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Homes&Property

Wednesday 3 December 2014

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2 WEDNESDAY 3 DECEMBER 2014 EVENING STANDARD

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news: Charles in £105 million Nash crescent demolition row

Read Ruth Bloomfield’s full story at homesandproperty.co.uk

PRINCE CHARLES has been drawn into a row over plans to demolish and rebuild part of a Grade I-listed crescent that was designed by Georgian architect Sir John Nash.

The demolition of a section of Park Crescent in Regent’s Park is proposed by PWC Property Holdings, a Jersey-based consortium which bought the site for £105 million last year. Westminster council will this week rule on the consortium’s plans to turn the former office site into 71 luxury flats. Charles, a champion of conservation, has become involved because the scheme includes giving his charity, Business in the Community, free office space.

Designer kitchens and restaurants

£900,000: in Bradworthy, North Devon, Lake Villa offers huge appeal if you’d love to up sticks and run a B&B. The 18th-century former farmhouse and workers’ cottage have six bedrooms, with five more in a beautifully converted barn and two cottages. Lovely gardens with a tennis court, vegetable patch, two lakes — one for fishing — a log cabin and a large meadow with campsite potential, make up a blissful six and a half acres. Through Fulfords.

£2.95 million: this magnificent, ultra-green house five miles from Henley-on-Thames is mainly encased in glass so that each living space is an extension of the garden and the open countryside beyond. Marble floors flow across the hall to a huge kitchen/dining/living space where a glass wall retracts fully to the garden. A mezzanine-level drawing room and master bedroom suite open to a balcony running the length of the house. Four bedrooms — two en suite — each with sliding glass walls are on the lower level. Through Hamptons.

Trophy buy of the week green and glassy eco-palace

London buy of the week flat makes the most of every super-smart inch

Life changer lots of space to ‘be my (paying) guest’

homesandproperty.co.uk/buyken

£470,000: this one-bedroom garden flat on a leafy North Kensington road has had a smart architectural redesign. There’s a clean, neutral finish of white walls and pale wood floors, concealed cupboards and hidden sockets, while high ceilings and dual-aspect windows maximise space and light in the open-plan reception/kitchen/dining room —

divided from the rest of the flat by full-height sliding doors. There are built-in linen cupboards and wardrobe, and in the bathroom, the mirrored walk-in shower is fitted with a demister. Portobello Road is a stroll away. Through John D Wood.

homesandproperty.co.uk/lifebrad

Property search

Iconic terrace: demolition of part of Park Crescent will give Prince Charles free office space for his business charity

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Visit our new online luxury section

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The ultimate designer kitchens: this month, fabulous kitchens take centre stage as Christmas entertaining throws the heart of the house into the spotlight. The right design, layout and lighting are crucial components of practical as well as stylish kitchen design. Join us as we take a tour of London’s super-luxe kitchens.

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/designerkitchens

Add a side dish of design: for those who would prefer to have their festive feasts cooked by someone else, we discover where to find Christmas gift vouchers that will smooth your way into some of London’s hottest designer restaurants, such as über-trendy SUSHISAMBA, above, at Heron Tower, Bishopsgate.

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/dineondesign

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EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 3 DECEMBER 2014 3

Homes gossip

VOGUE named Chamberlayne Road in Kensal Rise the hippest street in Europe, but neighbouring Wakeman Road is fast catching up.

Jewellery designer Jade Jagger, model Sophie Dahl and film star couple Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz have invested in properties around the two streets. Now a cool five-bedroom Victorian pile, above, is for sale in Wakeman Road with Greene & Co at £1,399,950, with singer Paloma Faith, top, also among the celebrity locals.

See homesandproperty.co.uk/pal

Hip like Paloma

Has it got a galley kitchen, Stevie?

Lady in red Renée RENÉE ZELLWEGER has sold her

farmhouse in New York’s Long Island less than a month after putting it on the market.

The Bridget Jones actress, left, who recently dismissed speculation of cosmetic surgery as “silly” after she set tongues wagging with a new look, sealed the deal at £2.9 million.

The house, which dates back to 1900, has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, all furnished with bright red accent colours. A bidding war was won by orthopaedic surgeon Dr Jeffrey Geller who offered £159,000 over the asking price.

By Amira Hashish

Got some gossip? Tweet @amiranews

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Frankie’s forced to lower the SP

TV CHEF Stevie Parle is selling his Hammersmith houseboat. The youngest cook ever employed by The River Café, Birmingham-born Parle, above, has three books as well as a Channel 4 series under his belt.

Parle, his wife and two young sons now live in Hackney, and he has decided to cast off from his one-bedroom barge.

The charming narrow boat, which is on the market for £375,000 with Riverhomes, comes with a reception room, kitchen, wet room and deck area.

A mooring next to Hammersmith Bridge guarantees romantic views while Hammersmith station is just half a mile away.

STAR jockey Frankie Dettori, right, is struggling to sell his five-bedroom Newmarket family house and stables.

He put the Arts & Crafts home in 15 acres, above, on the market in April for £2.75 million, later dropping to £2.45 million, but it still it hasn’t sold. The property, built in 1905 for the Earl of Ellesmere, has fantastic equestrian facilities, a gym and indoor pool.

Dettori’s family and pet emu are moving closer to his wife’s relatives.

homesandproperty.co.uk/frankie

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A PERFECT MATCH PROMISES A BRIGHTER FUTURE

‘It’s like living in a magazine,’ say tenants in new homes created by a partnership of private and public money transforming a troubled London council estate

FOR more than three decades London’s least-loved council estates have been stigmatised as crime-ridden, antisocial slums where hope and aspira-

tion have perished — places that con-tribute to housing problems instead of solving them, writes David Spittles.

But ambitious renewal projects, spearheaded by a new type of public-private partnership, aim to transform troubled estates and the lives of the people who live on them.

With hindsight, London’s hastily con-structed post-war estates were probably always destined to bring trouble because of the way they were built. Once judged an exemplar of social hous-ing, Woodberry Down in Hackney had 1,890 homes in low-rise blocks. Yet by the Nineties, the estate was so grim it was used to depict the Warsaw ghetto in the film Schindler’s List. Drug dealing and stabbings were part of daily life.

Today the estate is in the early stages of a 25-year redevelopment pro-gramme that entails bulldozing the old homes and building more than twice as many new ones, about 60 per cent of which are for private sale and another 788 for shared ownership.

Berkeley Homes, the private devel-oper collaborating with London Bor-ough of Hackney, has made a strategic decision to take on such large-scale projects because they bring steady, long-term profits — good for business as well getting brownie points from planners and policy makers.

One in every four new homes the company builds in London is on the site of a former council estate. Kidbrooke Village, the reborn Ferrier Estate in south-east London, is another such project winning plaudits from architects and home buyers alike.

Critics claim it is about social engineer-ing as much as regeneration — an attempt to impose gentrification, with well-paid young professionals and buy-to-let investors displacing council ten-ants. This is the method by which poor people are cleared off valuable land to make way for the rich, detractors allege, the patch broken up to suit an interna-tional company selling homes to those who can afford mortgages. The fact that the council is leading this dismember-ment has made some especially angry. But is this judgment too harsh?

PRIME ZONE 2 LOCATION Berkeley is making much of what it calls “social sustainability” — getting local residents into better homes and more engaged in their community through initiatives and activities that also pro-mote personal wellbeing and foster neighbourhood pride. These schemes range from apprenticeships for unem-ployed youngsters to classes in nutri-tion, IT and yoga in the newly built community centre and library.

Coming later is a new school and lifelong learning campus, a street mar-ket and more convenience stores.

Tenants stay in their existing homes

until the new ones are ready, rather than being decanted to a remote address, never to return. And the consensus, borne out by resident sur-veys, is that Woodberry Down is gener-ally a much better place to live, a place where fear is not a daily emotion.

It is not difficult to see why the new homes are attracting buyers, most of whom are “normal, working Londoners priced out of inner districts”, according

to Berkeley’s Piers Clanford. Woodberry Down sits in Zone 2 and occupies a prime waterfront position alongside two vast reservoirs and the New River. It is an impressive and unexpected set-ting, 64 acres in total. A sailing club uses one of the reservoirs for water sports, while the other is a nature reserve with a “trim trail” for joggers. Crisp new apartment blocks are linked by a series of pocket parks and open spaces.

PANORAMIC CITY VIEWSPreviously the waterfront was inacces-sible from Woodberry Down but it has been opened up and enhanced by new landscaping. “I hadn’t realised how beautiful it is, especially at night,” says Geraldine Forbes, who has lived on the estate for 15 years. She recently moved into a new one-bedroom flat and has become a volunteer cook in the com-munity centre. “It’s like a fresh start.”

Let’s talk: a new community centre and library offers educational and recreational activities — and a chance to meet and debate, left. Woodberry Down covers 64 acres, with homes beside two reservoirs — one a nature reserve and the other, right, used by a sailing club. Latest-phase flats start at £425,000. Call 020 8985 9918


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Designated Sites of Metropolitan Importance, the reservoirs are an edu-cational and environmental resource, and have become a popular destination for buggy-pushing young mums from the wider area.

Residents have formed Woodberry Down Family Group with the stated aim of “bridging the different sectors on the estate”, while “tenure blind” architecture means there is no visible difference between private and ten-anted buildings. Interiors have broadly the same specification, but “good design is not enough”, says Simon Donovan, the enthusiastic director of the Manor House Development Trust, a community support organisation.

“We have to make sure the problems of the old estate do not come back, and that means behaviour change, so there has to be a 360-degree approach — train-ing people to NVQ standard, helping them to get jobs and empowering them.”

Skyline, the latest phase of homes, comprises 135 south-facing apart-ments in a 30-storey tower, designed to capture panoramic views over the reservoirs towards the City. Residents can make use of the 24-hour con-cierge, spa, gym and underground parking, which ups the game for the area, too. Prices from £425,000. Call 020 8985 9918.

Shared-ownership flats in other blocks are exclusively for first-time buyers. Hackney borough residents get priority. Prices from £283,000, or £70,875 for a 25 per cent share. Call Genesis housing association on 033 3000 4000.

GETTING ON THE LADDER Tenants moving into a new home retain their right to buy, and the expectation is that a good number will use it, receiving a discount on the price. One of these is long-term resi-dent Gloria Obliana, 43, who has a 20-year old son. “It’s an encourage-ment to get on the property ladder whereas before there was no incen-

tive,” she says. Ian and Yvonne Klemeerg have fond memories of Woodberry Down before its spiral downwards. The couple moved to the estate in 1979 and raised their children there, one now an osteopath, the others teachers. “It was well-main-tained and safe and you could leave your door open,” says Mr Klemeerg, 63, a retired tailor. “English Heritage even tried to list the estate. But after 1999 Hackney council did nothing for 10 years and it became a hellhole.

“The transformation now is unbeliev-able. We have this lovely big new apart-ment, like something you would see in a magazine.”

Time will tell if this regeneration model can live up to the promise. Some residents still living in older blocks are very angry, while a number of former locals claim they moved out because they couldn’t afford the overheads now imposed on residents.

People still in the older blocks, par-ticularly those north of Seven Sisters Road which splits the estate, say they are in limbo, claiming Berkeley’s devel-opment focus is on the more desirable reservoir-facing land, where private homes are easier to sell. On this level at least, some might claim that segrega-tion still exists.

Photographs: Daniel Lynch

Above left: as a mix of new buyers and tenants arrive, residents have formed a family group to “bridge the different sectors on the estate”

Transforming lives: Yvonne and Ian Klemeerg, above, have lived at Woodberry Down since 1979 and now have “a lovely big new apartment” to call home

Forging a future together: a new partnership between Hackney council and Berkeley Homes is transforming Woodberry Down, main picture, with smart new flats, inset, some offering 24-hour concierge, spa, gym and parking


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An economics lesson in The Schoolyard Shared-ownership flats in transformed Wandsworth Town are a great buy for first-timers who relish café culture, says Ruth Bloomfield

CINDERELLA status was once well-earned by Wandsworth Town, with its moribund industrial sites along the Thames, crawling 24/7

traffic on the gyratory system, and little in the way of entertainment.

But a wave of investment by develop-ers and a ripple of buyers from more expensive parts of south-west London have wrought a transformation in recent years.

Top-end developments are revitalis-ing the waterside, the defunct Ram Brewery marooned at the apex of the one-way system is being turned into glamorous flats, and Transport for London is consulting on long-awaited plans to redesign the local road system. A decision is expected next year, and that will be a real game changer.

Importantly, Old York Road, Wands-worth Town’s high street, has been quietly acquiring a great range of cafés and independent shops, while trains from Wandsworth Town station to Waterloo take about 15 minutes.

HIGH-SPEC APARTMENTS IN A GREAT LOCATIONFirst-time buyers who like the sound of the above should consider buying into The Schoolyard in Eltringham Street, with 119 new homes, including 20 for shared ownership, in series of low-rise buildings. The development is within easy reach of local attractions, from the open spaces of Wandsworth Common to the stalls and stores of Northcote Road.

Prices for the shared-ownership homes start at £97,500 for 25 per cent of a one-bedroom flat with a full market value of £390,000.

Monthly outgoings — which include rent, service charge, and mortgage based on a notional interest rate of five per cent — are estimated at £1,129.

A 25 per cent share of a two-bedroom flat will cost £122,500, with monthly costs estimated at £1,168. All homes

From £97,500: for 25 per cent of a one-bedroom flat at The Schoolyard, left and right. Two-bedroom homes are also available as a shared-ownership option at the low-rise development, far right

have some form of outside space, either a balcony, a terrace or a patio. There are also communal gardens on the site, which earns its name as the former location of the now-defunct Eltringham School. The Schoolyard is being sold by housing association L&Q. Olivia Scrimshaw, deputy director of marketing, says standout features include a particularly high spec, with built-in wardrobes, underfloor heating and video entry systems.

STROLL TO NORTHCOTE RD “Old York Road has fantastic café cul-ture and Northcote Road is within walking distance,” says Scrimshaw. “From Wandsworth you really have got all Fulham, Clapham and Battersea on your doorstep and our research tells us that these really are the areas young people want to live in.”

The downside is that The Schoolyard is adjacent to that troublesome one-way system, but Scrimshaw believes the development’s acoustic glazing will minimise the impact of traffic noise.

Visit lqgroup.org.uk/theschoolyard

“Fantastic café culture”: the vibrancy feeds through from Old York Road’s wealth of informal take-a-break venues

Trailblazing: Old York Road, above, Wandsworth Town’s high street, has acquired a great range of independent shops — and Waterloo is a 15-minute train ride away

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Co-op deal —flats for £80 a week

Searching for a rental home in Zone 2, secret tenant Tim Lowe discovers a South Bank housing co-op that’s well within his budget

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THE challenge of finding some-where to rent for less than £500 a month in Zone 2 is increasingly tough. Bemoan-ing my imminent homeless-

ness, I get chatting with a regular in my local pub who tells me his son has just moved into a housing co-operative on the South Bank and is paying £80 a week for a one-bedroom flat.

I Google “housing co-ops London” on the off chance that my acquaintance has hit on a solution. The top result reads: “Co-operative housing: Coin Street, South Bank”. A few calls later I manage to track down Brian Trainor, head of housing services at Coin Street Community Builders, a not-for-profit social enterprise and development trust. Sensing my desperation, he kindly agrees to meet up with me.

MEMBERSHIP of one of the four housing co-ops at Coin Street Community Build-ers is very difficult to obtain. Half of members come through the local authority, while the other half is made up of those who apply and have a local connection or work in the area, such as in health care or education. When new members arrive they are expected to spend their first year on the committee to get an understanding of how every-thing works.

The main gist is that a housing co-op evolves around a group of people who jointly control the way it is run. They have to pay a nominal rent to the co-op of between £80 and £185 a week depending on size of the accommoda-tion, and they are expected to take an active part in the organisation.

TRUE to his word, Brian Trainor per-suades Lilly, a local midwife and long-time Coin Street resident, to let me stay with her family for three weeks and keep within my budget of £115 a week. She, along with her two young sons and her brother-in-law’s father, a lovely chap called Chris, live in the Iroko development opposite ITV’s South Bank headquarters.

Iroko is an architectural masterpiece, far removed from what I expected

social housing to look like. In fact if you didn’t know better, with its balconies and rooftop penthouses, you would walk past it thinking it was another exclusive multimillion-pound develop-ment along the river.

It was designed by architects Haworth Tompkins with a main aim of achieving a blend of family house sizes, to reflect local demand. They opted for terrace houses with a modern twist, and more than half of the 59 units are five-bed-room houses — not bad for social hous-

ing in the heart of London, and very different from current tenant expecta-tions. Most would expect only a studio flat in such a central location.

Of course, it’s all very well producing attractive housing but what really mat-ters is how it functions within the com-munity, and as family living space. Internally, the houses have been built to last and minimise maintenance costs, rather than using the cheapest materials available. Furthermore, insu-lation and solar panelling are common

features, ensuring the buildings are cheaper to run in the long term. Every home has a private garden but resi-dents also have access to a large com-munal landscaped garden for all of them to use and look after.

MY ROOM is on the top floor of a three-storey house with my two new house-mates Hamish, 14, and 11-year-old Arthur. Fortunately, my premonition that this could prove quite a challenge, remembering my own behaviour at

their age, is quickly put to bed. They turn out to be two of the most relaxed, well-behaved lads I have met. Although my room is compact, it serves as the perfect crash pad. And after three months on the road having to fend for myself, it’s a pleasure to enjoy some home-cooked food, waiting for me on the table. Over dinner, my adopted family gives me an excellent insight into how the co-op functions, its pros and cons, and the importance of commu-nity in the success of such schemes.

THE CO-OP is an excellent example of modern urban housing, in both an architectural and a social sense, but it is plain that these schemes will not work without intense dedication from a group of people believing in the cause. It is a fascinating, democratic approach to housing, ensuring resi-dents have a greater stake in their homes which results in them being well-looked after. Because the lease-hold is owned jointly by all co-opera-tive members, individual tenants do not have the “right to buy”. Therefore housing remains available and, above all, the rents remain affordable for those in need.

Sadly, such schemes would not be possible if they relied wholly upon government funding. What has allowed Coin Street Community Builders to prosper is its good management organ-isation and income generated through the co-operative’s commercial activi-ties, such as the rent from the Oxo Tower Wharf [owned and managed by Coin Street Community Builders], only made possible by securing the land at the right price many years ago.

Next week: a chilly challenge for Tim as temperatures drop — living in a cross between a horsebox and a Ford Transit van.

The original version of this piece appeared in Estates Gazette. For more from Tim and to watch videos of his assignment, visit estatesgazette.com/lowecostliving, follow @lowecostliving or @knightfrank

Welcomed in: Tim Lowe stayed with a family to discover how the co-op functions, and how it manages to provide affordable, good-size social housing in the heart of London

Community ties: Coin Street residents include local health or education workers needing to be near their jobs D

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HOW we shop is constantly evolving. Cut-price supermarkets, long popular in Europe, are gaining ground in Britain,

while online discount homeware sites are increasingly popular with their claims of 70 per cent savings compared with high street shops.

This is particularly good news for Londoners, who typically spend 20 per cent more on homewares than the average Briton. We looked at two fast-growing online retailers, Achica.com and Made.com to discover how they work and what they offer.

ACHICA.COMMEMBERS’ BENEFITSAchica was launched in 2010 by Will Cooper, former chief executive of Nasdaq-listed Tradedoubler, a firm that helps businesses grow. Achica has enjoyed double-digit growth year on year since it started.

A “luxury lifestyle” online store for members, Achica focuses on discounted homeware and outdoor living items, most of which are available at the same time on the high street. Anyone can browse the site but only registered members can buy.

Achica claims to have signed up four million UK shoppers. Membership is free, and registration was easy when we tried it. Discounts of “up to 70 per cent” are on offer and the website is stylish and simple to navigate.

HOW IT WORKSAchica holds daily sales of mainly branded goods, including from names such as Samsonite, Brabantia, Dyson and Sanderson, all at discounts, typically of about 40 per cent.

Three quarters or more of the products are from current lines also being sold in the high street. Achica can negotiate discounts because of the scale of its orders and because it restricts sales to members who have to wait around two weeks for delivery. Sales usually last three days, with more than 2,000 items offered each day and when they are gone, they are gone. You can look up a diary of what will be coming up for sale. Achica also has its own Premier Basics line of items that are always available to buy, currently offering mainly furniture and bed linen.

DELIVERING THE GOODSDelivery dates are shown at the time of ordering, usually within two weeks. For big-ticket items, such as sofas, delivery can vary from one to six weeks.

WHAT DO CUSTOMERS SPEND?About 10 per cent of Achica members shop regularly with the site, spending an average £60-plus. The average saving is about 35 per cent, but some lines really do have 70 per cent off.

ARE THEY REAL DISCOUNTS? Yes, and as Achica sells mainly branded items there are plenty of comparison and store websites to check prices before you buy.

MADE.COMNO MIDDLEMANMade.com was set up in 2010 by Brent Hoberman — co-founder of lastminute.com — and entrepreneur Ning Li. It sells designer homewares direct to the customer from the maker, so there are no warehouses or shops involved, which cuts out most retail overheads. The site offers savings of up to 70 per cent compared with the high street prices of comparable items.

The website is ultra-smooth and informative, showing you each item for sale and giving lots of detail about the designer, fabric and construction — even including some videos of designers talking about their work.

HOW IT WORKS:Made.com places a manufacturing order every seven days, so items are made in bulk, then dispatched directly to the buyer. Because pieces are made to order and some are shipped from the other side of the world, they can take weeks or even months to arrive. Made.com insists that since it doesn’t discount branded goods, it is not a discount retailer.

It operates from two London showrooms where you can see some of the furniture and fabric samples. One showroom is in Notting Hill and there’s a new one in Shoreditch.

SO, WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?Made looks at three high street items that are comparable to the one it is offering for sale, then takes the median price as its “high street price”. You can then compare the price of Made’s product with that. WHAT DO CUSTOMERS SPEND?Made has 110,000 customers across the UK and Italy. The company declined to reveal an average spend per customer, but its turnover last year was £26.2 million, a 68 per cent increase on 2012.

ARE THEY REAL SAVINGS?Since items are comparable to brands but made by other manufacturers, you must make up your own mind about savings. The large amount of technical info about the items should help you.

Clockwise from above: Achica’s mohair throws, from £30; Made.com’s Vittorio ottoman in teal (£149); the Gaggia coffee machine from Achica (£549, usually £650) — the discount firm’s sales last for just three days, so “once it’s gone, it’s gone”; Made.com’s “brands-free” site is ultra-smooth, whle Achica offers a luxury lifestyle

With claims of up to 70 per cent off, homeware shopping sites look too good to be true. Philippa Stockley tests two of the biggest

Bargain shoppers

Above: Achica’s Lulu tassel double duvet set, £79. Right, a Molly armchair, £399, from Made.com


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A mix of town and country coolFlats start at £160,000 on Portugal’s Estoril coast where home owners enjoy the delights of historic Lisbon along with their golf. By Cathy Hawker

PORTUGAL needs no introduc-tion for European golfers who fill flights to Faro airport, heading for the 42 courses on the Algarve. So it might come

as a surprise that the country’s top-rank-ing course, according to Golf Magazine, is further north on the Estoril coast, 30 minutes from Lisbon airport.

Oitavos Dunes looks like the best of the Algarve courses, with immaculate greens lined by elegant umbrella pines next to the Atlantic. Unlike the Algarve, however, there’s plenty of history, cul-ture and sport on offer away from the many golf courses and the beach.

Historic Lisbon, full of art galleries and trendy bars, and one of Europe’s oldest capitals, is also one of its most under-rated. But that is set to change. Ryanair plans to double its passenger numbers to Portugal within three years, while Lonely Planet put the country in its top 10 best-value destinations for next year, calling Lisbon a cool, less-crowded and cheaper rival to Barcelona.

CASCAIS, CHOICE OF KINGSFive minutes from the Oitavos course, the former fishing village of Cascais is a favoured escape from Lisbon. The

Portuguese royal court first visited in 1870 and Spanish and Italian royal families moved there during the Second World War. There are more royal connections up in the hills of Sintra, a Unesco World Heritage Site, while Esto-ril has Europe’s oldest casino, the inspi-ration for James Bond’s Casino Royale. A vast National Park extends to Cabo da Roca, Europe’s most westerly point, while Blue Flag beaches include the surfers’ favourite, Praia do Guincho.

“Overseas property buyers like Cas-cais because of the sophisticated quality of life with marinas, sports and shops 20 minutes from Lisbon airport,” says

Joao Fidalgo of Engel & Volkers Cascais. “This Portuguese Riviera enjoys good weather year round, excellent golf courses, protected mountains and beautiful beaches close to all the serv-ices buyers want.” Flats in Cascais range from £160,000 to £2.4 million, and villas from £240,000 to £10 million. Both modern and historic properties are on offer. A two-bedroom modern flat with sea views is £256,000 while a four-bed-room villa near the centre is £550,000, both through Engel & Volkers.

David Taylor of Hamptons Interna-tional says Chinese and Asian buyers are increasingly keen to buy in the area

through Portugal’s Golden Visa resi-dency programme. “Most of these inves-tors favour upmarket new apartments

which can rent for £800 to £1,600 a week in high season,” he adds. Prices are highest around Quinta da Marinha,

close to the Oitavos course, where Engel & Volkers’ Fidalgo is selling a new three-bedroom villa for £959,000. For good value he tips the historic centre of Cascais, where both long and short-term rentals are strongest.

A PLACE TO STAY: THE OITAVOSIn 1920, Carlos Montez Champalimaud bought Quinta da Marinha, 900 hec-tares of unspoiled sand dunes and rocks between Sintra and the sea, with a vision to create a natural second home and tourism project. He planted thou-sands of pine trees and connected utilities but it wasn’t until the late Eight-ies that properties were built.

Today his great-grandson Miguel, an ex-international surfer-turned-hotelier, manages The Oitavos, a five-star hotel. It is part of the family business that extends to wine estates, an equestrian centre and the adjacent Oitavos Dunes, in the world’s top 100 golf courses.

“The golf course opened in 2001 fol-lowed by the health and fitness facilities in 2004 and the hotel in 2010,” says Miguel. “For the active traveller, the location is special. Portugal is one of Europe’s best surfing destinations and Cascais is the best destination in Portu-gal. There are nine golf courses within 30 minutes but with only 5,000 beds in the Estoril-Cascais area, we are not a high tourism destination.”

Golfers or not, sun-starved northern Europeans love this hotel, and with good reason. The Oitavos is a strikingly modern steel-and-glass building on an undeveloped peninsula overlooking the course and the moody Atlantic Ocean.

The pale blue and steely grey colour theme is replicated in 142 generous and thoughtfully designed rooms, all with sea views, while the wraparound win-dows and wealth of crystal maximise light. There are indoor and outdoor pools and three restaurants serving locally sourced seafood and sushi.

Rates at The Oitavos start from £125 for a superior double room with sea view, including breakfast. Portuguese airline TAP flies from both Gatwick and Heathrow to Lisbon from £92.

The Oitavos: theoitavos.comEngel & Volkers: engelandvoelkers.

com/cascaisHamptons International:

hamptons-international.com TAP: flytap.com

Surfers’ paradise: Praia do Guincho on Portugal’s Estoril coast, near Cascais

£2.4 million: detached five-bedroom villa near Oitavos Dunes golf course and central Cascais. Through Engel & Volkers

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Beds, Furniture, Mattresses, Bed Linen, Bedding & Accessories


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Be sure of a warm welcome at home Cut your fuel bills with winter fabrics layered up on sofas, beds and hung at windows and doors to keep out the cold. By Johanna Thomas-CorrT

HIS is the time of year when you remember the simple pleasure of drawing cur-tains — along with the feel of the fabric, the glow from the

fireside and the soft scent of a flickering cinnamon candle.

Before you turn up the thermostat, think of the luxurious, alternative ways of turning your home into a comforting cocoon. Low-tech solutions offer a sea-sonal makeover while saving on energy costs. With draughty floors, doors and windows accounting for between 30-40 per cent of heat lost, it’s worth sealing up gaps in floors and skirting boards with filler. Then you can concentrate on the fun stuff.

Curtains are the most attractive way of stopping heat escaping from win-dows. Triple-lined curtains — with an extra layer of cotton wool sandwiched inside — may seem indulgent, but a little expense saves in the long run. They also hang beautifully, appearing plump and sumptuous.

“Thermal blinds” may not sound sexy but Katy Duke, the architect and climate change activist behind The Thermal Blind Company (thermalblind.co.uk) claims the panels are as effective as triple glazing. These highly energy-effi-cient blinds are made with five layers of thermal fabrics, including Mylar — otherwise known as space blanket — and Thinsulate. They fit snugly, locking on to the window frame using magnets.

Starting at about £160 per square metre, these blinds cost a lot less than triple glazing, and because you keep your original windows they are particularly suitable for listed buildings or homes with traditional sashes.

The Natural Curtain Company (natu-ralcurtaincompany.co.uk) sells ready-made and made-to-measure interlined curtains and blinds. It has 300 cottons, silks and velvets but is happy to work with fabrics bought elsewhere. The Curtain Exchange provides a similar

service solely for curtains, and offers excellent-quality second-hand inter-lined drapes. Drop into the Fulham branch in SW6 or visit thecurtainex-change.co.uk.

A triple-lined front door curtain in richly coloured velvet or a dramatic print adds a stunning feature to the hall, whether pulled to the side during the day or shut at night. Romo does luxuri-ous, complex weaves for reasonable prices (romo.com). Manuel Canovas (manuelcanovas.com; colefax.com)

also does exquisite furnishing fabrics. Hisar, a large paisley design in jewel tones at £109 a metre, is a knockout in a doorway. A stretch of Dara, £75 a metre, an eye-popping toile depicting court life in the Mughal Empire, would make a fabulous cold-banishing state-ment, as well as a wall-hanging. Hang a piece of interlined fabric from a cold, heat-sucking exterior wall, or stretch the material over a canvas and back it with an insulating material such as Mylar to act as a radiant heat barrier.

If you prefer a neutral palette, use con-trasting textures of sheepskins, hides and blankets to create an inviting haven. Heap sofas and beds with rich throws and cushions in tactile velvets, big knits and faux fur. The White Company has reasonably priced lambswool cable-knit throws (thewhitecompany.com).

Occa (occa-home.co.uk) sells 100 per cent wool and natural alpaca blankets from £80-£215, and a faux musquash throw for £240. For a pop of colour and heritage, Welsh wool blankets, espe-cially those by Blodwen (blodwen.co.uk) in 18th-century geometric designs give the bedroom a modern and jazzy look for £345. Jen Jones ( jen-jones.com) sells tapestry and plaid antique weaves from £55-£260. Good-quality cashmere can be eight times warmer than conventional wool. The Conran Shop (conranshop.co.uk) sells an exquisite Arran 100 per cent cash-mere throw in jewel colours for £695.

The National Energy Foundation says uninsulated floors account for up to 10 per cent of heat loss. For funky rugs at fun prices, try Habitat (habitat.co.uk). Its new Sixties-style orange Flokati deep-pile rug is £395. For Jazz-Age ele-gance, the Designers Guild Eberson Cobalt rug is £1,145 at Occa (as before).

At Habitat: Flokati rug (170cm x 240cm) £395. Cushions — Plait knitted, £45; Ancel round multi-coloured, £25; Meera quilted, £20. Throws from a range, £25 to £85

Thermal blinds: act like triple glazing when the fit’s snug; £160 a square metre

Cocoon yourself: super-soft pillows and duvets with subtly contrasting bed linen, all from The White Company

Jazzy look for the bedroom: Welsh wool blankets in geometric designs, £345 from Blodwen (blodwen.co.uk)

A throw for all seasons: Holytex plaid blanket, left, from Holywell Mill in North Wales, £90 at jen-jones.com

Keep out the chill: curtain, right, in Hisar fabric, £109 a metre, by Manuel Canovas. Stockists include Colefax and Fowler


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Silver bellsIt’s Christmas time in the city

Choose stunning pieces crafted by talented silversmiths to spoil friends and family with presents they will treasure for years to come. By Corinne Julius

SILVER is just the thing to add a little Christmas shimmer. Real silver lends a gentle, festive gleam — just the right note of luxury, but without

the bling. There are plenty of goodies to choose from, handmade by some of the world’s leading silversmiths. The skills of these makers bring real beauty to this lovely metal’s intrinsic preciousness, all in functional objects to make Christmas — and the rest of the year — special.

Rebecca de Quin is an established silversmith with a strong sense of form. Her silver pebble dishes are perfect for condiments, sweets, floating flowers, or just to lend sparkle — £150 each or £276 per pair.

Her seductive letter openers, £400, even ease the pain of dealing with bills (rebeccadequin.co.uk).

Recent graduate Charlotte Duckworth makes unusual silver spoons from £130, pickle forks at £95 and Stilton scoops, £250, with handles that are made — very appropriately for Christmas — from pale, silvery holly tree wood (thesilverduck.com).

Phil Jordan sets the table with condiment dishes in silver, oxidised silver and gilded silver from £325 each, with matching or contrasting spoons in silver, gold plate or black rhodium plate from £120, as well as intriguing teaspoons, £175, and sugar shovels in silver and

mahogany from £130 (philjordansilverware.co.uk).

Marion Kane is an established silversmith with a range of spoons from £290, napkin rings at £230 for four, and boxes from £290, all featuring her trademark combination of hammered silver and delicate gold stripes (marionsilversmith.com).

Sally Cox is a new silversmith who uses the metal like paper is used in origami. She takes classical elements and gives them a contemporary twist. Her designs often reflect her interest in ironwork and in the art of paper folding, and include intriguing silver spoons from £250, as well as folded square boxes, £500 (sallycox.co.uk).

Left: exquisite sterling silver bud vases from Juliette Bigley start at £225, so you can add to your collection each year

Right: Marion Kane’s pretty keepsake boxes in silver and gold foil make perfect presents, from £300 to £380

Below: modern napkin clips in silver with gold foil detailing, from Marion Kane, are £230 each or £840 for a set of four

Right: Marion Kane’s supremely elegant spoons in silver and gold foil, from £290 to to £320

Right: folded silver box with a gold-plated interior, £500 from Sally Cox

Below: Charlotte Duckworth makes fun and intriguing spoons, from £130


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Juliette Bigley makes delightful miniature silver vases that can be used singly or in groupings as table architecture — and they are perfect to dress a Christmas table. Start a collection for someone and build on it annually from £225. Or go for her silver napkin rings, each differently and brilliantly coloured on the inside. Every family member could have their own colour, at £80 each ( juliettebigley.com).

Louise Loder makes unusual silver pieces ranging from sugar sifters, £225 each, to hanging mussel-shaped serving scoops, £180, and a variety of slightly quirky spoons and scoops from £100. For the grown-up who has everything, she makes a

table-top sandpit complete with miniature silver buckets, rakes and spades — individual pieces from £100 (louiselodersilver.co.uk).

Start a collection of Christmas decorations for a friend and solve the present-giving dilemma by adding to it annually. For a full range made by young silversmiths, visit The Goldsmiths’ Company website (thegoldsmiths.co.uk).

Kayo Saito’s delicate silver wreath is £80 (kayosaito.com); Vicki Ambery Smith’s church window is £78 (vickiamberysmith.co.uk), and Mary Ann Simmons’s Christmas stockings with gold filling are £75 (maryannsimmons.co.uk).

Below: silver napkin rings with different colours inside, so each family member can have their own, £80 each, from Juliette Bigley

Above: Sally Cox’s salt bowl and spoon, £480 for the set, made of silver coated in gold plate

Left: Rebecca de Quin’s sleek letter openers, £400 each, make receiving those household bills easier to bear

Right: pebble dishes for salt and pepper in silver, £150 each or £276 a pair, from Rebecca de Quin


Homes & Property Our home homesandpropertyhomesandproperty

A cube squared equals smart family livingA crisp white-brick extension transformed a small, tired Fifties house in north London into a spacious and child-friendly home where the real magic happens in the cool white interior, says Philippa Stockley

THEY had moved in and out of six different rented flats and there was a second child on the way before art director Jess Chaney and her partner,

architect Edward Lipton, finally got the property in north London that they wanted to develop. But both Chaney and Lipton are talented and tenacious, and proof of their success is that during this summer’s Open House event, 500 Londoners crammed into the box of tricks they have created from what used to be a small, tired, Fifties home.

At first glance, what you see is a cube of unusual white bricks apparently floating above a wall and a front door of opaque glass — arresting enough in a street of Victorian houses. Second glance shows this is only half of the house — it’s a new section added on to a yellow-brick house which still remains, though totally trans-formed inside.

The added section replaces the original house’s protruding garage, and where the garage’s flat roof was, there is an extra bedroom. So not only has the house been given a dramatic, modern look, a lot more space has been gained into the bargain.

However, the real magic happens inside. The house is designed to be child-friendly, for four-year-old Inigo, and Isis, two. Each floor is level, so the children can race around to exercise and play.

Once through the sliding front door — a new idea in the UK but common in Japan and a great space saver — you are in the hall, which holds a crisp, new white timber staircase, moved to this position to help create the big living room imme-diately ahead. You enter this room through full-height double doors that open on to the 323sq ft space running right across the back of the house, where canary yellow sliding glass doors open out to the triangular garden. The sun-

drenched room replaces two dull ones. It also holds the retro-style floating kitchen unit designed by the couple. In this house of only two main finishes — white paint and pine — the unit is painted palest pink. Next to it stands what looks like a wardrobe, but turns out to be a kitchen in a box: on one side the fridge and freezer, on the other the cooker and dishwasher.

The rooms upstairs are plain and simple, all with big new windows and wired for wifi. The children’s room has a hideaway cupboard that they love using like a tent. Best trick of all, the stairs go up an extra turn, ready to whack on a third floor when finances allow. This will be encased in a black zinc box, fur-ther transforming the outside, and add-ing another 50 per cent of space.

WHEN the couple began looking for a site back in 2009, they were not novice developers. Lipton, who trained at

Manchester and UCL, had set up his own practice with another young architect, Jonathan Plant, in 2002 on the day he qualified. The practice’s first job was demolishing Lipton’s parents’ house and building a new one. From that sprang more work.

In 2007, Lipton and Chaney bought a laundrette in Finsbury Park, converting

Arresting development: the white-brick cube extension and opaque front door

Space and style: Edward Lipton, Jess Chaney and children Inigo and Isis. The couple created a very individual family home that drew hundreds of visitors for London’s Open House event


y.co.uk with Homes & PropertyOur homey.co.uk with

it into a three-bedroom house with an internal courtyard. “We just started tweaking,” says Lipton. “Before we knew it, it was literally a shell.”

Chaney disliked Finsbury Park so they went back to renting, while on the look-out with seed money from the laun-drette-house sale. Lipton had cycled for years past a run-down little Fifties house and thought it a good development opportunity. So, when he saw a For Sale

sign, he pounced. “I saw it one Saturday morning,” he says. “I called the agent, who came over two hours later, and we put in an offer that afternoon.”

LIFE ON A BUILDING SITEYou want the story to end on this trium-phant note, but that first offer was rejected, and it took nine months to buy the house. However, that gave the couple plenty of time to think about what to do

with the place. They submitted plans early in 2012, getting permission in April that year for an extension at the front, plus a new floor. Building started a year later and finished early this year, with the family camping out in their house the whole time.

To support the new works and the future new floor, an internal skeleton of massive steels had to be inserted, some 23 feet long. And when digging started

they went down nearly 10 feet and couldn’t find foundations. “We were digging and digging and digging,” says Lipton. That took a lot of concrete to refill, and was very expensive.

Nevertheless, meticulous attention to detail and a highly intelligent reconfigur-ing of space has turned this sow’s ear into a stylish silk purse. It’s a perfect house for a young family — and pretty cool for grown-up children of all ages.

Minimalist: stairs left, moved to create more space. Pine and white finishes, above Let the sunshine in: sliding full-height glass doors let light flood the huge living space

Child-friendly space: four-year-old Inigo and Isis, two, make the most of the level ground-floor living room/kitchen leading on to the garden

Photographs:: Charles Hosea

GET THAT LOOKTURN TO NEXT PAGE


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Get that look

NOW THAT’S A REALLY CLEVER IDEA

Lipton and Chaney designed a “kitchen cupboard” that stands next to the kitchen unit and looks almost like a modernist wardrobe. But open it and you find the fridge, freezer, dishwasher and oven. Pretty amazing — and it hides the big kitchen items away brilliantly.

SUBTLE STATEMENT

With the house’s honey-coloured timber and plain white plaster walls, subtle accent colours can make a big difference. The wide custom-made kitchen unit is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Middleton Pink emulsion, below — £36.99 for 2.5 litres at Homebase

The perfect combination: the skills of an architect and an art director’s eye for detail

TIPS FROM EDWARD LIPTON AND JESS CHANEY“Have a clear understanding of your budget and have total clarity in your brief to your architect. Explain in detail exactly what you want. You both need to be in complete agree-ment from day one so that as you are designing, you can achieve what you wanted. And don’t cut corners.”

“You need a strong stomach. It takes guts, time, and costs money.”

“The most fundamental thing? Don’t underestimate the value of an architect. A good architect is the difference between just making a building, and a bespoke, beautiful result.”

“Details can make a house. At our house we really only had two materials: the honey-coloured timber and the white plaster. Within that a couple of accents of colour — the yellow sliding doors and the pale pink kitchen unit — but they make a huge statement.”

THE FIGURESHouse bought in 2011: £520,000Spend: about £350,000 (not including architect’s fees)

HOW TO GET A SIMILAR SPEC

Architect: Edward Lipton at Lipton Plant (lparchitects.co.uk)

Sliding yellow-framed glass doors: by culmax.co.uk

All other windows: velfac.co.ukKitchen tap: ikea.comDouble steel sink: from franke.

comFloor seals and other timber

finishes: by Osmo at osmouk.comWhite paint: dulux.co.ukGubi semi-pendant lamp: try

occa-home.co.ukHarry Bertoia’s 1952 Diamond

chairs: by Knoll at knoll.com — or try eBay

Bespoke furniture throughout: designed by Lipton and Chaney

By Philippa Stockley

DESIGN CLASSICS

Lipton and Chaney chose a semi-pendant Gubi lamp to hang above the dining table. This one, left, is £169 from Occa

A Harry Bertoia Diamond chair by Knoll, from 1952, below, can be found on eBay for about £400

BOLD IDEAS

The house masks its size cleverly by appearing to be a simple, light-brick cube. But this is only half of the home — it also includes the yellow-brick section to the right. Far right: the new staircase was built in a fresh location to create more living space


Pattie Barron

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for gardeners

Christmas gifts

Sparkling stocking fillers

CREATIVE CRATESSend a Passion Pack of hardy passionflower plant, a supply of fresh passion fruits and a bottle of champagne, all packed in a crate with your special message, £62. Other imaginative treats from The Gluttonous Gardener include Give A Fig, £35, with a potted fig tree and fig jam, and Nut Case, a cobnut tree plus choc-coated hazelnuts, £38. From glut.co.uk (020 8627 0800). Last orders, December 22.

THROW A HEN PARTYA trio of rusty red hens makes a delightful feather-free menagerie for the urban garden. One red hen, height 13½in, is £29, red pecking hen, height 13in, is also £29, and a little red rooster, 10in high, is £25, all from coxandcox.co.uk (0844 858 0744). Last orders by December 19.

BERRIED TREASURESGreet the guests with a pair of festive holly trees at either side of the front door. Growing in a two- to three-litre container, each tree is about 24-32in tall, and presented in a white rattan basket. Choose either plain or variegated, for £29.99 per tree.

Other evergreens-to-go include pyramid box, 31in tall, £59.95, and pyramid bay, 47in tall, £59.95, all from gardeningexpress.co.uk (08448 044 253).

Last orders, December 21.

THE SWEET SCENT OF CITRUSMini citrus trees with shiny green leaves, fragrant white flowers and bright fruit will thrill the indoor gardener. If you buy just one, make it a calamondin, which, given a sunny windowsill, produces a mass of edible baby oranges, £19.99. Also buy a kumquat and Meyer lemon, £19.99 each, and get all three for £44.99, saving £14.98. Supplied in five-inch pots, from suttons.co.uk (0844 922 0606). Last orders by December 17.

BOUQUET OF BULBSGardeners who go for sizzling colour will love Sarah Raven’s ribbon-tied sack of dahlia tubers with the promise of sumptuous blooms next summer. The Hot Dahlia collection comprises one tuber each of Raven’s top five: Karma Fuschiana, Waltzing Mathilda, Blue Bayou, Selina and Mambo. Place your order for £26.95, and get a dahlia greetings card to give. February delivery. From sarahraven.com (0845 092 0283). Last orders, December 17.

GIVE A ROSY FUTUREPick of the bunch is the new For Your Eyes Only, next year’s official Rose of the Year. This disease-resistant, fragrant floribunda with blooms that are a mix of sunset shades will flower right through summer, and grows to just 3ft, so is ideal for a small garden or container. Send it bare-rooted for £14.99, down from £19.99, or in a three-litre pot for £18.74, down from £24.99. From crocus.co.uk (01344 578 000). Last orders, December 22.

A TREAT OF A TULIPShaped like a tulip, this three-point trowel is designed to make planting easy for gardeners with heavy clay soil. Made from carbon steel with oiled ash handle by renowned Dutch company De Wit, the tulip trowel is reduced from £29.99 to £19.99.

More covetable De Wit tools include a long-handled weeding fork, £26.99, and a spork, doubling as spade and fork, £59.99. All from crocus.co.uk (01344 578 000). Last orders, December 22.

Light up someone’s life — and garden — with a pair of wrought metalwork Shaker garden lanterns, left, 37in long, that will each take a standard tealight; £29.95 for a pair from sarahraven.com

Sparkling silvered vases with antiqued finish, right, make ravishing one-bloom holders, just 3½in tall. Buy one for £8.95 or a set of three in gift box for £29.95, from sarahraven.com

Nature-loving gardeners will appreciate a timber bee and bug home, just 8in high, with chambers of wooden nesting, bamboo tubes and pine cones to house solitary bees, ladybirds,

earwigs and lacewings, right — £24.99 from crocus.co.uk

Copper tags, centre right, indented with a ballpoint pen, ensure no-fade plant labelling. A set of 10, for £4.95, includes copper wires for hanging. From burgonandball.com (0114 233 8262). Last orders, December 22.

The ideal accessory for an outdoor fire pit, or indoor hearth, is a perforated steel pan for roasting chestnuts to

perfection. Steel chestnut roaster with wooden handle, above, is down from £9.99 to £6.99 at crocus.co.uk


SpotlightNunhead

£635,000A COTTAGE with three bedrooms — one en suite — in Cheltenham Road, Nunhead, with good-size rooms and a pretty garden. Through Foxtons.

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/chelt

£549,950THIS two-bedroom house in quiet Kirkwood Road, Nunhead, offers contemporary living space that is ideal for a young family. For sale through KFH.

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/kirk

£299,950JUST right for a first-time buyer, this light and airy two-bedroom flat in Athenlay Road, Nunhead, has a patio and no onward chain. Through JT Clarke.

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/athenlay

£1.35 MILLIONA FIRST-CLASS four-bedroom Victorian house in St Mary’s Road, Nunhead, with original shutters and feature fireplaces. Through Winkworth.

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/mary

To find a home in Nunhead, visit homesandproperty.co.uk/nunhead

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A corner of London that’s arty, foody and family friendlyThe Overground’s bringing young Shoreditch trendies to join families drawn by bargain homes and good schools. By Anthea Masey

SQ U E E Z E D bet ween the yummy mummies of East Dulwich and the hipsters of Peckham, it is now time for the south-east London neigh-

bourhood of Nunhead to have its day in the sun. There is a story, totally unproven, that Nunhead got its name from a feisty abbess who refused to agree to the disbandment of her nun-nery by Henry VIII’s authority and was beheaded for her insubordination.

Today, Nunhead life revolves around its tucked-away high street, Evelina Road, where there is a fishmonger, a baker and a butcher. There are almshouses and pubs overlooking the village green, where the local council and the Mayor of London have spent £1.2 million on regeneration over the last couple of years. The green has been transformed with new planting and seating, while shop fronts have been improved and new artworks, including a mosaic and a mural, have been com-missioned.

Festivals keep Nunhead’s new-found energy going. This year there have been pop-up cocktail bars, “happen-ings” in the shops, film screenings,

food events and more. Atmospheric Nunhead Cemetery, a favourite with dog walkers, is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries the Victorians built in a ring around London, and home to romantic, crumbling tombs and mon-uments. For two nights in September, as darkness descended, Arbonauts, a local immersive theatre group, brought their new show to the ruined Gothic chapel at the centre of the cemetery.

All this activity has had a positive impact on Nunhead house prices which at one point this year, according to Jane Robathan from local estate agent Roy Brooks, drew level with those in tradi-tionally more expensive East Dulwich. “There was a mini-boom in Nunhead in the run-up to the Mortgage Market Review, but this has calmed down since.”

WHAT THERE IS TO BUYNunhead has mainly Victorian terrace houses but there are also a few blocks of new-build flats and post-war estates of social housing. Price per square foot ranges between £400 and £500, with very special homes fetching £550.

The most expensive house currently

for sale is a four-bedroom semi-detached Victorian villa in St Mary’s Road, conveniently close to the Over-ground at Queens Road Peckham station, with trains to Shoreditch High Street. The asking price is £1.35 mil-lion.

Nunhead’s three-bedroom Victorian houses sell for between £650,000 and £800,000. One in Cheltenham Road, halfway between Honor Oak and Nun-head stations, is on the market for

£1.2 m facelift: Evan Bardino, with children Barbino and Bella, enjoying the play area on regenerated Nunhead Green

Historic: Nunhead Cemetery, with important monuments, is one of London’s “Magnificent Seven” Victorian cemeteries

Traditional trades: Lester Barrow at FC Soper fishmongers in Evelina Road, which also has a butcher, a baker and a deli

Photographs: : Graham Hussey


CHECK THE STATS

The best schools in and around Nunhead

The latest local housing developments

How this London neighbourhood compares with the rest of the UK on house prices

Smart maps to plot your property search

The lowdown on the rental scene in Nunhead

GO ONLINE FOR MORE

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGEHow did this singer advance the cause of pub rock in Nunhead? Find the answer at homesandproperty.

co.uk/spotlightnunhead

■WHAT HOMES COSTBUYING IN NUNHEAD (Average prices)One-bedroom flat £286,000Two-bedroom flat £398,000Two-bedroom house £495,000Three-bedroom house £593,000Four-bedroom house £648,000

Source: Zoopla

RENTING IN NUNHEAD (Average rates)One-bedroom flat £1,190 a monthTwo-bedroom flat £1,443 a monthTwo-bedroom house £1,499 a monthThree-bedroom house £2,078 a month

Source: Zoopla

NEXT WEEK: Marylebone. Do you live there? Tell us what you think @HomesProperty

HAVE YOUR SAY NUNHEAD

@NunheadSage @BambuniNunhead great deli; @ratracecycles — superb for all cycling needs. @NunheadSage @Papabear nunhead for cool furniture and craft collaborations. @theoldnunshead — unique friendly local

@NunheadSage @TheWaverleyArms new pub; @beershoplondon newly opening craft beer micropub; @PTOOcomedy best comedy night; @PeckhamBazaar 10/10 restaurant

@NunheadSage @nunhead_green newly developed; @peckhampeculiar our own paper, and @Save_Ivy_House local pub

RichE @trickidicky The Ivy House is 100% the best pub in Nunhead

@gudrunlawyer Charlie Foxtrot Vintage for retro styles and hairdos at the back

@SkullyBen @NunheadFA Bajan Spice make excellent Caribbean food. I love their rotis, and come over from Brockley especially for them

@sipandsavouruk AG Flowers fantastic, friendly florist. @theoldnunshead for beer and rotating food pop-ups. @Jay_Sopers for fish, even on Sundays

@JCTrinder The Earl of Derby at the Telegraph. Friendly old-school pub with excellent food. Great Sunday roast

For more about Nunhead, visit homesandproperty.co.uk/spotlightnunheadF

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£770,000. Nunhead has been a fast-improving area over the last five years and it is now hard to find houses to do up. However, in Ivydale Road, a three-bedroom house in need of complete renovation is for sale for £600,000.

One of the most architecturally inter-esting buildings in Nunhead is Pioneer Centre in Frobisher Place. This Modern Movement building was home to the Peckham Experiment, a health centre which blazed a trail in the concept of

preventative medicine among local people. It has now been converted into flats, one of which, with two bedrooms, is on the market for £525,000.

Two-bedroom garden flats range in price from about £230,000 to £430,000. One with a particularly lovely garden in Rye Hill Park, close to Pe c k h a m Rye , i s f o r s a l e f o r £425,000.

One-bedroom flats start at around £225,000. A one-bedroom flat in a modern block in Gautrey Road that could do with a lick of paint and a new kitchen and bathroom is for sale for £230,000.The area attracts: local agent Jane Robathan says that Nunhead has tradi-tionally been a magnet for families who couldn’t afford East Dulwich. Recently though, Nunhead is drawing younger buyers from the East End who come for the Peckham nightlife and the Overground to Shoreditch.Up and coming: house prices are cheaper closer to Queens Road but the recently improved Overground station and the arrival of Blackbird Bakery, a branch of the small south London arti-san chain, is giving the area a lift. Best roads: Tresco Road has some double-fronted houses. St Mary’s Road has fine flat-fronted early Victorian

villas. The roads close to Ivydale Pri-mary School, such as Limesford Road, Hichisson Road, Cheltenham Road and Surrey Road are also much in demand. Staying power: Robathan says the estate agent she works for is often called in to value houses that have been occupied by the same family for 40 years — so this is an area where people are happy to put down roots. However, the choice of property is limited and families wanting larger houses have to look elsewhere.

SHOPS AND RESTAURANTSEvelina Road is very much a traditional high street, with one of south London’s best fishmongers, FC Soper; a butcher, HA Smith; Ayres the bakers, and a delicatessen called Bambuni. Papa Bear sells mid-century furniture and there are specially selected home accessories available there in the run-up to Christmas.

The Ivy House in Stuart Road made history in August last year as the first pub to become co-operatively owned, after it was listed as an asset of com-munity value and bought by the com-munity under the provisions of the Localism Act.

The Old Nun’s Head is a hard-to-miss mock Tudor pub on Nunhead Green that serves a variety of street food including burgers from Burger Bear, hot dogs from Oh My Dog and south American food and Sunday roasts from Soul Cocina. The Waverley Arms in Ivydale Road has recently been refur-bished.Open space: Peckham Rye Park and Common is a restored Victorian park

and historic common with an orna-mental garden, Japanese and American gardens, a skatepark, lake, children’s playground and café.

LEISURE AND THE ARTSThere’s an active local pop-up art scene with the Nunhead Art Trail, now in its second year, and the Peckham & Nun-head Free Film Festival, both taking place in September. The South London Gallery in Peckham is a leading con-temporary art gallery.

The nearest council-owned swim-ming facility is the newly restored Victorian pool at Dulwich Leisure Centre in Crystal Palace Road, East Dulwich.

The area has a rather unusual golf club — the volunteer-run Aquarius Golf Club in Marmora Road, which has a nine-hole course laid out around and on the roof of the covered Beechcroft Reservoir. Travel: trains from Nunhead station to Victoria take 18 minutes, the journey to St Pancras takes 30 minutes, with stops along the way at Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Farringdon. From Queens Road Peckham station, trains to London Bridge take eight minutes and there are Overground trains to Clapham Junction, taking 18 minutes, and to Canary Wharf, changing at Canada Water, taking 14 minutes, with the journey to Shoreditch High Street taking 17 minutes. The two stations are in Zone 2 and an annual travelcard to Zone 1 costs £1,256.Council: Southwark council is Labour controlled, and Band D council tax for the current year is £1,211.14.

Sweet indulgence: assistant Chloe Ibrahim at Ayres the bakers in Evelina Road

Dog walkers’ favourite: Nunhead Cemetery’s formal avenues give it a Gothic feel


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The accidental landlord

My other job? I’m an amateur borders guardMaking landlords responsible for weeding out illegal immigrants will backfire on tenants with every right to be here, says Victoria Whitlock

DOES the Government realise, I wonder, how much more difficult it will be for some tenants to find accommodation if and

when it rolls out its new “right to rent” scheme across the UK?

Right to rent is a new requirement for landlords to check prospective tenants have the right to reside in the UK before letting a property to them. Yes, that’s right. Landlords who have absolutely no training or experience of the immigration system will be responsible for checking the status of their tenants to make sure they are legally entitled to live in Britain.

Those landlords who fail to carry out adequate checks and deliberately or inadvertently let to illegal immigrants could be slapped with a £3,000 fine.

Landlords in the West Midlands are the guinea pigs for this scheme, which was introduced there on Monday, so unless you have a rental property in Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley or Wolverhampton you don’t need to worry just yet. A date for the introduction of right to rent in London and the rest of the South-East hasn’t been announced, and I live in hope that it won’t happen.

However, if the Government persists with its plan for landlords across the country to act as unpaid, inexperienced immigration officers, this is bound to lead to many of us needlessly refusing to let property to thousands of people, many of them British. To avoid being accused of discrimination, landlords will have

to ask for photo ID from every prospective tenant. The advisory leaflet from the Government says the checks will be “straightforward and quick”, but how straightforward and quick will it be for Britons without a passport? These tenants will have to produce a combination of two other documents to prove their Britishness, such as a birth certificate, driver’s licence, a letter from their employer or from a higher educational institute

confirming their enrolment on a course, or a letter from a prison or probation officer. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t a clue where my birth certificate is, I am self-employed and I haven’t had the pleasure of being acquainted with anyone from HM Prison Service, so if I wanted to rent I would be stuffed if I didn’t have a passport.

This scheme could actually make it harder for some British citizens to find rental accommodation than foreigners because at least the latter should have documents to show they can live here, and if they don’t the Home Office has an online form landlords can use to check their status. In these cases landlords will get a yes or no answer within two

days. Whether letting to British citizens or foreigners, under the new scheme landlords will be obliged to keep a scanned copy of a tenant’s ID for a year after the end of the tenancy, which poses a further problem. If you keep a tenant’s personal data, it must be under lock and key to avoid the risk of identity theft. In the — admittedly unlikely —event that this information falls into the wrong hands, you could be prosecuted under the Data Protection Act.

You can pass the responsibility for right to rent checks on to your letting

agent, but if you do, you must make sure you have a written agreement stating they will carry out these checks on your behalf.

This is all creating such a lot of extra hassle for landlords, yet the Government says there is only a small number of illegal immigrants. So I am left wondering, why have landlords been landed with all this extra bother?

Victoria Whitlock lets three properties in south London. To contact Victoria with your ideas and views, tweet @vicwhitlock

Homes & Property Letting on homesandproperty.co.uk with

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Homes & Property Ask the expert homesandproperty.co.uk with

WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?IF YOU have a question for Fiona McNulty, please email [email protected] 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 McNulty is a partner in the residential property, farms and estates team at Withy King LLP (withyking.co.uk).

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.

More legal Q&As Visit: homesand property.co.uk

Will court help me kick out my lodger?

Q I HAVE had a lodger for about six months. Can you tell me what to do if, despite taking standard

precautions, the relationship with my lodger breaks down? How much notice to quit should I give them? And if they fail to leave even though I have given notice, will I have to take them to court? If so, how long before the case is heard — and how long can the court allow the lodger to remain in my house?

A I WOULD hope that in the first instance you would be able to talk to your lodger to see whether an amicable

solution could be reached.If you would find talking to your

lodger about certain issues difficult, or if talking has failed, then you could write a polite but firm letter.

Hopefully you have a written agreement with the lodger. Really the options available to you are dependent upon the nature of this lodger agreement.

If the first letter does not work, or

the situation is so bad that you just want your lodger to leave as soon as possible, then you must write a formal letter giving notice in accordance with the terms of your lodger agreement.

Generally, the standard notice period for lodgers is not less than 28 days, finishing at the end of a rental period. If the lodger agreement

provides for a longer notice period then do make sure you give your lodger the correct notice.

If your lodger fails to heed the notice and does not leave, you can make an application to the court for an order requiring them to quit. If this step becomes necessary, it could take six to eight weeks before your lodger is evicted.

Q MY HUSBAND and I sold a flat two years ago without building regulations approval for a wall we removed between the kitchen and sitting room. We provided the buyers with

indemnity insurance and the sale went through smoothly. Now we are selling again and our buyers’ solicitor is saying building regulations consent should have been granted for our loft conversion. We offered the buyers indemnity insurance, like last time, but they say that’s not enough and are threatening to pull out. Our conveyancer can’t see the problem and claims the buyers are just being difficult. Can you explain?

AIT IS not surprising that your buyers’ solicitors have advised them not to accept an indemnity policy. A loft conversion, depending on the extent of the works, will often require both planning and

building regulations approval. Even if it wasn’t necessary to get planning permission —

which only means that plans are legal and comply with the law — building regulations approval certainly would be required. Without it, your buyers do not know whether the conversion has been carried out properly and safely, or, for example, if there are appropriate means of escape in case of fire or another emergency.

An indemnity policy will provide insurance cover for action which may be taken by building control for breach of building regulations, but it will not ensure the safety of the conversion. Speak to your solicitor and to a surveyor to find out about applying retrospectively for a building regulations certificate.

Fiona McNultyOUR LAWYER ANSWERSYOUR QUESTIONS


MONDAYThe week kicks off with our regular team meeting and we are all buzzing because there is good activity out there once again. We have three offers on properties and we’ve got a new inter-national client who would like to buy a unique folly overlooking the water on the Jurassic Coast.

On the way home I decide to deliver an urgent report to a client by hand. It is quite dark when I leave the office so rather than take the car up the driveway and wake up all the dogs, I decide to walk up and quietly put the document through the letter box. I stroll back down towards the wooden electric gate, just in time to see it shut. Even using my smartphone as a torch, I can’t identify a release button.

Luckily my skirt isn’t tight, so I quickly tuck it up and clamber over. As I go to leap off the far side of the gate I remem-ber the cattle-grid. With an extra push I just manage to clear it, then I adjust my skirt and leg it to the car. Phew.

TUESDAYIt’s a rather unusual morning, as I am working on the pilot of a new high-end property show for Channel 4. Luckily the set is a stunning country house set in 75 acres and steeped in fascinating history, having been previously owned by a famous musician.

The current owners are also extremely interesting — a delightful American hedge fund executive and his adorable wife. Not only do they keep us entertained with interesting stories, but they also present me and the crew with delicious home-baked cookies and coffee.

WEDNESDAYThis is a beautiful sunny morning for the completion on a client’s lovely new house on the Berkshire/Wiltshire border. I arrive early to do my pre-com-pletion check and make sure that the previous owner hasn’t run off with the light switches or the ride-on mower.

All is as it should be, so I speak to the selling agent and check that the lawyers have sent the money. I open up all of the windows to air the house a bit and sit back to take in the view. My clients arrive soon after from London with three excited children and a large

picnic in the back of the car. The kids dive out immediately and start running around the garden and orchard. Mrs Client is thrilled with the flowers and hamper that I have brought along as a welcome present and we all sit down in the garden to enjoy a cold glass of something fizzy before furniture arrives.

THURSDAYI take a sad call this afternoon from the executor of an estate who informs me that the deceased wanted me involved with the sale of his charming and

important village house. I had met the gentleman many times over the last six years and we shared a keen interest in horse racing. I explain that as “poacher-turned-gamekeeper” I am now a buy-ing agent, so I no longer sell houses, though I offer to recommend an agent and oversee the selling strategy. I visit the widow at the house this afternoon and we share tea and fond memories.

FRIDAYToday I take a new client out for a drive around his target area, eyeing up vari-ous houses which might suit him for his family’s country home. This is a very enjoyable part of my job, compar-ing and contrasting the numerous houses which I have been lucky to see, sell and buy over the years. The house he is keenest on is not currently on the market. It also has a very high beech hedge on its boundary. However, fol-lowing a short trip home and a car swap we are able to climb on to the roof of my Land Rover and take in the view of the house, land, tennis court and pool. I think I have found him “the one” and he says it is definitely the property he wants to buy, so he disappears back to London after giving me instructions to go forth and make an approach. Roll on Monday…

Diary of an estate agent

Between you, me and the gatepost, I think I might have a problem. . .

Homes & Property Inside story homesandproperty.co.uk with

Lucy Winfield is a partner at Private Property Search, the independent buying agent of Strutt & Parker, specialising in the purchase of country property in west Berkshire, south Oxfordshire and the Hampshire and Wiltshire borders (01256 242938).

E: [email protected]

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Smart moSmart mSmart moooomooBy David Spittles

Make a Hoola hoopla

Aiming high in HampsteadHIGH-LYING Hampstead and its environs are perfect for Londoners who want town and country.

This leafy swathe of north London, only 15 minutes on the Tube from the West End, arguably has it all. Consider the 790-acre heath, parks and woods, an ancient village and protected garden suburb, fashion boutiques, medieval pubs, golf courses and noted schools, not to mention an architectural mix unmatched in the capital.

Most new-builds are boutique schemes of spacious apartments, often bought by prosperous

locals trading down from a big house. West Heath Drive, below, is a gated development of seven flats with up to 2,150sq ft of space, large terraces, high ceilings, comfort cooling, underground parking and basement storage rooms. Prices from £2.65 million.

Cedar Lodge in Golders Green has nine flats including a four-bedroom penthouse, priced from £1.1 million, while Cherry Tree Hill is another gated scheme of seven large lateral apartments, priced from £1,265,000.

For all three develop-ments, call estate agent Glentree on 020 8731 9500.

HOOLA — a name inspired by the hoop-like architecture of the development’s rippling, glass-clad twin towers —

brings 360 mid-market flats, above and right, to Royal Docks, the fast-changing waterside district around the river bend from Canary Wharf.

The design maximises internal space and provides generous terraces, while the landscaped hill on which the towers stand conceals car parking and cycle spaces. Prices from £399,000. Call 020 7437 1000 for more details.


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Read more: visit our new online luxury section

HomesAndProperty.co.uk/luxury

WHAT A TONIC NEW HOMES CARVED FROM ART DECO EX-NURSES’ BLOCK RAVENSCOURT PARK is a leafy Hammersmith conservation area with charming Victorian villas and terraces and a pretty garden square that opens on to the park. Ashlar Court, right, a new address there, is a redevelopment of a listed Art Deco block, once accommodation for nursing staff from a local hospital.

With its period styling, it could be a film set for TV drama, Agatha Christie’s Poirot. A rooftop extension maintains the red-brick building’s fine

symmetry, while an underground car park and a formal garden are being created behind the lodge-style concierge entrance.

Linden, the developer, has created 68 homes, including a pair of detached houses and a pavilion-style residence that features glazed end walls, porthole windows and a rare Art Deco fireplace. Prices from £719,995 to £1.5 million.

Call Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward on 020 8222 7200.

EAST meets West at Ten Trinity Square, the former Port of London Authority HQ, left, being turned into the City’s most luxurious homes by Chinese developer Reignwood.

Residents will be able to use the services of the Four Seasons Hotel which forms part of the development close to Tower Bridge. The 41 flats have up to five bedrooms and sumptuous living areas that aspire to the listed building’s architecture, from the neoclassical façade and marble-clad entrance foyer to the wood-panelled boardroom from which the trade of Empire was once directed, and where the United Nations General Assembly first met, in 1946. Prices start at £5 million. Call Strutt & Parker on 020 7318 5198.

Fine City flats with a rich history

add some sparkle property · É star jockey frankie dettori, right, is struggling to sell his...

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