Raphael Nursery named Top 20 Rated Nursery in London & Top 20 Small Nursery Group 2026
We’re delighted to share that Raphael Nursery in Clapham — a project very close to our hearts — has been recognised by daynurseries.co.uk as a Top 20 Rated Nursery in London and a Top 20 Small Nursery Group for 2026.
This is above all a tribute to the nursery itself, to the dedication of its team and the warmth they bring to the children and families they care for every day. We’re proud to have played a part in shaping the building behind that work — and to see the project’s impact reflected in this recognition means a great deal to us.
The retrofit, completed in 2024, transformed a constrained and dated building into a bright, healthy environment for up to 90 children — introducing a new mezzanine level, removing all asbestos, and improving insulation and ventilation throughout, all while respecting the character of the existing building rather than starting again from scratch.
None of this would have been possible without genuine collaboration. Our thanks go to Raphael Nursery for trusting us with their architecture, interior design, planning, and Principal Designer responsibilities; to St. Paul’s Church, as freeholders, for their continued support throughout; to the local council for working with us through a complex planning process; and to our structural, fire, and M&E engineers — in particular our structural engineer, whose input was instrumental in making the mezzanine solution work within the existing volume.
Projects like this are a reminder of why educational architecture matters: it’s not just about square metres, but about the long-term wellbeing of the children and communities a building serves.