Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Lewisham · London
Alcove Units in Telegraph Hill
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, designed for your room in Telegraph Hill. After a design visit and a quote in writing, it is built in our workshop and fitted in your home.
- Units that sit well with original features
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Furniture that does not fit the alcove
Need alcove units in Telegraph Hill?
What we don’t do
Some parts of a job need another trade, from an electrician to a plumber or a Gas Safe engineer. Here is what to bear in mind:
- Electrical work, such as new sockets or switches, which is for your electrician
- Finding and fixing the cause of damp
- Removing or altering a chimney breast, which is structural work
If you are not sure what’s possible in your room, you can get in touch through our contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer before you arrange a visit. How it works.
What goes into it
- Birch plywood
- Hand-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Panelled or flat doors
- Adjustable shelves
- Scribed side panels
- Spray-painted finish
Alcove units in Telegraph Hill: what you get
Many people choose cupboards at low level and shelves above them. Closed cupboards hide everyday clutter, while the shelves hold books and the things you want on show. The cupboard top gives you a ledge for a lamp, a speaker or a plant. We set the heights to suit the room and what you will store. Typical reasons to get in touch are toys and paperwork with no proper home and bare alcoves beside the fireplace; the furniture is made from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
With a large share of homes around Telegraph Hill built before 1919, the living room is often two rooms knocked through, with a chimney breast in each half. One pair of alcoves might take shelves and the other cupboards, a TV or a desk. Older internal walls can be lath and plaster rather than brick, which changes how shelving is fixed.
After the design visit, we send you a written quote. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so it’s clear what’s included.
- Location
- Telegraph Hill (SE4, SE15, SE14)
- Borough
- Lewisham
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it’s made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What else we make in Telegraph Hill
Built-in living-room furniture in Telegraph Hill
In the neighbourhood around Telegraph Hill, the largest groups of homes date from before 1919 (about 49%) and the years since 2000 (about 16%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. The National Heritage List records 16 entries within half a mile of the centre of Telegraph Hill. Being near listed buildings does not make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. The Ultra Low Emission Zone has covered all of London since it reached the outer boroughs on 29 August 2023. So any van that delivers or fits furniture in Telegraph Hill is covered by it. We plan parking and access with you at the measuring visit.
Queen's House, about 2 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. Living in a block of flats near Brockley station? Then alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room.
Telegraph Hill is about 1 mile north-east of New Cross, in the London Borough of Lewisham. Design visits and fitting in Telegraph Hill can be on a Saturday, by prior arrangement. Telegraph Hill is one of the places in Lewisham where we make alcove units.
Here we cover the SE4, SE15 and SE14 postcode area for alcove units. Streets in the area include Mona Road, Pepys Road and Kitto Road, and homes on each of them are within our area for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Nunhead (1 mile south-west), New Cross (1 mile north-east), Peckham (1 mile north-west), St Johns (1 mile east) and Brockley (1 mile south-east). Elsewhere in Lewisham, we also cover Catford (2 miles south-east), Sydenham (3 miles south), Hither Green (2 miles south-east), Perry Vale (2 miles south), Bell Green (2 miles south) and Lee (2 miles south-east).
What’s near Telegraph Hill
Our area takes in the homes around The Brockley Barge pub. Telegraph Hill has its own railway station: Brockley station. A little further out are Southwark Adult Education Institute (0.6 miles north-west) and Lewisham Shopping Centre (1.4 miles east). Green spaces nearby include New Cross Gate Cutting.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
In a managed block, the building manager or concierge may need notice before we arrive. If there is a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Mention it when you contact us.
Blocks of flats often have their own rules on lift bookings, entry systems and times for trades. Tell us about them at the measuring visit.
What prompts alcove units in Telegraph Hill
For some, it is about books, records or a TV. We can plan an alcove unit around exactly what you have, with shelf heights and depths to suit.
Typical reasons people contact us include:
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Furniture that does not fit the alcove
- Storage that suits a period room
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
If your children go to Haberdashers' Hatcham College or a school nearby, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place.
Before you choose who makes it
- Can you see real work of theirs?
- Are the boards named, such as MDF or plywood?
- Which parts of the job need an electrician or a plumber
- How they handle walls that aren’t straight
How fitting works for alcove units
If anything comes up on the day, just ask. The design, materials and finish were settled before anything was made, so the day itself is about careful fitting. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. In houses converted into flats, the route in may include a shared hall and stairs, so it helps to let neighbours know about fitting day. Each section is sized for the tightest door or turn. Saturday fitting is possible by arrangement.
- You get in touch and tell us about the room and the alcoves, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and discuss the design, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- We send a quote in writing for the units, for you to read through at your own pace.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
Arranging a design visit
We quote once we’ve seen the room. We measure the space, check the walls and floors and discuss what you’d like, then send a quote in writing. Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. To book a design visit, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Advice
Your questions about alcove units in Telegraph Hill
I live near Brockley station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Lewisham and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can drop us a line using the contact form with a few details about the room.
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Telegraph Hill?
It can be, as controlled parking zones cover much of inner London. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. Let us know what parking is near you at the measuring visit.
Can you fit furniture on an external wall?
External walls can be colder and damper than internal ones, so ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps. If there is damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Telegraph Hill?
Just drop us a line using the contact form. It’s useful to send rough sizes and a few pictures, and we’ll arrange a design visit.
Do photos help?
Yes, they help. Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling, give us a good idea of the space, particularly with rough sizes. To send them, drop us a line using the contact form.
Do alcove units affect the chimney’s ventilation?
Any vent is kept clear in the design. Air moving through a capped chimney helps stop damp. If there is damp on the breast already, it is best sorted before fitting.
Looking after your furniture
A few practical points help before and after fitting day. Here are some things worth bearing in mind:
- Plan any new sockets with your electrician before fitting
- Decide what goes behind doors and what goes on show
- Let us know about parking and access at the design visit
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
Don’t let stored things block the chimney breast vent. Ventilation helps keep the chimney breast dry, which protects the units too.
Put coasters or mats under anything that holds water. Wipe up spills right away.