEART OF CHELSEA

Bogdan Nacuta: the IT manager rents a room in the former Chelsea police station for £585 a month (Lawrie Cornish PR)
Supplied by Lawrie Cornish PR

Bogdan Nacuta says people he meets from London “scratch their heads” when he tells them he lives in the heart of Chelsea.

The IT manager, 34, has a room in the former Chelsea police station near Sloane Avenue, which is going to be converted into luxury flats.

The 40 tenants pay £585 a month, including all bills, compared with a local market rate for a similar sized room of £1,000 to £1,500.

It is his third stint as a guardian in three years having previously lived in Mayfair and King’s Cross after renting left him fed up with “ridiculous deposits”.

Living as a guardian has allowed him to save for a deposit on a flat.

Mr Nacuta added: “There is a strong sense of community. I feel comfortable leaving my door unlocked all day. It can be a bit difficult sharing the kitchen and the toilet but I understand there are sacrifices I have to make.”

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