Homes and Property August 28, 2013

Transcription

Homes&
Property
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Wing it
From cushions to
concrete, the feathers
are flying
Page 22
NEW HOMES: CITY ROAD P4 BARGAINS ON THE COSTAS P8 ORGANIC HIGHGROVE P23 SPOTLIGHT ON CITY OF LONDON P28
Driving us bats
Creating an eco-friendly extension
LONDON’S
BIGGEST AND
MOST-READ
PROPERTY
GUIDE
DAVID BUTLER
Page 12
London’s best property search website: homesandproperty.co.uk
2
WEDNESDAY 28 AUGUST 2013 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property Online
homesandproperty.co.uk with
This week: homesandproperty.co.uk
we discover:
London’s most unusual homes
Property
search
in partnership with
London buy of the week
monochrome makeover
£650,000: fast movers will love this chain-free family
home in Brixton’s popular Clapham Park area. An exquisite
makeover of the 1,000sq ft home has created open spaces
that include a double reception room with dove-grey walls
and dark wood floors. Clean white lines impress in the
kitchen/breakfast room, along with glass doors to a decked
garden enclosed by high white walls. Stylish monochrome
style continues in three big bedrooms and a sleek bathroom
above. Through KFH.
O Visit homesandproperty/buyoftheweekclapham
LONDON has a long history of reinventing itself. Listed
water towers, churches, barns and warehouses often have
stunning original character features that could create
unique modern living spaces. Thanks to creative
architects and ambitious renovators, many of the city’s
most interesting buildings have been transformed into
quirky and innovative homes. We take a property tour to
discover 10 of London’s most unusual homes, including
a bijou barn conversion in the heart of Brockley (pictured
above) with a secluded courtyard garden; an awardwinning, ultra-modern renovation in Nunhead, and a
1,783sq ft lateral penthouse flat within a warehouse
conversion near Southfields (pictured below).
Out of town buy of the week
as seen on a picture postcard. . .
£595,000: this little Hampshire
beauty sits snug in the scenic New
Forest village of Minstead, a few
minutes’ stroll from the village green,
pub and historic church. You can
expect a thatch cottage full of treats,
from wood floors and deep beams to
rustic fireplaces in the sitting and
dining rooms, while the country
kitchen is fitted with bespoke
O For more unusual homes, visit homesandproperty.co.uk
cabinetry and terracotta floor tiles.
The master bedroom and its en suite
bathroom, plus a guest bedroom and
bathroom, are reached by separate
staircases. Colourful gardens and a
charming summerhouse complete
the picture. Through John D Wood.
O Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/
outminstead
Life changer your new
business empire starts here
£580,000: offering the ultimate rural bolt hole, in grounds
of two acres with only local wildlife for neighbours, is
Railway Cottage in Souldrop, Bedfordshire. There are many
outbuildings to play with, all with planning consent for an
annexe or conversion into a new business empire, perhaps.
The house itself — converted from two railway cottages —
has a lovely feeling of light and space, with wood floors,
sash windows and an Aga in the kitchen. Upstairs, four
bedrooms and an attractive bathroom complete with rolltop tub take full advantage of the views. Through Taylors.
O Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/lifechangersouldrop
Editor:
Janice Morley
VISIT homesandproperty.co.uk/rules
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Advertising: 020 3615 0527
Homes & Property, Northcliffe
House, 2 Derry Street, Kensington,
London W8 5TT.
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3
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 28 AUGUST 2013
News Homes & Property
Grown Up Salma
grew out of pad
Find solace in your licence to make a killing — or
simply enjoy a view to a thrill — in the world of 007
Got some
gossip?
Tweet
@amiranews
AP
ÉSALMA HAYEK has put her Los
Angeles home up for rent.
She bought the pad in 1996, shortly
after filming Desperado, for
£344,000 and it was her main
residence for nearly 10 years until
she bought a Bel Air home from
Frasier actor Kelsey Grammer.
The Grown Ups actress still has
a soft spot for her 1962-built LA
property. Rather than sell it, she is
happy to let someone else call it
home for £6,000 a month.
The new tenant could be in starry
company as the bungalow is located
in the Outpost Estates area, where
A-listers including Matthew Perry
and Ryan Reynolds have lived.
É AN APARTMENT in a block that
served as a James Bond film location
is for sale in W2, overlooking
Edgware Road and Sussex Gardens.
In Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig
as 007 and Judi Dench, playing
spymaster M, meet in a high-rise flat
in the Sixties block after it is revealed
that M’s bodyguard is a dastardly
double agent. Now the four-bedroom
duplex on the 16th and 17th floors is
listed with Cluttons at £4.5 million.
Residents can sip a martini and find
solace on the private roof terrace
while soaking up the 360-degree city
views.
Well, why not indulge yourself? You
only live twice...
A chance for the rock star life at Knebworth
ÉEVERY rock star worth their salt
has played at Knebworth House in
Hertfordshire. Robbie Williams, the
Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and
Oasis are just some of the performers
who have gigged in the grounds of
this magnificent stately home.
The leasehold of its Grade II-listed
gatehouse, Tower Lodges, left, was
sold by the Knebworth Estate about
20 years ago. Now it is on the market
for £1.3 million through Hamptons
International. The gatehouse’s most
attractive feature is the dining hall,
opening on to a conservatory with a
vista of Knebworth Park.
By Amira Hashish
Where the Wolseley’s
breakfast is beneath you
to Madonna and Jack Nicholson, The Wolseley, far right,
famous for its breakfasts, pulls in its share of A-listers.
So the glitterati may be interested to know that a
six-bedroom duplex, centre right, above the glamorous
Piccadilly restaurant is for sale. Adjacent to The Ritz
hotel, with interior design by Candy & Candy, it oozes
luxury, with a gym, games area, two terraces and views
of the London Eye and Big Ben. And the price? A cool
£47.5 million, through Knight Frank.
O Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/wolseley
DAVE BENETT
ÉFROM Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss, right,
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4
Homes & Property New homes
Nine acres of
water and a
corridor of
skyscrapers
in a £1 billion
makeover
A
ONCE unloved and dowdy
district between Angel
and the City is stepping out
of the shadows with a
£1 billion makeover, bringing hundreds of glamorous new homes
for geeks and bankers.
For generations, world-famous Moorfields Eye Hospital has been the main
reason to visit City Road, an ugly duckling thoroughfare that straddles three
London boroughs.
Lined by low-rise commercial
premises serving Square Mile businesses, it is set to become a master-
planned “corridor of skyscrapers”
designed by architect bigwigs including
Terry Farrell and Norman Foster.
Close proximity to a prosperous
banking community has helped seed
regeneration but the emergence of a
“silicon city”, a burgeoning cluster of
hi-tech and digital companies based
around Old Street roundabout, has
been the game-changer.
Below the City Road is a fibre-optic
highway reaching all the way to King’s
Cross, where Google’s European headquarters is under construction.
The outbreak of residential development follows the opening up of a hidden canal basin. During its Victorian
heyday it was one of the main canal
centres in London, marking the halfway point on the Regent’s Canal running between Little Venice and
Limehouse. Remarkably, the basin was
partly concreted over during the Eighties to provide land for an electricity
sub-station but today the nine-acre
expanse of water is at the heart of a new
“quarter”, with apartments, loft
offices, bars, restaurants and a community boat club.
A new public square forms an
entrance to the basin at City Road and
provides a spectacular vista of the
calming water. And streetscaping
improvements along City Road will
turn it into a Continental-type boulevard with pavement cafés.
ANGEL OF THE NORTH
Yo u n g C i t y p r o f e s s i o n a l s a n d
Shoreditch designers are the mainstay
of this new district. “They like new,
modern apartment buildings and being
able to walk to work,” says Nick Davies
of estate agent Stirling Ackroyd.
“Prices are rising but it’s still at least
10 per cent cheaper than prime Islington and good value for such a wellconnected area with lots going on.”
Flanked by Hoxton on one side and
Towering: at Lexicon, the 36-storey
Silicon Tower, left, is one of three
buildings, with 307 new apartments
From £650,000: flats, right, in Folio,
Micawber Street. Call 020 7251 8499
ALAMY
London surprises again with a spanking new
city-centre quarter, says David Spittles
Water wold: the
new City Road
development will
have nine acres
of water at
its heart
Clerkenwell on the other, it is surprising that the area — postcode EC1 — is
only now taking off.
Raul Cimesa of estate agent Knight
Frank says the new wave of high-quality developments is a step up for the
area and will attract buyers from more
expensive riverside districts such as
Bankside. Canaletto, launching in
October, is the first of the new skyscrapers — a sleek, 31-storey glass-andsteel tower designed by celebrated
Dutch architects UNStudio. It will have
three storeys of amenity space, including a spa and private cinema, below
190 apartments, plus a Manhattan-style
“club lounge” and garden terrace
higher up the building. Completion is
5
New homes Homes & Property
From £435,000: Eagle House has 276 flats above a five-storey Art Deco building
due at the end of 2015. To register, call
020 7608 1825.
Fronting another side of the canal
basin is Lexicon, comprising three
buildings, including 36-storey Silicon
Tower — in total 307 apartments, 69 for
shared ownership.
The Eagle, rising in City Road, has
276 apartments above a retained five-
storey Art Deco building. Call Mount
Anvil’s Eagle House development on
0845 077 9550. Prices st ar t at
£435,000. Folio, in Micawber Street,
where several old boozers have been
transformed into fashionable gastropubs, has 108 homes — apartments and
houses — in low-rise blocks. Prices from
£650,000, equivalent to £850 a square
foot. Completion in 2015. Call Notting
Hill Housing association on 020 7251
8499.
A canalside industrial estate at 250
City Road has been acquired by Berkeley Homes for redevelopment into a
new “waterside neighbourhood” with
1,000 homes, offices and hotel.
Knight Frank predicts City Road
residential values will jump from
£1,000 to £1,500 a square foot by 2016
on the back of the fast-expanding
silicon city, a government-backed initiative.
Nearby King’s Cross Central is
another “digital hub” but only 900 new
private homes are being built at the
67 acre-site, which will have 20 new
office buildings where thousands of
people will work.
It is easy to forget that the City’s eastern fringe was a semi-industrial belt
barely 20 years ago. In 1990, most of
the capital’s 29,000 printers worked
in Clerkenwell, alongside metalworkers, clockmakers and jewellers.
Shoreditch was famous for rag-trade
sweatshops.
Beyond expectation, the pace of
change has accelerated since the onset
of the 2008 banking crash. Whereas
the fringe used to be in the shadow of
the City, it is now in the spotlight.
The eastern side of the canal basin falls
into Hackney borough and has a grittier
feel. This is where Jamie Oliver opened
his Fifteen restaurant, giving apprenticeships to out-of-work youngsters.
Shepherdess Walk is one of the best
addresses, with authentic lofts available at The Factory, a decade-old
development by Manhattan Loft Corporation. Urban Spaces is selling a
1,481sq ft loft for £945,000. Call 020
3324 7610.
On the Islington side of City Road
Basin lies a charming conservation area
of Georgian and Victorian homes.
London Mayor Boris Johnson lives in
this enclave and can often be seen
cycling along the towpath and down
City Road on his way to City Hall in
Southwark.
Check out the patch around Goswell
Road, where design creep has spread
from Clerkenwell. Homeware brands
Knoll and Porcelanosa and “starchitect” Zaha Hadid have opened showrooms, while independent shops and
galleries are sprouting up in side
streets.
Ermine Apartments is a collaboration between developer Thornsett and
the Dame Alice Owen Trust, an educational foundation whose land holdings
in the area date from Tudor times.
Two-bedroom apartments cost from
£710,000. Call Currell on 020 7843
9500.
6
Homes & Property Out of town
W
HEN Damien Hirst
unveiled Verity, his
66ft-high bronze
statue of a pregnant
woman, on the harbour at Ilfracombe last autumn, it
marked a key moment in the town’s
history. Hirst is to this North Devon
town what Rick Stein has become to
Padstow along the coast in Cornwall.
Londoners took their cue and have
been busily investing in Ilfracombe’s
shops, galleries and holiday cottages,
while the town’s once-tired hotels are
being spruced up or turned into selfcatering apartments.
Prices here are tempting. You can get
a 16th-century fisherman’s cottage on
historic Fore Street for £150,000 to
£300,000, or a seven-bedroom
detached house overlooking the harbour for £275,000 to £325,000.
A 17-bedroom guesthouse in need of
renovation went on sale for £350,000
while artists and writers priced out by
London can rent a flat with a studio to
ALAMY
Damien Hirst’s new statue joins
the twin-coned Landmark Theatre
to add to Ilfracombe’s considerable
charms, says Liz Hoggard
Point of view:
Damien Hirst’s
pregnant
statue Verity
holds her
sword aloft
£299,950: a listed
four-bedroom
house for sale in
Fore Street,
Ilfracombe,
arranged as two
self-contained
holiday cottages
O Visit homesand
property.co.uk/
fore
colourful brickwork. The imposing
detached Victorian villas on the Torrs
— the hills and cliffs to the west of the
town — go for around £360,000.
Certainly Hirst has become an astute
property developer. First he bought a
deserted pub on the harbour front and
turned it into a £1 million restaurant
called The Quay, decorated with his
trademark butterfly paintings.
Now he has bought four adjoining
buildings. In June he opened his Other
Criteria gallery and shop, selling
painted skulls, butterfly pictures, ironon spots and art books. He is said to be
planning a Damien Hirst museum — to
rival Tracey Emin’s Turner Contemporary at Margate.
Part of Ilfracombe’s charm is that it
combines old-fashioned seaside appeal
(fish and chips, tattoo parlours, crazy
golf ) with more metropolitan touches
— funky tea rooms, delis and a farmers’
market. In the last month four more
art galleries have opened.
As for visitor attractions, there’s the
Landmark Theatre with its twin cones,
dubbed “Madonna’s bra” by the locals,
a cinema and museum. The harbourside aquarium was opened by former
London Zoo worker Lawrence Raybone in a deserted lifeboat station.
“You get these very dramatic walks and
ALAMY
work in for £500 a month. Hirst spent
many childhood holidays in North
Devon and bought a farmhouse in
Combe Martin for the surfing at
Woolacombe and Croyde. His children
go to local schools and he loves
Ilfracombe — offering Verity on a
20-year loan to help support local
regeneration projects.
The Tunnels Beach area — a 19thcentury spa cut into the rocky coves
— has been redeveloped as safe tidal
bathing pools, plus a bespoke beachfront wedding venue. Nearby, artist
Kirstie Jackson and her husband,
designer furniture maker Paul, have
renovated the Quarry (bighousedevon.
co.uk), a panoramic seven-bed Victorian villa, for holiday lets.
Hirst is not the only famous resident.
Artist George Shaw, nominated for the
2011 Turner Prize, has bought a house
on the high street.
Nestling on the coast at the edge
of Exmoor and near suburban
Barnstaple, Ilfracombe was famous in
the 19th century as a bathing location.
It has avoided the worst aspects of
urban renewal and retained the architectural trappings that came with
bygone wealth. Huge houses on the
hilly approaches to the harbour are
blessed with cast-iron balconies and
ALAMY
From Madonna’s bra to Verity’s tummy...
peace and quiet,” said Kirstie. “It’s still
very unspoilt.” Ex-London management consultant Victoria Wills spotted
a neglected Grade II-listed mansion
house with 14 bedrooms for £730,000
six years ago and has converted it into
the luxury weight-loss retreat, Nu
Beginnngs (nubeginnings.co.uk).
“It’s an amazing bargain,” she
enthused. “When friends visit, they
start looking in estate agents’ windows
and jumping up and down, because if
you compare the prices with Cornwall,
never mind London, Rock is three
times the price of Ilfracombe, which is
on the water and just as lovely. There’s
the art quarter, then up on the Torrs
you have the boutique B&Bs.”
Meanwhile, Hirst is developing 500
eco-homes, with hidden wind turbines
in the roofs, solar panels and state-ofthe-art insulation. A new medical
centre, primary school, community
gardens, sports fields and a small business district are also proposed.
There are still gritty bits. The town
declined after the closure of the railway
to London in 1970, and the high street
has empty shops. Comedian Bill Bailey
once jokingly referred to Ilfracombe as
“10,000 alcoholics clinging to a cliff ”.
But the town is on the up again, partly
thanks to the thousands of tourists who
Making merry:
the lively Ship
and Pilot Inn,
above right, and
its pretty outdoor
seating area,
above
Sight to see:
Ilfracombe
harbour, above
left, with the
twin cones of the
Landmark
Theatre seen left
of centre
have visited since Verity arrived.
Eclectick, a rooftop restaurant and
wine bar overlooking Fore Street, has
created a Verity cocktail. Not that the
statue’s reception was universally
popular. Some critics declared her an
ugly blot on the landscape.
You’ll find her at the end of the pier,
looking out to Lundy Island. “If you’re
coming in by boat, it’s like going to any
of the best harbours in Europe,” said
photographer Jane Perrin, who opened
The Great British Tea Shop on St James’
Place last year. It sells cupcakes and
boiled egg and soldiers, with lashings
of tea and ginger beer. In high season
the tea room is full of tourists debating
the statue. “It’s lovely, just like art
school,” laughed Jane.
Fiona Hoggard, a charity fundraiser
who bought a Victorian terrace house
10 years ago for less than £50,000 as a
holiday let (laundry-cottage.co.uk), has
seen many changes. “The Damien Hirst
factor has helped attract visitors, but
part of Ilfracombe’s charm is that it is
an old-fashioned working coastal town
with real people in it,” she said.
“The North Devon coastline is stunning, the beaches are clean and there
is loads to do. It’s hard to get to, but
when you are here it’s another world.
You won’t want to leave.”
7
Affordable homes Homes & Property
Peckham
scrubs up
nicely with
a boho
makeover
Gigs, galleries and good-value
property lure first-timer buyers
south, says David Spittles
VICTORIAN TREASURES
Burgess Park is a 113-acre expanse,
upgraded with new entrances, pathways, recreational areas and planting.
It is one of the capital’s most underrated Victorian parks, with several
listed buildings, including a Victorian
church, library and baths, almshouses
and artisan cottages. New homes are
for sale around the park’s perimeter.
Albany Place comprises four new
apartment blocks, one facing directly
From £265,000:
interior of a flat
at Albany Place,
which comprises
four new
apartment
blocks
REBECCA REID
H
AVING marched from
no-go zone to up-andcoming area, Peckham has
relaxed into a third guise
— bohemian hotspot. Cool
dudes are waving goodbye to Dalston
and boarding the East London line to
SE15 to sample Peckham’s clubs and
cafés, gigs and galleries, rooftop bars
and foodie night markets.
With properties from £170,000,
Peckham is firmly first-time buyer
territory too, while for those moving
up the ladder, cheaper Victorian
houses are plentiful, from £350,000.
“Peckham has reached the stage
where people want to live here, rather
than having to live here because they
cannot afford somewhere else,” said
John East, director of estate agent
Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward.
Fashionable new-build schemes are
sprouting up to meet the rising
demand.
Peckham splits into three definable
parts: the northern patch around
much-improved Burgess Park, the
bustling town centre, and the leafier
southern section embracing Nunhead,
Peckham Rye and the Bellenden conservation area, which is popular with
families and arty types.
on to the park. Prices start at £265,000.
Buyers get free Zipcar membership.
Call L&Q housing association on 0844
406 9290.
Peckham’s architectural legacy is also
evident in the lively town centre, where
council-backed regeneration is helping
to tackle street crime, while a “neighbourhood action plan” is upgrading key
corners and public spaces. Rye Lane,
recently designated a conservation
area, has attracted Heritage Lottery cash
which is bringing dilapidated period
buildings back to life. Coming soon is a
Notting Hill Housing association scheme
of 333 new homes around a communal
garden and “pocket” park.
Peckham Hill Street runs from the
town centre to Burgess Park, parallel
to former Grand Surrey Canal — sadly
concreted over in the Sixties.
The canal’s contours are still visible
and a sprinkling of old factories and
warehouses, which emerged after the
canal was built in the early 19th century,
survive today.
For many years these were the right
buildings in the wrong place, passed
over by developers who were uncon-
vinced that the area was ready for loft
living. But now attitudes have changed,
and small-scale conversion projects
are ongoing. Camberwell College of
Arts on Peckham Road provides buyers
and renters.
Factory flats at Peckham Grove cost
from £229,950 — call Foxtons on 020
8613 6200 for details — while doubleheight loft-style apartments in a Victorian school conversion on York Grove
cost from £315,000. Piano Factory on
Peckham Road is another sought-after
address, offering loft spaces up to
1,700 square feet.
Nunhead, previously ignored except
for its famous cemetery, is worth investigating. It has acquired “village”
status, going from being a sleepy neighbourhood to having an independent
baker, butcher, fishmonger, florist, deli
and gastropub. Nunhead Green, the
hub, has been tidied up and a row of
refurbished almshouses adds period
charm. Remarkably, locals even have
Aquarius Golf Club on their doorstep,
a challenging nine-hole private course
created on elevated land that is part of
a Thames Water reservoir.
DEVELOPING STORY
Overlooking Nunhead Green is a new
development with 13 flats and four
live-work units, all currently rented but
coming up for sale soon. Call Wooster
& Stock on 020 7708 6700.
Ivydale Road curves around the
cemetery and offers new Victorianstyle four-bedroom houses with solar
roofs which back on to a “wildlife
corridor”, an uncultivated strip of land.
Prices from £545,000. Call 020 7089
1315 for more information.
What a treat:
South London
Gallery café,
(above), is in a
refurbished
Victorian
terrace in
Peckham Road.
Ivydale Road
(below), offers
Victorian-style
properties from
£545,000
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8
Homes & Property Homes abroad
W
HISPER it quietly but
the word on the
street is increasingly
hinting that the
Spanish property
market has bottomed out. Reports
are mixed and often contradictory
but the country that first introduced
Britons en masse to the joys of a
home abroad is — finally — showing
signs of life.
Spanish property portal Kyero says
that the average asking price across
Spain rose by £6,020 in the 12
months to June this year, while an
exceptionally strong tourist season
has resulted in a marginally
improved — though still negative —
growth in GDP. Many property
agents report an increase in interest
from Chinese and Russian buyers on
the back of the new “Golden Visa”
rules that allowing non-Europeans
spending more than £430,000 to
obtain residency.
Other indices remain downbeat.
Spanish real estate analyst Tinsa
reports year-on year-falls of 10.5 per
cent in house prices in the second
quarter of this year, bringing
property prices back to 2003 levels,
while figures from Knight Frank put
annual drops to June at 7.9 per cent.
Barbara Wood of Andalucia-based
The Property Finders is firmly on the
side of caution, predicting two more
years of flatlining prices. “It is too
early to talk about price rises in
Spain,” comments Wood. “We are
still seeing cash buyers back off if the
discount is not right.”
Still costing less
on the Costas
Spain’s property market has bottomed
out, so bargains can be had — but only
buy in the best areas, says Cathy Hawker
There’s promising news from the
Costa del Sol. Marc Pritchard of
Taylor Wimpey Espana (TWE) says
he has sold more properties this year
than any year since 2006. “We have
sold more than 100 homes in seven
months on the Costa del Sol to a very
international market,” he says. “But
only certain pockets perform well.
Ten miles around Marbella is good
but 10 miles beyond that has large
areas of oversupply.”
TWE has off-plan property from
£153,100 for a 9,100sq ft twobedroom, two-bathroom apartment
in a 50-unit development in Elvira
and from £215,000 for two- and
three-bedroom apartments four
minutes from the sea between Puerto
Banus and Marbella.
Further west on the gorgeous golf
courses of Sotogrande, arguably
Europe’s most prestigious sporting
resort, property for sale through
ALAMY
LOOKING GOOD
ON THE COSTA DEL SOL
Keeping afloat: it’s best to buy within
10 miles of swanky Marbella
Savills includes substantial detached
villas reduced from £860,000 to
£645,000 and a four-bedroom
townhouse at San Roque reduced to
£395,600 from £516,000.
STILL GOOD VALUE ON
THE COSTA BRAVA
Even on prime Costa Brava, 90
minutes from Barcelona, one of
Spain’s classiest coasts, prices
have fallen up to 50 per cent since
2007 says Tom Maidment of Lucas
Fox. “Good value includes four-
bedroom houses within walking
distance of the beach for
£645,000 that three or four years
ago were £1.03 million,” he says.
Lucas Fox recently sold a
waterfront home for £688,000 that
was first offered off-plan in 2007 for
£3,010,000. A beautiful townhouse
three miles inland in the Alt Emporda
that was £3.61 million three years ago
is now for sale fully furnished for
£1.71 million.
BUYER BEWARE OF
REPOSSESSIONS
From Menorca to the Costa Blanca,
tens of thousands of repossessed
Spanish properties are languishing
with Spanish banks for sale at a
fraction of what they would once
have achieved. But before you
hotfoot it to bag a bargain, be aware:
all is not as it might seem.
“Many repossessions are either
badly located in areas that would not
appeal to international buyers and
would be difficult to re-sell, or they
require a substantial amount of
work,” says James Stewart of Savills’
Sotogrande associates. “My advice to
buyers would be to choose a
reputable bank and exercise extreme
care over what you buy.”
Out of a total of 214 sales last year,
Colin Guanaria of Hamptons
Internationals’ associate in Menorca
sold 63 bank repossessions. “Overall,
10 per cent of stock is repossessions,
the majority in complexes where the
developer has gone bust or where
owners couldn’t pay the mortgage,”
says Guanaria. “Generally, though,
they are not in places where people
want second homes.”
The best bargains sell quickly but
properties should always be visited
before purchase. An independent
lawyer acting for the purchaser is
vital, and take great care to inspect
amenities, advises Marc Pritchard of
TWE. “That badly kept golf course
you are buying on could end up
being your responsibility to
maintain. Many banks are not paying
for resort maintenance as they
should be and owners will end up
sorting out problems.”
The pick of offers from BBVA,
Spain’s second-largest bank, include
reductions of more than 75 per cent
with homes across Spain from
£25,800 (bbvavivienda.com).
CONTACTS
£600,000: originally sold for more than £3 million, a four-bedroom villa in
Modernist style at Begur on the Costa Brava. Call Lucas Fox (00 34 933 562 989)
Reduced from £516,000 TO £395,600: four-bedroom townhouse at San Roque
Club on the Costa Brava at Sotogrande. Call Savills on 020 7016 3740
O Taylor Wimpey Espana: 0800 012
1020; taylorwimpeyspain.com
O Hamptons International: 020 7265
6595; hamptons.co.uk
O Savills: 020 7016 3740; savills.co.
uk/abroad
O Lucas Fox: 00 34 933 562 989;
lucasfox.com
O The Property Finders: 0800 622
6745; thepropertyfinders.com
10
Homes & Property Design
MY FAVOURITE BUILDING
REBECCA REID
Richard Rogers’s Lloyd’s building in
the City and the Royal College of
Physicians (pictured) at Regent’s Park
by Sir Denys Lasdun. Plus, a walk
down Fleet Street, which is a
stunning architectural mishmash
with Art Deco jewels.
By Barbara Chandler
My
y de
design
desig
ign Lond
ig
Lon
Lo
ond
d
Max
Fraser
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF
THE LONDON DESIGN
FESTIVAL
A
T 33, Max Fraser has
written eight design
books, including three
editions of the selfpublished London Design
Guide (the first in 2009, and the third
just out). Last year he began his first
“proper job” as deputy director of
the London Design Festival, which
starts next month. Brought up in
Hampstead, Fraser did a one-year
foundation course at Chelsea College
of Art and Design, dropped out, went
travelling, then had his first big idea
— a shops guide to Britain called
DesignUK, published in 2001. He
then ditched college (furniture
design) a second time for more
travelling/writing, including a book
of design interviews co-authored
with Terence Conran.
OUR HOME
It’s a small Islington flat, part of a
Georgian mansion block, shared with
my wife, Hannah. We love the high
ceilings and large windows. I’m
obsessed with natural light. I can’t
handle dark Victorian spaces. We
have white walls, dark-stained
floorboards and bits of
contemporary design in muted
tones. I love home because it’s a
place for silence.
I also like Hampstead Heath,
Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the Regent’s
Canal and Camley Street Natural
Park, just a spitting distance from
King’s Cross.
OUR GARDEN
I love coming home to London. It’s
my city, one of the greatest in the
world. It’s a tapestry of architecture
spanning centuries. But London’s so
huge and constantly evolving, there’s
always so much more to discover.
It’s massive and communal but no
one else is interested, so we’re
making an urban jungle. Gardening is
so therapeutic in London. We
planted two strawberry plants a few
years ago, now we have loads. Our
raspberries give us a good crop, too.
We’ve also grown tomatoes, lettuce,
beans, beetroot, radishes, spinach,
chard and cavolo nero.
Haven in the city: Camley Steet
Natural Park is a two-acre nature
reserve in the middle of one of the
most densely populated parts of
London, near King’s Cross
I like local places in Islington.
Ottolenghi has healthy flavours, and
Trullo is good for serious Italian. We
eat in a lot and get meat from local
Frank Godfrey, cheeses from La
Fromagerie, fish from Steve Hatt and
WHY I LOVE LONDON
JOHN LAWRENCE
ALAMY
WHERE I EAT OUT
11
Design Homes & Property
MY FESTIVAL MUST-SEE
Endless Stair (right), outside Tate
Modern, is a huge sculpture you
can climb — interlocking wooden
staircases that don’t go anywhere
but give you amazing views. It’s in
a pale yellowy, cross-laminated
wood called Tulip Tree, incredibly
light and strong, and it can be
taken to pieces later. It’s designed
by Alex de Rijke, director of
London’s dRMM Architects. Visit
from September 13 to October 10,
from dawn to dusk.
Most coveted: functional champagne flutes and
lighting by Londoner Michael Anastassiades
boxed vegetables from Riverford
Farms. For lunch in Soho where
I work, it’s Koya for udon noodles,
Barrafina for tapas and Fernandez
& Wells for sandwiches.
Rising stars:
copper mirror
series by Oscar
Narud and
Amy Hunting,
launching
next week
MY MOST-WANTED ITEM
Champagne flutes by Londoner
Michael Anastassiades. And his
lights, which are artworks.
TIPPED FOR THE TOP
Oscar Narud and Amy Hunting,
launching their copper mirror series at
Gallery Libby Sellers on September 5.
BEST LONDON DESIGN AREA
DESIGN CAPITAL
Shoreditch. Moving upmarket but
still gritty. SCP design shop’s been
there for 25 years but the real
changes are in the past 10, with
bigger brands and hotels. The
Shoreditch design triangle is a special
programme for the festival.
London, of course. The festival was
the first of its kind, and now we’re 11
years old, with 300 events.
O The London Design Festival runs
from September 14-22 (londondesign
festival.com). The London Design
Guide, £12 at londondesignguide.com
FAVOURITE DESIGN SHOP
Jasper Morrison in Shoreditch. His
studio in Kingsland Road is almost
anti-retail. Simple design, no hype.
I also like hidden-away Mint in South
Kensington, full of global design
gems. A recent design buy is Jasper’s
Lo-Pad chair at twentytwentyone in
Islington, another favourite shop.
WEBSITES
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
jaspermorrison.com
huntingandnarud.com
mintshop.co.uk
libbysellers.com
twentytwentyone.com
scp.co.uk
shoreditchdesigntriangle.com
12
Homes & Property Just one thing
Country charm: the traditional barn in Great Amwell, Hertfordshire
We were going
BATTY
When kids and wildlife caused a flap in the
Pierces’ rural home, a part-panelled extension
soon sorted things out. By Ruth Bloomfield
Family-friendly: Claire Pierce with baby William, Ava, three
and Lois, four, outside their Hertfordshire home
W
Wonderful views: large glass walls reveal the garden
Design solution: one of the extension’s side walls is
partially clad in black wood panelling to deter bats
Photographs::
David Butler
HEN Claire and
James Pierce moved
from the capital to
the Home Counties,
they were attempting to future-proof their life.
They swapped a three-bedroom
maisonette in Mortlake, south-west
London, for a five-bedroom barn in
the village of Great Amwell,
Hertfordshire, which they hoped
would be the ideal setting for them to
start a family.
The location meant that James, 39,
was able to continue commuting to
his job in the City. Claire, also 39, was
at the time working in London in the
fashion industry and was also able to
get to work.
That was back in 2007. Fast forward
to today and the couple have their
hands full with three children — Lois,
four, Ava, three, and William, 10
months.
By the time Claire became a stay-athome mother, the family’s onceideal, open-plan barn — for which
they paid £1.27 million — was no
longer ideal.
The layout did not work for babies
and toddlers. Claire said: “We were
continually up to our eyes in toys,
and the children had nowhere to play
and make a noise without everyone
else having to cope with it.”
Their solution was to hire the
architect Nicholas Tye
(nicholastyearchitects.com) to design
a contemporary glass extension to
give them a new sitting room/dining
room to the rear of the timber-clad,
period barn.
Drawing up the scheme was not
entirely without challenges.
“At first we thought we were going
to get a ‘glass box’ sort of extension,”
said Claire. “But then we discovered
that the back of the barn was on a bat
path — basically there were bats
flying across the area.” Glass
structures and flying bats do not mix.
The creatures, despite their refined
sonar navigation systems, have a
habit of flying straight into glass, with
often-fatal consequences for them.
The council bat officer took bat death
very seriously.
The solution Tye came up with
was to partially clad one of the
extension side walls in black wood
panelling, mirroring the exterior of
the barn itself.
Narrow horizontal windows have
been cut out of the wall, to bring in
light and as a design feature, while
the other two outside walls are
entirely glazed, giving wonderful
views over the garden. Planning
Great outdoors: a large dovecote in
the Pierces’ delightful country garden
consent for the project was granted
in 2010 and the work began that
summer — by the Christmas they
were able to use their new extension.
The main barn combines modern
and period features: bare brickwork
and exposed beams, plus an
overhead glazed walkway linking the
upstairs bedrooms to an open
mezzanine sitting room overlooking
the ground-floor living room.
The extension is also a mix of old
and new — the back wall is bare
brickwork but the floor is industrial
concrete, and so is fashionable and
hard-wearing, while the room is
heated with a wood-burning stove.
As part of the project Claire and
James also had their garden
landscaped. The barn is on a sloping
plot and 400 tons of earth had to be
removed to give a flat space for the
extension and a large patio.
The garden itself was designed
by Cassandra Crouch
(contemporarygardendesign.co.uk).
Like the extension and the barn, it
cleverly mixes two styles, with
dramatic concrete planters close to
the house giving way to beds planted
in wild flowers and grasses tall
enough to hide the children’s
trampoline from view. There’s also
space for an allotment.
The project cost in the order of
£100,000 — a substantial sum to add
one room to an already-large home.
But the couple got what they wanted
— a huge improvement to their
quality of life. Claire said: “The
extension has given the house depth
and the extra space has given us a
room with a door that shuts.
“The garden is beautiful and
having a big glass wall gives great
views of it and really brings the
outside inside.
“It is just one thing — but it has
meant more than one thing to us. It is
everything.”
13
Just one thing Homes & Property
Creature comforts: the
enclosed sitting area
creates space for
the children
Cutting-edge design: the
barn has wooden beams and
a glazed walkway
up to
half price
sale
Plus
an extra
le
Hip Hop Doub
malist bed
this cool, mini
ash veneer of
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slats give
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.99
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£2
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Sale Pric
£100
off
0 off only £199
with extra £10niture is also available.
Was £599.99
beds
selected
up
to
20% off
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Matching bedr s. Bed frame only.
furnishing
Excludes soft
selected
furniture
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ranges
Regal Backcarre Do
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This 2 d
drawer Po
you need it, withsturepedic divan set provides we
a firm support no
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n-turn mattress fo t distribution where
Was Price £999.99
r easy care.
Sale Price £499.99
with extra £100 o
ff only £399.99
™
The Comfort Station
ation takes all the guesswork out of buying
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All our mattresses are rated from one to five for
firmness and once you have tried the beds in
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firmness rating you’re looking for.
and up to 3
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APR
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1
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4
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years interest free credit*
OVER 270
STORES
Store locator
0800 183 0800
ONLINE
CALL TO BUY
See our full range at
www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk
Mon-Fri
9am to 5pm
0808 144 6160
Offers available on selected models, see in store for details. *Interest free credit is available on purchases over £150. 3 years interest free credit is available on orders over £1299, deposit of 10% is required. Credit provided by Ikano Bank (publ) and
is available subject to status to UK residents aged 18 and over. Registered address: Waterfront House, Waterfront Plaza, Station Street, Nottingham NG2 3DQ. Our Was price is the price that has been charged in at least 10% of our stores between
12/06/13 – 09/07/13 – details available on our website or in store on request. Extra £100 and up to 20% off offers end 10/09/13 and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. All offers subject to availability. Delivery charged separately.
All products may not be on display in all stores. Pictures for illustration purpose only. Due to the limitations of printing tolerances, actual colours may vary from those shown. Over 270 stores nationwide open 7 days a week.
16
Homes & Property Reader promotion
Seeking the ideal
modern sofabed
A planter that
will urn its keep
MAKE the most of your outdoor
space while summer’s still here
by embracing the 20 per cent off
sale across the entire range
at Torstone.
The company offers an extensive
range of styles, shapes and sizes,
perfect for both private gardens
and also large commercial projects
— so choose what suits you best.
The Geneva Urn 21 and planter,
(pictured) was £444.99, but is now
reduced to an affordable £356,
with the 20 per cent discount.
Dimensions d32cm by h32cm.
To claim your offer visit,
torstone.com or call
01458 834320 and use
the code AAH2809
before September 8.
Alison
Cork
WITH its sleek Scandinavian
design and easy functionality, this
contemporary sofabed is a fine
addition to any modern home.
Available as a chair or three-seater
with elegant wood or contemporary
chrome legs, in a choice of fabric or
faux-leather upholstery, the Pablo is
reduced from £1,329 to £995 as part
of a 25 per cent discount across all
sofabeds at OneDeko. Featuring a
simple three-stage ratchet function,
it can be ordered with or without
arms for maximum flexibility.
Call 020 7377 5900 or 020 7375
3289, order at onedeko.co.uk, or visit
the showroom in Spitalfields, E1 6EA
and quote summersofabedoffer
before September 11.
Bargain news
Branching out into
the animal kingdom
THE majestic Cheetah on Branch
(pictured, edition 250) measures
14cm high and is one of a collectable
range of exclusive solid bronze
sculptures by Jonathan Sanders.
Readers can enjoy a 15 per cent
discount on the entire range,
reducing the Cheetah on Branch
from £325 to £276.25. Hand-cast in
an English foundry by Nelson
& Forbes and presented in a
decorative gift box with a
certificate of authenticity, this
cheetah will get you streaks ahead in
the home style stakes. To request a
brochure and claim your offer, call
01442 256290, or visit
nelsonandforbes.co.uk and quote
ESA877 before September 16.
Freshen up with fragrance Chair of choice for personality
DRIFT away on a bed of roses with Riverdale’s Joy candle
and diffuser collection, which readers can purchase with
a 20 per cent discount. The Wild Rose-scented Riverdale
Joy candles and diffusers are filled with essential rose oil
to make your home smell fresh and fragrant at all times.
Candles start at £10.39 (8cm) and diffusers start at £17.59
for 150ml (prices quoted with discount). To view the
complete collection and for more information, call 0330
1000 335 or visit g-l.co.uk and quote 00905688 to claim
your discount, before September 14.
THE Chloe occasional chair will capture your heart. New
to Alison at Home, this deep-buttoned 100 per cent truffle
velvet-finish chair has an introductory £15 discount offer,
reducing the price from £195 to £180, for one week only.
Made from a non-tropical hardwood and soft foam, this
chair offers personality and style, without sacrificing
comfort (dimensions: w58cm x d50cm x h75cm, cushion
depth 48cm, seat height 46cm). Visit alisonathome.com
or call 0800 011 4793 and use the code CHL2808 before
September 7. Made to order in six to eight weeks.
O The companies listed here are wholly independent of the Evening Standard. Care is taken to establish that they are bona fide but we recommend that you carry out your own checks prior to purchases and use a credit card
where possible. To offer feedback on any of these companies, email [email protected] with “Bargain News” in the subject line. For more bargains, visit alisonathome.com or homesandproperty.co.uk/offers.
+ Quote ‘ES13’
to enjoy
AN EXTRA
15% OFF
SUMMER SALE
UP TO
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Sale ends
2nd September 2013
Beds, Furniture, Mattresses, Linens, Accessories & Kids
34 Stores Nationwide | 01243 380 600 | www.featherandblack.com
20
Homes & Property Our home
homesandproperty
PLOT FOR A PERFECT
A
RCHITECTS Patricia Westerburg and Dan Burr had
always talked of building a
home together at some
point, so when their second
child Leo, now four, came along, they
started to think more seriously about it.
“Every architect always dreams of
building their own home. And, a few
years back we started looking for a piece
of land to buy,” explained Patricia.
“Our daughter Lena, who is now nine,
was settled in a good local school, however, and we love this part of east London, so we limited our search to a quite
specific area.”
However, finding a suitable plot of land
in a heavily built-up area, close to the
Olympic site, was to prove almost
impossible. “We registered with all the
local estate agents, auction houses and
property websites. I also studied Ordnance Survey maps to try to identify
vacant plots,” said Patricia.
“When I found one that looked a possibility I went to the Land Registry to find
out who it belonged to and contacted
them direct.
“When I did find someone willing to
sell, we were either outbid or they were
wanting upwards of £300,000 for the
land alone and on top of the price of
building, it just didn’t add up.”
The couple were about to abandon
their plot search, when they met fellow
architect Scott Kyson at a trade fair and
Patricia Westerburg and Dan Burr had a real struggle finding a plot of
land to build their dream home — until a chance meeting with fellow
architect Scott Kyson changed everything. By Anna Tobin
got talking to him about their land
predicament. “He told us that, as it
happened, he had planning consent for
three terrace houses in the area where
we had been looking,” said Patricia.
“It was funny because I passed this
brownfield plot every day on the way to
Leo’s nursery, but dismissed it because
I thought it was horrid, overlooking a
busy A road. But when we looked at the
plans, we really liked what we saw and
decided to buy one of the houses.
“The property had been designed so
that the focus of the house is the inner
light well, with a frontage on to the park,
and it’s almost closed off at the back, so
there is hardly any outlook on to the
main road.”
The shape of the site, and the proximity
to the busy road, did pose challenges, said
Scott: “But the internal arrangement is
such that the principal rooms face the
park with large windows, whilst the rear
rooms have smaller, quadruple-glazed
windows positioned in such a way as to
avoid views of the road and minimise the
sound from it.
“Our scheme provided three muchneeded family homes, each with ample
amenity space and a good outlook and,
therefore, in policy terms the scheme
was welcome.”
Planning permi ssion had been
approved for three contemporary
terrace houses clad in wire-brushed and
vacuum-stained black Douglas Fir wood,
with large floor-to-ceiling structured
glass, designed to complement and
balance the Victorian terrace houses
they were to adjoin. Patricia and Dan
couldn’t make any changes to the exterior. But as they were buying off-plan
they did have some input over the internal layout, fixtures and fittings.
D
AN joked: “They say that
when you get two architects
working together you get
three opinions. So with three
architects involved there was
a lot of discussion about what to do with
this house!”
Patricia added: “It was good to be the
clients for once and to have someone
come to us with a choice of two or three
samples, say of flooring or paint colours
to choose from. Scott limited our choice
and this meant things got agreed so
much quicker than they would have
done otherwise.”
Despite the small openings on the rear
façade, the glazed three-storey vertical
atrium and a separate glazed area on the
roof terrace above the staircase allows
lots of natural light to penetrate deep
into the building, minimising the need
for artificial light.
To further reduce overall energy consumption the house has been built with
high levels of thermal insulation to the
roof, walls and floor, and the quadrupleglazed windows reduce the demands on
the water-based underfloor heating
system.
“The super insulation is very effective,”
said Dan. “We don’t need to run the underfloor heating too much. And, if it ever
becomes too hot, we have a fan at the top
of the atrium that cools the place down.”
In April 2011, just over a year after the
family first viewed the plot of land, they
moved in. With its white painted plaster
walls and a mix of French oak finished
with Danish white soap, neutral wool
carpet and slate flooring, the home
offered a blank canvas for Dan, Patricia,
Lena and Leo to project their own style
on to. The couple chose blocks of simple
white, clean-lined furniture to complement and enhance the architectural
features, and opted for splashes of
colour, often textured, to add warmth
and visual interest.
The combination of the large glazed
areas and the proliferation of houseplants blurs the boundary between the
interior and the exterior. The family have
called this house a home for a year now
and they love living in it.
“There are a couple of things we will
maybe change in the future,” said Dan.
“At some point we may cut some window
openings into the bathrooms so that they
benefit more from the light well, and
we’ve talked about extending our bedroom over the stairway to create one
room that runs the whole width of the
house — but then we’d sacrifice the
drama of the triple height and we’re not
convinced we really want to do that.”
Architects, being architects, always have
plans. But Lena’s schoolfriends have
given her the accolade of having the
“coolest home in her class”. She wouldn’t
do anything to alter its street cred.
O Architect: Scott Kyson (kyson.co.uk)
O Structural engineer: Graham Spittle
from the Alan Baxter Partnership
(abpengineers.plus.com)
O Builder: Kyson Construction
(kysonconstruction.co.uk) and Nathen
Dew (nathandew.com)
21
Our home Homes & Property
y.co.uk with
Far left: façade
of Patricia and
Dan’s home, in
the centre of a
terrace of three,
designed by Scott
Kyson
Left: there is
plenty of subtly
concealed storage
in the first-floor
playroom to
accommodate
both Leo and
Lena’s toys
Right: outdoor
furniture and
potted plants
on the modern
roof terrace
Photographs::
Andreas von
Einsiedel
T HOME
Left: Patricia
and Dan with
their children
Leo and Lena
Right: modern
kitchen from
Beeck Küchen.
The green corded
pendant lights are
by Nud and the
green S chair is by
Verner Panton
Above far right:
bright red and
pink towels in
bathroom with
slate tiling and
Catalano bath
Right: Mega Dot
grey bed cover
by Hay at Haus
on low bed, with
cushions from
Heals. The pink
S chair is by
Verner Panton
Far right: red
cushion from
John Lewis on
white modular
Edra sofa in the
living room
22
Homes & Property Design
1
2
3
4
5
winged
things
6
Design
Desig
ign trends
ig
tre
re
end
nds
s
By Barbara Chandler
FROM ethereal and uplifting to
dramatic and moody, angels are
flying into London homes, where
their wings add a heavenly touch.
1 Each beautiful pair of hand-carved
limed-wood angel wings is
individually made with wall fixings
on the back. Price £35, 14cm wide by
30cm high, from Cox & Cox. Call
01373 468482l (coxandcox.co.uk).
2 New designer Adam Slade has
drawn his “angel of justice — and
occasional death”, and then printed
the image digitally on to linen,
adding stylish piping, a grey chenille
backing and duck-feather filling. The
cushion size is 50cm by 50cm and it
is priced at £75. Call 01225 519263
(aslade-interior-textiles.co.uk)
7
8
3 Feathery treasures at London
design boutique Graham and Green
include this charming pair of
vintage-style stone-effect angel wings
(105cm high by 66cm wide by
four cm deep) priced at £270. The
boutique’s Eos feather shades are
hand-covered in beautiful white
feathers and clip on to your existing
light fitting. They come in three sizes
(diameters 20cm, 45cm, and 75cm)
at £70, £89, and £395. Also pictured
are Rangoli floor cushions, in
embroidered felt. They come in three
colours (26cm high, 50cm across), all
at £69. Visit grahamandgreen.co.uk,
or the shops at 4 Elgin Crescent, W11
and 164 Regent’s Park Road, NW1, or
call 020 8987 3700. Five angel wing
door handles (36cm high by 17.5cm
wide) come left or right-handed, in
cast aluminium with either a bright or
satin brushed finish, £252 each or
£504 a pair. Also available in solid
brass or with a bronze powdercoating and/or plated finish. You can
use these handles inside or out, on
timber or on glass doors. Designed
and made by philipwattsdesign.com;
call 0115 926 9756.
9
4 This dramatic angel-wing cushion
by studio London Kills Me is in black
silk with a silver angel-wing print; the
back has the studio logo in black,
silver and pink. Size is 33cm by
20cm and price is £22. From
stylechapel.com; or call
01273 243954.
5 Here Adam Slade digitally prints a
weeping “fallen angel” on a linen
cushion that has piping, a grey
chenille backing and soft duck
feather filling. Measuring 50cm by
50cm, the cushion is £75 and the
contact details are as before (see
item 2)
6 You can put these concrete angel
wings up on your wall but make sure
the fixing are firm as each weighs 6.3
kg (75cm by 30cm). From Rockett St
George. Call 01444 253391 or visit
rockettstgeorge.co.uk
7 This feathery design by new young
designer Helen Stevens is called
Jaeger, from the Navajo collection;
rolls 52cm x 10 metres cost £225 each
Visit surfacephilia.co.uk or call 07771
577 672.
8 This opulent Rococo-inspired wall
covering by eccentric German
designer Harald Glööckler comes in
textured vinyl at £85.75 a roll. See
wallpaper-uk.com or visit the
showroom at 32 Surbiton Road,
Kingston-Upon-Thames. Call 020
8549 43219.
9 Designed by Tord Boontje for
Artecnica, the Icarus “feathered
wing” lampshade takes its name
from the tragic Greek myth. It is
made of wipeable layered polyester
sheets and comes packed flat in a
tube. Priced £69.50 at tordboontje.
com or from Boontje’s shop at 23
Charlotte Road, Shoreditch, EC2. Call
020 7717 5398.
23
Outdoors Homes & Property
Relax! Don’t do it, let the robins flit through it
Highgrove’s team of a dozen
gardeners harness nature to
create this organic paradise
Pattie
Barron
L
AT E summer and early
autumn are spectacular
in the gardens of Highgrove
House, the Gloucestershire
country home of Prince
Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
In September, the crimson glory vine at
the front of the house takes on deep
burgundy tints, the dahlias, asters, echinaceas, fuchsias and blue salvias are in
full fling, the Japanese maples and katsura tree lead the colour pageant in the
arboretum and the apple arch in the
Kitchen Garden is laden with fruit.
The collection of large-leaved hostas
remains remarkably hole-free, thanks
to the garden’s ecosystem where predator eats pest, one of the bonuses of
managing the garden to organic and
sustainable principles as Charles has
done for the past 30 years.
“Highgrove does look neat and tidy,
but it’s soft around the edges,” said
head gardener Debs Goodenough, who
oversees a team of gardeners and trainees to manage the 15 acres. “Gardening
organically is actually easier: it’s about
having a more relaxed attitude and
being aware of what is most important
to do at the time. Deadheading isn’t
essential at this time of year — leave the
seedheads to decorate the garden and
feed the birds — but getting your bulbs
planted is. When you have the robins
following you around and the butterflies have been so phenomenal this
summer, why cut it all down now?”
This is an especially busy time of year
at Highgrove: seed from choice varieties of annuals, such as nicotiana,
nasturtium and poppy as well as peas,
are collected for sowing in the spring,
high-performance perennials such as
alchemilla and nepeta are cut back to
deliver fresh foliage, topiary is shaped,
hedges are cut and over 30,000 bulbs
are planted in the next two months.
Topiary treat: an
avenue of golden
yew, clipped into
novel shapes,
right, lines the
Thymes Walk
behind the house
Moorish treat:
the vibrant
Carpet Garden
right, was
inspired by a
Turkish carpet
and originally
shown at Chelsea
Flower Show
Window
dressing: outsize
Cretan pots, far
right, are planted
with colourful
bedding and
grouped
together for
maximum impact
Photographs:
Andrew Butler
The gardeners look for
hard-working plants such
as Fuchsia magellanica
and hydrangeas, that
still look good even when
the flowers are waning
Bulbs are chosen for their sustainability as much as their good looks, so
Anemone blanda, crocuses and varieties of muscari — grape hyacinth — that
naturalise are top of the list; Muscari
armenaicum Early Giant, a deep blue,
is planted among the catmint to accentuate the silvery foliage. Tulips are
mostly reserved for containers, and the
following year they will be planted to
provide flowers for the house.
At this time of year, a bed or border
might be thoroughly cleared, to invigorate it for future plantings. “This will
work for a bed that’s two feet by two feet
or 20ft by 20ft,” said Goodenough.
Gardeners clear the ground, digging
it over, in sizeable sections. They take
out weed-infested or sickly plants, and
hold others in pots until they can use
them. Then they plant bulbs for a spring
display, and after they’ve flowered, dig
those up and sow or add plugs of annuals. When the annuals have finished, the
bed is dug over again, sown with green
manure such as pretty purple-flowered
phacelia, and planted permanently the
following spring. This lengthy but clever
technique means the soil is reinvigorated while displays continue.
Troublesome weeds here are ground
elder and bindweed, which likes the
Cotswold stone walls. The team dig it
out where they can, and make a path
like a firebreak at the back of the wall,
so they can spot where it starts to creep
in. A mowing strip between hedge and
border allows for mowing before bindweed invades the borders.
There are some exceptional plants at
Highgrove, but most are not out of the
ordinary. The gardeners look for hardworking plants that are tried and tested
such as Sedum Autumn Joy, Fuchsia
magellanica and hydrangeas, that still
look good even when the flowers are
waning.
buy it
See it: Charles’s gardens
Buy it: the tools
TAKE the tour next month or in October with one of the
garden guides and see the late-flowering perennials and
annuals, the orchard full of rare dessert and cooking apples,
the exotic Carpet Garden, the walled Kitchen Garden and
many other inspirational areas — as well as the gardeners in
action. There is also an exciting new feature in the Cottage
Garden: a rustic summer house made from dead standing
oak at Highgrove Estate. Tours are £22.50 per person, which
includes the chance to visit the Highgrove shop on the estate
and the Orchard Room restaurant; book by calling 020 7766
7310. Homes & Property readers also enjoy a free copy of
the guide book, worth £6.95, and pot of tea or coffee, if they
quote code HG83 when booking.
All profits from Highgrove tours are paid to The Prince of
Wales’s Charitable Foundation, a grant-making trust, which
was established by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1979.
SET yourself up with the best-quality
hand fork and trowel set for autumn
planting — as well as a tool that makes
short work of weeds that pop up
between paving stones. Highgrove’s
hand tools, made from iron, are built to
last a lifetime and carry the Highgrove
stamp on the ash handles, which have a
leather hanging thong. Hand fork,
planting trowel and hand patio weeder
cost £20 each incl p&p, but Homes &
Property readers can have a 10 per
cent discount on all Highgrove Garden
products at highgroveshop.com until
September 15 if they used the code
HG83 when ordering.
28
Homes & Property Property searching
D
£349,950
A ONE-BEDROOM duplex in City
Road, close to the Old Street/Hoxton/
Shoreditch triangle. Through Nelsons.
cityrd
£1.2 MILLION
A ONE-BEDROOM flat in a “Venetian
Gothic” building behind the Bank of
England. Through Felicity J Lord.
lothbury
URING the Second World
War, much of the City of
London was wiped out by
German bombs. Cripplegate ward was flattened,
leaving only 48 residents. So in the late
Fifties the City of London Corporation
built Barbican there, one of London’s
largest housing estates. The fortresslike estate’s concrete brutalist towers
are humanised by a landscape of waterfalls, a lake, private gardens, an arts
centre and a medieval church.
The City vies with New York for the
title of the world’s leading financial
centre. It’s a townscape dominated by
streets of office blocks and landmark
towers — not a place that encourages
residents. The Square Mile has fewer
than 8,000 residents — most of them
living in Barbican — and over the next
decade it doesn’t expect the number
to grow beyond 10,000.
It remains a “city within a city”, with
its own system of local government that
dates back to medieval times, when the
craft guilds controlled trade. Today their
successors, the powerful livery companies, still hold sway, electing the Lord
Mayor of London. The City is the only
council in the country where the business community retains the right to vote
in local elections, a franchise that was
swept away elsewhere in the Sixties.
WHAT THERE IS TO BUY
£775,000
A FOUR-STOREY, two-bedroom house
in St John Street, Clerkenwell, with a
commercial space in the basement.
Through Foxtons.
stjohn
Most homes are concentrated in Barbican, but in the small enclave of
streets between Blackfriars and St
Paul’s, and in Smithfield, there are
warehouse apartments and flats above
commercial premises. Barbican homes
range in price from £325,000 for a
studio to £2.25 million for a five-bedroom house. Frank Harris (020 7600
7000), the only estate agent with a
Barbican branch, is selling a four-bedroom house with a roof terrace in
The Postern for £2.25 million.
The Grade II-listed Golden Lane Estate
on the western edge of Barbican was
built as social housing by the City of
London. Like Barbican, it was designed
by Chamberlin Powell & Bon. Now
around half the flats are privately
owned and are popular with the
Taking a break:
Bank of England
workers sun
themselves
outside the Royal
Exchange in the
heart of the City
Spotlight
City of London
Who wouldn’t
live in this
fantastic part
of London if
they could?
Justifying its towering prices, for those who
work and play hard the City has more variety
than you might expect, says Anthea Masey
£845,000
A TWO-BEDROOM apartment on the
first floor of Defoe House on the
Barbican estate, with a balcony.
Through Scott City Residential.
defoe
To find a home in the City of London, visit
homesandproperty.co.uk/cityoflondon
Landmark: the Barbican Centre complex has much to over, as well as its admired brutalist architecture
Great spot: the bar inside the converted Royal Exchange
design-conscious. Prices here start at
about £275,000 for a studio. A twobedroom flat sells for around £550,000
to £600,000, compared with £750,000
to £800,000 at Barbican.
The City also extends to a small area
east of Bishopsgate around Petticoat
Lane market, where there are flats
available above commercial premises.
Petticoat Tower, a Sixties brutalist
block also built as social housing by the
City of London, has a raised communal
garden, and leasehold apartments here
are among the cheapest in the neighbourhood. Two-bedroom flats sell for
about £325,000.
In Middlesex Street, 85 new council
flats are being built, the first new social
housing since the Sixties. The keys to
the first 24 were recently handed over.
A total of 237 new social housing flats
are planned before the end of 2016.
One of the most interesting buildings
now on the market in the City is a
Venetian-style property in Lothbury,
almost opposite the Bank of England,
that has been converted into two onebedroom flats, on sale through Felicity
J Lord (020 7251 9449) for £1.2 million.
The area attracts: with many traders
at their desks by 7am, many homes
here are pieds-à-terre inhabited only
during the working week. However,
Tina Evans of Frank Harris said Barbican is home to a surprising number of
families. “There are good nurseries and
schools and I know families who share
nannies. We also get downsizers who
like the culture at the Barbican Centre
— and living on one level.”
Best roads: it is more a case of the best
tower blocks: in Barbican, those with
29
Property searching Homes & Property
CHECK THE STATS
■WHAT HOMES COST:
BUYING IN THE CITY OF LONDON, EC2
(Average prices)
One-bedroom flat £698,000
Two-bedroom flat £1.27 million
Three-bedroom flat £4.22 million
Source: Zoopla.co.uk
RENTING IN THE CITY OF LONDON, EC2
(Average rates)
One-bedroom flat £2,552 a month
Two-bedroom flat £3,050 a month
Two-bedroom house £3,696 a month
Three-bedroom flat £3,627 a month
Three-bedroom house £4,918 a month
Source: Zoopla.co.uk
GO ONLINE FOR MORE
O The best schools in the City of
London
O Best City shops and restaurants
O The latest housing developments
O The most expensive street
O Where to find the up-and-coming
areas
O How this area compares with the
rest of the UK on property prices
O Smart maps to plot your property
search
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
High point: taking in St Paul’s Cathedral
— and lunch — on the sixth floor of the
One New Change shopping centre
the best views are Cromwell, Shakespeare and Lauderdale.
Up and coming: the Golden Lane
Estate is often referred to as the poor
man’s Barbican; flats here are cheaper
and the quality of design is high.
Open space: there are riverside walks
and pocket parks throughout the City.
Postman’s Park off St Martin’s Le Grand
contains the Watts Memorial, com-
memorating “heroic men and women”
who gave their lives saving others.
Leisure and the arts: Barbican Centre,
a world-class facility with a concert hall,
two theatres, cinemas and art gallery,
is home to the London Symphony
Orchestra. The Museum of London
charts the capital’s history in objects
from a Roman “bikini” to a suitcase
carried by a Turkish-Cypriot refugee in
the Seventies. Other museums include
the Bank of England, the Clockmakers’
Museum, the Barts Hospital museum
and the Guildhall Art Gallery.
THANKS to reader Charlotte
Palmer for suggesting the City
of London for a Spotlight. If
you have an area you would like us to
feature, tweet us @homesproperty
O For more on the history of the City of
London, visit Melanie Backe-Hansen’s
blog at homesandproperty.co.uk/blogs
Photographs: Graham Hussey
Window on the world: from the top of St Paul’s the changing skyline now includes the Shard of Glass
Travel: almost every London Underground line passes through the City
and there are six mainline train
stations: Liverpool Street, Moorgate,
Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street, Farringdon and Blackfriars. The new
Crossrail link will have stations at
Farringdon and Liverpool Street. All
stations are in Zone 1 and an annual
travelcard costs £1,216.
Council: City of London Corporation
(the councillors and aldermen sit as
independents). Band D council tax for
the 2013/2014 year is £943.39.
Who has the right to drive a flock of
sheep over London Bridge, herd
geese down Cheapside, get married
in St Paul’s and avoid arrest for being
drunk and disorderly?
Find the answer online
For all this and more, visit
homesand
property.co.uk/
spotlightcityoflondon
What do you like about the
City of London? Have your say
at ESHomesAndProperty
By the river: the City also includes prestgious flats with spectacular balcony views along the Thames
30
Homes & Property Ask the expert
My landlord won’t redecorate my flat
Q
A
Q
Fiona
McNulty
WHAT’S
YOUR
PROBLEM?
IF YOU have a
question for
Fiona McNulty,
please email
legalsolutions@
standard.co.uk
or write to Legal
Solutions, Homes
& Property,
London Evening
Standard, 2 Derry
Street, W8 5EE.
We regret that
questions cannot
be answered
individually but
we will try to
feature them
here. Fiona is a
partner in the
residential
property, farms
and estates team
at Withy King LLP
(withyking.co.uk).
OUR LAWYER ANSWERS
YOUR QUESTIONS
I BOUGHT my flat 20
years ago. There is a
clause in the lease that
says the block will be
painted every four years but it
hasn’t been touched in at least
eight. I have contacted the
managing agents, but their
response was that several people
in the block are in arrears and
there is money outstanding which
they are chasing through the court.
I have always paid my service
charge so what action can I take?
A
IT’S difficult to advise
without seeing your lease but
there appears to be a breach
of the terms of the lease as
your landlord has failed to comply
with the redecoration clause.
Strictly speaking you have a right to
sue your landlord for an injunction in
the county court requiring them to
carry out the redecoration and/or
compensate you.
Your landlord has given a reason
for the delay in decorating and
appears to be taking positive steps.
The court will consider whether it is
reasonable to grant an injunction
and will look at your needs and your
landlord’s. Unless the landlord has
delayed unreasonably, the court will
look to avoid granting an injunction.
As for compensation, you need to
prove what losses you have suffered
as a result of the breach.
If the lack of maintenance has
reduced the value of your flat, you
may be able to claim compensation.
To Let
More legal
Q&As
Visit: homesand
property.co.uk
WE ARE interested in having solar panels on
our roof and have been told it is possible to
have a deal where we don’t pay for them to
be fitted, and we also get free electricity. This
seems too good to be true. How does it work?
THE Government is keen to encourage the
generation of low-carbon energy. A feed-in tariff
pays people for generating their own electricity.
The feed-in tariffs enable a home owner to earn
income through the generation tariff, export tariff and
through the electricity supplier. The generation tariff is
based on the electricity generated from the panels and
the export tariff is for any surplus electricity exported.
Some solar panel firms, in order to benefit from the
feed-in tariff, run “rent-a-roof ” schemes which involve
leasing the airspace over a roof, including rights over the
roof structure for the installation of photovoltaic or solar
panels. The firm will lease airspace for 20-25 years, for
example, and in exchange will install and maintain panels
at no cost to you, generally keeping generation and
export tariffs while you get the benefit of free electricity.
Consider the proposed contract very carefully and
establish, for example, who owns the solar panel system,
and what happens if you wish to sell your property, or
make alterations or carry out work near the panels?
If you have a mortgage you may need your lender’s
consent for such a lease, so contact them to establish their
requirements. The lease will have to meet the minimum
requirements of the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Take
legal advice before proceeding.
O These answers can only be a very brief commentary on
the issues raised and should not be relied on as legal advice.
No liability is accepted for such reliance. If you have similar
issues, you should obtain advice from a solicitor.
Overseas Homes
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Commercial
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Sick of the rat
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REFURBISHED
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We will finance and carry out
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To Let
SENSATIONAL LET Tulse
HIll 6 bed 3 bath 3 recep Det. Vict
3500sq f t o/s parking for 4,
£4,000PCM. Suit anyone with
style 020 8299 3021. www.Roy
Brooks.co.uk
For Sale - High turnover
Newsagent
Beautiful Northern Dales
market town,excellent profits
Enquiries to Andrew Willby 01670 783220 Ref:
T30772NE
WEST
KENSINGTON
Modern, newly refurb. 1 bed
flat, wood floors, fitted
kitchen & bathroom. 3 min
walk to Tube. Suit
professionals or student
£375PW.
020 7386 0015
[email protected]
For Sale
CHAPEL WITH CONSENT TO
CONVERT TO HOLIDAY
ACCOMMODATION
A Grade II Listed former
Methodist Chapel
located on the
Monmouthshire/
Herefordshire
border with planning consent
to convert to holiday
accommodation. Built in
1866, the Chapel has much
character and many features
and planning consent
includes a mezzanine floor.
Located on the fringe of
Pandy village circa 7 miles
from Abergavenny and 20
miles Hereford. Good ’A’
road links, railway stations in
Abergavenny and Hereford.
O.I.R.O £75,000.
For full details visit
www.parrysproperty.co.uk
Parrys Property,
Abergavenny Telephone :
01873 858990
32
Homes & Property Inside story
Lucky chef gets a good deal on a plate
MONDAY
Some days it can take me 10 minutes
to walk down the street to the office as
locals stop to chat. Today I bump into
a barber we found premises for, then
a famous restaurant owner stops to ask
for a property market update.
He has recommended clients to me
who dine at his restaurants and we are
pleased to reciprocate. It’s really
important to connect with businesses
in the areas we cover. Owners who have
rented a shop, restaurant or office
locally often come to us when looking
for a home close to their businesses.
Within the past week, the owner of a
well-known Italian restaurant has had
an offer accepted on the flat he is living
in. He has twice rented the same flat
through us but has been looking to buy
in the block for 10 years. A tough twoweek exchange deadline was set by the
landlord. A week in, I have not had a
mortgage survey — I will need to do a lot
of chasing.
TUESDAY
I arrive at the office this morning to the
sound of my French-speaking senior
lettings negotiator, Sandrine Locatelli,
chatting away enthusiastically to a lady
who was recommended to us by an
existing French tenant, who Sandrine
found a property for. It’s always great
to have people recommend us.
There has been a huge influx of French
Diary of
an estate
agent
people coming to the UK, and it is showing no signs of stopping, particularly
with the higher tax rates over there.
Sandrine is popular, as she has built
up a reputation for being very patient
and able to explain the differences
between the lettings process here compared with France.
WEDNESDAY
We are halfway through the week and
I still haven’t had a survey on the
Italian restaurant owner’s purchase.
So I need to make some calls to find
out whether there is an alternative to
a mortgage for him, and if he has the
funds to buy, in view of the fact that we
won’t get a mortgage by the end of
the week.
The landlord is absolutely steadfast
in his wish to get this done by Friday
and the lawyers have all the documentation in place and ready to sign.
The owner is not happy with her
existing agent. She feels her house has
been undervalued. Our inspection
backs her opinion, as it is an
unusual home with quirky features.
I confirm our valuation, which is 10
per cent higher than the previous agent
had suggested, and agree instructions
to act on her behalf to aim to get her
the best price for her property.
THURSDAY
I am called to a house in Marylebone
that has been owned by the same
family for many years.
FRIDAY
Today is the deadline for the deal on
the flat for the Italian restaurant owner.
The clock is ticking but I manage to get
in touch and he confirms that his
solicitor has the funds in place to
exchange contracts — although there
are still a few niggling legal issues to
resolve.
The viewings on the Marylebone
house instruction are going well, too,
and we already have a second viewing
booked for early next week.
Judging by the viewings so far I am
confident we will get the owner a great
price. It shows how important it is to
get more than one valuation for your
property. At the end of the day, good
news comes for the Italian restaurant
owner as I receive a call from the
seller’s lawyer. He’s ringing to confirm
that the 10-year wait is over at long
last.
The restaurateur invites me to share
a drink with him and his wife at one
of his restaurants. What a great end to
the week.
O Jonathan Hudson is the founder of
Hudsons Property in Charlotte Street,
W1 (020 7323 2277).
34
Homes & Property Letting on
M
Y FOUR-BEDROOM
property needs
re-advertising as the
present tenants are
due to move out next
month, but I have decided to take a
more scientific approach to the
whole process in order to let the flat
as quickly as possible with the least
amount of effort.
I’m keen to avoid traipsing to the
property several times a day for the
next few weeks to show zillions of
viewers around when 90 per cent
of them won’t be in the least bit
interested. Many will only be window
shopping and quite a few who turn
up won’t make suitable tenants.
My plan is to generate the
maximum amount of interest from
my ad but conduct the fewest
number of viewings necessary to
secure an offer in the shortest
amount of time.
To do this, I have sought inside
information on property seekers
which, since you’re good enough to
be reading this, I’m going to share.
I’ve found some research from
Upad, the UK’s largest online letting
agent, which analysed data from the
25,000 tenant enquiries it received
in July to find out when and how
tenants look for their next property.
It shows that the majority of
enquiries come during weekday
evenings, but also that Monday and
Tuesday lunchtimes are peak periods
for property searches online.
More than 80 per cent of the 278
tenants who responded to a survey
by Upad said they preferred to view
Tick, tock,
get tenants
on the clock
Victoria Whitlock wonders whether a
scientific approach will serve her best as she
tries to let her soon-to-be-vacant property
The
accidental
landlord
properties during the daytime on
Saturdays, though 72 per cent said
they would also go house hunting on
a Sunday.
Nearly half would do viewings on
weekdays after work, but only one in
10 would visit a place on a Saturday
night and only one in five would visit
during normal working hours from
Monday to Friday.
What this shows is that, ideally,
landlords should try to be flexible as
viewers are more likely to prefer
weekends to other times but
Mondays and Tuesdays are very
active for enquiries. Now, past
experience tells me that if you aren’t
able to show tenants round a
property within a day or two of their
enquiry they usually find somewhere
else. However, because I don’t want
the re-letting process to take over the
rest of my summer, I’ll aim to be free
on Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes
to respond quickly to enquiries.
Then, rather than dropping
everything to show tenants around
whenever is most convenient to
them, I’ll try to bunch all the
viewings together on Saturday or
Sunday, as these seem to be the most
popular days. A risky strategy, I
know, but let’s see if it works.
Upad’s research also shows that
£650 a week: in Barons Court, W14, Faron Sutaria has this refurbished threebedroom house available to rent. Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/rentbarons
more than 40 per cent of property
enquiries come from a mobile phone
or a tablet, which suggests to me that
many people are looking for their
next place to live while on the move,
maybe on the bus on the way home,
or possibly during the ad break while
watching a movie.
I reckon that if folk are looking at
property ads on such small screens,
it’s best to grab their attention as fast
as possible. Time to ditch the prose,
then, and limit my ad to a series of
bullet points, listing all the essential
facts in just a few words, backed up
with some excellent photos. To tell
the truth, I’ve always thought punchy
ads work best, especially with
younger viewers who, having been
weaned on Wikipedia and Google,
have lost the ability to read a
sentence more than five words
long anyway.
Of course, if all of the above fails
I will ditch the science and resort to
Plan B: a glowing ad and viewings
24/7 until the flat is let.
Mother-of-two Victoria Whitlock lets
three properties in south London. To
contact Victoria with your ideas and
views, tweet @vicwhitlock
Find many more homes to rent at
homesandproperty.co.uk/lettings
A home in one of London’s trendiest postcodes
Dalston Curve
Kingsland High Street, Dalston,
London E8 2NS
94
01+(!-0/9,,90
43030,1,8.00
+0410490904,
,4,-80
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taylorwimpey.co.uk/eastlondon
0203 697 3925
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36
Homes & Property New homes
The word from the street
David Spittles
Smart mo
From £90,750: for a 30 per cent share in Market Green flats
Go north for the latest in
the Caledonian experience
NOW that once-seedy
King’s Cross has become a
desirable neighbourhood,
a formerly scruffy area just
to the north of the station
is swinging into fashion.
Lively Caledonian Road is
the spine of this area and
coming soon is a new
“hub” —25 low-energy
homes, work studios and
shops. Compulsorily
purchased as part of the
Eurostar tunnelling
project, the factory
premises had been
decaying for several years.
Now Igloo, a regeneration
specialist, is building a new
courtyard apartment
complex plus two semidetached houses. Visit
400caledonianroad.co.uk.
Market Green is another
local development. Butting
up against the 10-acre
Caledonian Park, this
scheme offers sharedownership flats in smart,
low-rise courtyard blocks.
Prices start at £302,500, or
£90,750 for the minimum
30 per cent share. Call 020
7089 1315.
Designed with
family in mind
T
HE QUADRANT is the final phase of homes
in the listed grounds of Queen Mary’s
Place, Roehampton, and arguably the best
yet. The 14-acre estate has been built on the
site of a former hospital, with new streets,
squares, crescents and courtyards.
Eight new three-storey, five-bedroom semis in a
quiet corner have a ground floor “super-room” for
family living, a sun terrace on the upper floor and a
utility room with separate external access, a
practical solution for children and pets with muddy
feet. A rare Palladian mansion has been split into
apartments, and there is a private shuttle bus to East
Putney Tube station. Prices from £1,675,000. Call
020 8246 6748.
Kingston benefits from two of the capital’s greatest
assets – the river and Richmond Park – while the
Final phase: The Quadrant
in Roehampton offers family
homes and apartments.
Call 020 8246 6748
shape of the old medieval town can still be seen in
the fine old market square and the warren of
surrounding streets and passages.
Kingston Riverside looms over the Thames and
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37
New homes Homes & Property
A MARKETING suite resembling a
big-top circus tent has been created
by developer Bellway to tempt
homebuyers to a scheme of
260 homes in Hackney where a
failing council estate once stood.
Pembury Circus (pictured right)
launches on September 14 and the
fanfare will include entertainers
such as fire-eaters, stilt-walkers and
acrobats. Show homes have a circus
design theme, too, and the
government-backed Help to Buy
scheme is available. Prices from
£244,950. Call 0845 257 6064.
TOOTING is affordable territory for
couples trading up to a house
because of the patter of tiny feet.
The area is on the Northern line
PREMIER PADS
THE CIRCUS HAS
COME TO TOWN
Tube, has well-regarded schools,
two commons, and the refurbished
lido is a terrific local amenity.
Langroyd Mews is an Edwardianstyle terrace of 13 bay-fronted
houses with a garden plus parking
in a gated courtyard five minutes’
walk from Tooting Bec station. Each
house has four bedrooms, one in
the vaulted roof space, and a family
kitchen/dining room with glazed
roof. Prices from £849,995. For
more information, call Bellway on
0845 548 3059.
Stepney steps up to the mark as a desirable location
has apartments with big terraces jutting out like the
prow of a ship. Floor-to-ceiling glass maximises the
splendid views. Prices from £295,000. Call Redrow
on 020 3441 7621.
FAMILY-SIZE three-bedroom flats are
for sale at Vivo, part of a “new”
neighbourhood at Stepney Green,
where a council estate has been
bulldozed to make way for 462
private and rented homes.
Thoughtful new architecture is
enhancing an inner-city district that
is easier on the eye than many
newcomers expect.
Upgraded Regent’s Canal and Mile
End Park, and a Lottery-funded
“green lung”, are among well-used
local amenity spaces. Buyers are
From £105,000 for 25 per cent: threebedroom flats at Vivo (020 3069 2073)
also waking up to Stepney’s
location — close to two Tube
stations and equidistant between
the City and Canary Wharf. Prices
start at £105,000 for a 25 per cent
share.
Developers First Base and East
Thames Group are also selling a
“Rooftop Collection” of penthousestyle apartments with generous
18 square metre terraces. Prices from
£420,000.
For more information, call Savills
on 020 3069 2073.

Homes and Property August 28, 2013

Transcription

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