Du Cane Court is immediately recognisable, partly on account if its size, as it is the largest privately owned block of flats under one roof in Europe and sits on 4.5 acres of land. Gregory Vincent, author of the building’s history and residents, claims there are two miles of corridors. Its distinctive footprint was reputedly used as a navigational landmark by German pilots bombing London during the Second World War. Although it was then used to house part of the Civil Service, it was never bombed and so escaped much of the damage done to the rest of Balham.

Named after the original landowners of the plot, the building was opened in 1937. It took only a year to build, and is a fine example of Art Deco architecture by G. Kay Green. A concrete-clad steel frame allowed for speed, and also created a solid frame for the Crittall windows. Considered a novelty at the time, there still remains a communal heating system that connects to cast iron radiators in each apartment – and was once automatically adjusted to the temperature outside.

Du Cane Court is such a fine example of Deco architecture, many scenes from Agatha Christie’s Poirot were filmed in the building.