Hackney Spotlight: Mole House

David Adjaye renovated this 'Mole House', a derelict house in Hackney, East London for artist Sue Webster. Webster had previously commissioned Adjaye Associates to build her a home called 'Dirty House'. She was attracted by the abandoned house's mysterious past and the infamous Hackney's Mole Man adventures.

Who was the Mole Man? For 40 years, Mole House's previous owner, retired civil engineer William Lyttle, dug caves under his 20-room home on Mortimer Road in East London. He was later evicted and the tunnels were blocked up with concrete.

During the renovation, the architecture studio carefully dug out 2,000 tonnes of the concrete used to fill up holes around the property, revealing years of what the studio called 'fossilised domestic history'.

Over 15,000 reclaimed London bricks were used to patch up the damaged facade. The home was restored completely to reveal its fascinating history and years of fossils.

We love this innovative and unusual approach to preserving an interesting chapter in East London history. Keep your eyes open for the Mole House next time you explore Hackney.