575 Wandsworth Road

575 Wandsworth Road is a modest early 19th-century terraced house in Lambeth, Grade II listed; inside, almost every wall, ceiling and door is covered in hand-carved fretwork. It was the home of Khadambi Asalache, a Kenyan-born poet, novelist and Treasury civil servant, who bought it in 1981 and spent 20 years turning it into a work of art. The carving began as a way to disguise damp in the basement dining room, using reclaimed pine doors and floorboards found in skips. The house stands as he left it, with painted floors, handmade fretwork furniture and collections of pressed-glass inkwells, lustreware and postcards; the National Trust acquired it in 2010. Visits are by pre-booked guided tour only, six people at a time. Only assistance dogs are admitted. Reviewers are full of praise for the volunteer guides. Tips from visitors: tickets are released weekly so book well ahead; you take your shoes off, so bring thick gripped socks or slippers; and Wandsworth Road Overground station is a few minutes' walk away. There are no toilets on site and photography is not allowed.