Although we’re unable to go into one another’s homes this year to celebrate Wandsworth Artist Open House, it doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the wonderful homes in the Borough, specifically their doorways as celebrated here in beautiful photographs by Charlie Webber.

You have one and you pass them all the time, but have you ever really paid attention to front doors in your neighbourhood? A door is so much more than just a means of security or protection, it can be a real expression of who or what is behind it. When I see a colourful front door or one framed by foliage, I’m struck by how something so ordinary can be so beautiful then I begin to wonder what lies behind the threshold.

I’m not the only nosey one. “Doortraits,” or portraits of eye-catching doors around London have risen to cult-like status on Instagram in the last few years. But the obsession with capturing entryways is steeped in history, as reported by the New York Times. Portraits of doors and windows were popular amongst seventeenth century Dutch artists who wanted to portray both home and street life, worldliness and spirituality. In the 1800s, the first photographers reflected those same themes, including British inventor William Henry Fox Talbot who mirrored the Dutch masters in his “The Open Door”. And in the 1970s Roy Colmer photographed more than 3,000 doors in Manhattan which are now featured as a collection in the New York Public Library.

Although some of London’s most famous facades typically belong in the likes of Notting Hill (that pink house from Love Actually), Wandsworth is home to some beautiful entrances. As a long-time resident of Battersea, I love that I can walk anywhere in the area and beyond and still stumble upon a street of filled with facades that pique my curiosity. Here’s just a fraction of the many I’ve found over the years. I’ll leave you to decide what you think is behind those doors….

Wandsworth Town – do you think the neighbours agreed on a colour scheme? I love the addition of the unexpected green.

Clapham Junction – there’s something so striking about a dark façade, the contrast of the duck egg blue door is perfect.

Battersea – a classic Prince of Wales Drive façade. I love that this door looks different depending on the seasons.

Putney – it’s hard to believe this is in London, this looks like something I would find in the countryside. I love the double grey doors but the wisteria just makes it.

Battersea – it’s not so much the door as the message that resonates more. We all need that at a time like this.

Battersea – not all doors have to be brightly coloured, I love the monochrome simplicity of this pair and the contrast of the worn and new tiled footpaths.

Wandsworth Town – the rest of this house is pretty ordinary but this hot pink really makes it pop.

Battersea – yellow on yellow, what’s not to love?

Clapham Junction – the striking white, the classic Victorian detail, the symmetry and the pineapple knocker to complete the look. One of my all time favourites.

Battersea – in case the millennial pink door wasn’t enough, add in a cat and a rose bush and you have the perfect entrance.

I hope you enjoyed this photo door of Wandsworth’s doors. If you want to see more of my finds, follow me at @hernamewascharlie on Instagram.