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Homes&
Wednesday 17 January 2018
Clear the
Property
Christmas
debt
Money expert
Page 15
FIRST-TIME BUYERS’ BATTERSEA P9 FARRINGDON HAS IT ALL P10 SKI AUSTRIA P14 INTERIORS TRENDS P16 SPOTLIGHT ON ACTON P28
New frontiers
reap big
rewards
2018’s hotspots will
surprise you Page 6
SIMON JACOBS
London’s best property search news: homesandproperty.co.uk
4 WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | News
How not to help your
local community Trophy
home of
O
NLY 33 of nearly 1,000 new
rental homes set to replace the week
Elephant & Castle’s shabby
shopping centre will go to There’s an art
families on the Southwark
council waiting list, it has emerged. to living the
The council was last night expected
to approve the demolition of the eye-
high life in EC1
sore Sixties shopping mall and the
neighbouring London College of Com- £3.5 million: award-winning
munication, and give the green light to Canaletto, a 31-storey
the building of a new shopping com- waterside tower named after
plex with a cinema, a “cultural venue” the artist at City Road Basin
and a cluster of apartment blocks of in Angel, EC1, has this three-
up to 35 storeys. bedroom flat on the 28th plush details throughout a to a further terrace off the
All of the 979 new homes are floor with unmatched views living/dining room and study, master suite. Club Canaletto
intended for rent with more than a across London. semi-open plan to a high-spec on the 24th floor caters to
third earmarked “affordable”. How- Super-high ceilings, kitchen/breakfast room with your every whim with 24-hour
ever, according to a deal struck 1,916sq ft of lateral living doors to the generous terrace concierge, a full spa, a 15-
between the council and the developer Mammoth people with a household income of up space, all wrapped in glass where you can soak up those metre pool, cinema and
Delancey, only 33 flats will be let to regeneration: to £90,000, and to others considered and steel, provide an views. Three en suite leisure lounge. Call Canaletto
people high on Southwark’s housing Elephant & unable to rent “without assistance”. impressive canvas for über- bedrooms follow, with doors (020 8012 4503).
waiting list. Another 309 will be let at Castle’s overhaul Fifty homes will go to those earning
a discount on market rents to local includes a new £30,000 or less and 150 to those on
town centre £65,000 or more.
Critics want a greater proportion of
Lifechanger
Editor:
affordable homes offered to those on of the week
Janice
the housing waiting list. Meanwhile, the
issue of discount market rent is upset- Train future
Morley ting locals, partly because it doesn’t help
first-time buyers on to the ladder, and
MasterChefs
VISIT homesandproperty.co.uk/
partly because Delancey, which is
behind the scheme alongside pension
in a village by
rules for details of our usual
promotion rules. When you fund asset manager APG, will retain
ownership of the affordable homes.
the Thames
respond to promotions, offers or
competitions, the London Evening Jerry Flynn, of campaign group 35 Per £995,000: turn your country
Standard and its sister companies Cent which promotes affordable hous- dream into a lucrative reality
may contact you with relevant ing in Southwark, argued that there is at Challis Farm in the lovely
offers and services that may be of no firm evidence of demand for a major Thames-side village of Long
interest. Please give your mobile “build to rent” scheme in the area, and Wittenham, Oxfordshire.
number and/or email address if claimed that even the affordable homes The cottage and its clipped
you would like to receive such will be out of reach for pensioners and lawns come with a fabulously
offers by text or email. low-income workers. spacious barn and a separate
Subject to approval, work on the workshop, both perfect for
Editorial: 020 3615 2650 shopping centre will start this year and converting into luxury
Advertisement manager: finish at the end of 2021. Southwark holiday/B&B guest rooms. Or
Ann Finan council regeneration chief Mark Wil- if you have creative flair, the
Advertising: 020 3615 0266 liams said: “We have worked very hard space would lend itself to a
Homes & Property, Northcliffe to secure as much of the lower rents as design/art studio or cookery
House, 2 Derry Street, Kensington, possible for our residents.” school.
London W8 5TT. The interior charms of the brickwork and beams. with views over the gardens
O Find Ruth Bloomfield’s full story at homesandproperty.co.uk house include a farmhouse There’s a wood-burning stove and countryside. Through
kitchen complete with an Aga in the living room and more Hamptons International
and butler sink, exposed beams in four bedrooms, all (01865 809101).
London buy
of the week
Perfect Putney
pied-à-terre is
so very well
connected
£385,000: everything you
could want from a London
pied-à-terre can be found at
Prospect Quay, Putney.
This neat but perfectly
formed home sits opposite pale wood floors and white storage space reached by a
the Thames, on the corner of walls maximise space in the ladder. Residents’ perks
Wandsworth Park. It’s reception/dining room, include use of a gym, pool
minutes from the Thames leading to a separate kitchen and a good choice nearby of
Clipper boat service to the fitted with wood worktops. restaurants/pubs. Through
City, and just 15 minutes’ There’s a decent size Savills (020 8012 3127).
walk from East Putney Tube. bedroom with en suite
Floor-to-ceiling windows, bathroom and mezzanine By Faye Greenslade
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 5
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by News | Homes & Property
This
Euromillionaires is the
enjoy the
green, green grass of home
headline that
É A SIX-BEDROOM Sussex mansion once jointly
owned by Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck
has been snapped up by Euromillions jackpot
winners Dave and Angela Dawes, left.
Listed Socknersh Manor, right, in Etchingham,
was used by the crooners, inset, as a party palace
when they were pals in the Sixties. Guests included
singer Janis Joplin, actress Barbara Eden and
model Jean Shrimpton. Sadly, Sir Tom and
Engelbert later fell out and it’s reported they
haven’t spoken for two decades. Euromillions ticket. They made all their closest pals
The house has landscaped grounds, a pool and a millionaires and bought a flash apartment in
sunken spa, a cinema, party room, tennis courts, Chelsea, so Dave could be near his favourite
stables and a private underground petrol station. football ground, plus a home in Portugal. They are
The Dawes were renting a £70-a-week flat when said to have paid more than £4 million for the latest
GETTY
REX
ITV
they won £101 million in 2011 from only their third addition to their property porfolio.
Homes gossip
By
Amira Move
Hashish in and
throw
away
ALAMY
the key
There’s breaking Rent Kim’s villa, £11,266 a night É A FLAT named after Hollywood
star Robert Downey Jr is for sale in
had a run-in with the law. Hence the
link with the Iron Man actor, inset,
news in Brentford É KEEP up with the including a private chef, a Crystal Palace. The two-bedroom who did time in the Nineties for drug
Kardashians and party in butler and a driver. From home is one of six in a warehouse possession. The front doors of the
É SKY’S former London HQ, the jungle with a private £11,266 per night — visit scheme called Block Lockdown, with flats are reclaimed jail doors, and
above, is to be transformed into chef to feed you. villamanzu.com for details. each flat inspired by celebrities who other stars featured include Elvis
268 luxury flats. Many of the Last season the reality TV Presley, who was cleared of miscon-
broadcaster’s news and sport family, which includes Kim duct after a fight in the Fifties, and
programmes, with anchors and Kourtney, inset, filmed Steve McQueen, who was convicted
including Kay Burley, right, a special episode at of reckless driving in the Seventies.
GETTY
were produced at the site in luxurious Villa Manzu, The Downey flat, above, bears a
Brentford. above, in Costa Rica. framed copy of his mugshot. Despite
The TV studios and offices Now the villa —setting the bizarre theme, the loft-style
were put up for sale in 2016 at for Kardashian selfies space has a cool interior with
£545 million after Sky moved to new around the rooftop exposed brickwork, steel
studios nearby. The change of use pool with 180-degree beams and industrial-style
from offices to homes at the New panoramic views of wiring. Downey lives in a
Horizons Court site, covering the Papagayo 19th-century windmill
170,320sq ft, will be the biggest in Peninsula — is folly in The Hamp-
London to date. The asking price for available to rent. Got some tons, so this quirky
DAVE BENETT
the new flats is expected to start from There are eight en gossip? flat might appeal. It’s
£295,000 for a studio, with the suite bedrooms and Tweet £500,000 through
scheme set for completion next year. a full A-list service - @amiranews Purple Bricks.
6 WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | New homes homesandproperty.co.uk powered by
From £440,000, shared ownership available: above and right, apartments with
roof terrace at The Levers in Walworth Road, SE17. Call Peabody (020 7021 4842)
HOTSPOTS: 2018
Watch your
neighbourhood
grow around you
Bold buyers prepared to gamble on
London’s new frontiers can reap big
rewards, says David Spittles
U
RBAN renewal is a constant £440,000, with shared ownership
in London. Spurred on by available. Call 020 7021 4842. Coming
a new transport link or a soon is a 262-home redevelopment of
commercial or cultural a council depot and listed public baths
project, an area begins its at Manor Place. Visit nhillsales.com.
regeneration — and homes follow. And bespoke houses in Browning
The tech sector fired up Shoreditch Street have been designed by local
and Tate Modern opened up Bankside. resident and architect Alan Camp.
The carefully planned regeneration of
Nine Elms and transport upgrades such KENNINGTON AND THE
as the new Overground network appeal NORTHERN LINE SPUR
to Londoners seeking “undervalued” Where railway lines go, home buyers
property. Bold buyers who gamble on traditionally follow. Currently, Cross-
new frontiers can reap big rewards. rail and new Tube extensions are caus-
ing property ripples.
FRINGE BENEFITS One live project is the Northern line
spur from Kennington to Battersea,
WALWORTH expected to open in 2020. Eager devel-
Given the choice, most working people opers are following the route of this
would opt to live in the centre of Lon- short, two-station extension, which is
don, if only they could afford it. Yet putting fizz into the SE11 postcode.
there are some fast-improving and still Right next to one of the two new sta-
relatively affordable Zone 2 districts on tions, at Vauxhall, Barratt is building
the fringe of the main employment 647 flats at Nine Elms Point. Prices
centres of the City, West End and from £620,000. Call 020 7501 3777.
Canary Wharf. Barely a mile from Parliament, Ken-
Check out Walworth, barely two miles nington seems stuck in time while
from Trafalgar Square and the Bank of dramatic change takes place around it
England. For many years it has been — and this is part of its allure.
an unloved district, even among estate The district’s Victorian terraces and
agents, mainly because of its gritty hidden Georgian squares act as a block From £880,000: flats including side has been designated an “Oppor-
council estates. But perceptions are
changing as its streets smarten up.
on big development projects. Remark-
ably, the area has been gentrifying for Thinking of penthouses at Palace View near
Lambeth Bridge, SE1 (020 3866 0901)
tunity Area”, or priority development
zone, by London Mayor Sadiq Khan,
Colourful and quirky East Street Mar-
ket and splendid St Peter’s Church in
decades without reaching the heights
of fashionability, but the Northern line
moving? KENSAL GREEN
meaning regeneration plans are being
fast-tracked.
Liverpool Grove, by distinguished 19th- spur may change this as there will be a Start your If districts were people, Kensal Green A new station will spark immense
search on
century architect Sir John Soane, are five-minute Tube ride to the sparkling might be described as a cool and rebel- change, bring up to 5,000 new homes
among the area’s attractions, while new neighbourhood at Battersea Power lious young upstart with ideas above and could well put the area on a par
behind the busy high street are period Station. its station. “Station”, arguably, is the with trendy Queen’s Park nearby. Prop-
gems such as Sutherland Square and a Kennington also butts up against the operative word as Transport for Lon- erty consultants Cushman & Wakefield
Church Commissioners’ estate of Thames. An ugly office block close to don is planning a Crossrail terminus call Kensal Green “a location of hidden
charming terrace houses. Lambeth Bridge has been bulldozed to on a derelict gasworks bordering Grand value”.
The Levers in Walworth Road is a make way for Palace View — 55 apart- Union Canal and the area’s magnificent The canalside land also hugs the main
new apartment scheme by housing ments priced from £880,000. Call Victorian cemetery, an overlooked railway line from Heathrow to Pad-
c h a r i t y P e a b o d y. P r i c e s f r o m Taylor Wimpey on 020 3866 0901. green oasis. Moreover, Kensal Canal- dington. To the east lies Ladbroke
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 7
New homes | Homes & Property
Careful search: Adelle Noor and Mike Beauchamp looked SIMON JACOBS
at regeneration London-wide before choosing Battersea
‘Everyone is upping their game.
The quality is clear at Nine Elms’
SECOND STEPPERS Adelle Noor, 35,
and Mike Beauchamp, 30, examined
nine regeneration projects across
London before settling for a new
home at Nine Elms, Battersea.
The couple were in a comfortable
financial position to purchase their
£710,000 apartment, having pooled
resources following the sale of their
separate homes in Kent and Enfield.
Although the transformation of the
former industrial zone surrounding
Battersea Power Station is well into
its stride, and property values have
risen, the couple believe there’s
more price growth and further
improvements to come through new
transport links, shops and
businesses boosting the area’s
popularity during the next decade.
“We wanted somewhere that we
could see grow around us over the
years, and wanted to invest in that
growth too,” says Beauchamp, a
financial controller who works in
Hammersmith.
“Everyone is upping their game at
Nine Elms, and the quality is shining
through.”
Their home at The Residence,
From £615,000: built on the site of a former Christie’s
apartments at art storage warehouse, has two
The Residence balconies and views of the new
in Nine Elms, United States embassy and the
below (0845 Thames. Prices start at £615,000.
548 8035) Call 0845 548 8035.
Grove, while to the west is Wormwood From £620,000:
Scrubs and White City. Some unkempt above, flats at
corners are to be found amid the bou- Nine Elms Point,
tiques, bistros and baristas around Walworth Road,
Chamberlayne Road, a hipster hub, and SW8. Call 020
this has kept a lid on property prices. 7501 3777
Prime Place, with 56 apartments
and 15 townhouses, is one of the new-
era developments. Two-bedroom flats
cost from £695,000. Call Hamptons on
020 3463 9984. Residents can enjoy a
communal roof garden, while there’s
a new sports centre alongside.
Continued on Page 8
8 WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | New homes
HOTSPOTS: 2018
From £380,000: London Square Streatham Hill, one- to three-bedroom flats
near Streatham Hill station, with concierge, gym and parking (0333 666 2131)
Options
Continued from Page 7
KING’S CROSS AND
aplenty,
CALEDONIAN ROAD
Now that King’s Cross has become a
coveted place to live following the
transformation of derelict railway
lands, another formerly scruffy area to
the north of the station is swinging into
fashion.
For decades, Caledonian Road, the
spine of this area, was the scrag end of
north or
fashionable Islington, stretching almost
to Camden past two of Her Majesty’s
less salubrious residences, Pentonville
and Holloway prisons, the latter now
earmarked for redevelopment into
south
luxury homes. yards and play areas. Two-bedroom A new micro picture. Coffee shops, delis and patis-
Sliced through by train tracks, the flats cost from £699,999. Call 0333 666 neighbourhood: series, new eateries and watering
district has a down-to-earth, multicul- 0109. Gladstone Village holes, jazz clubs and dance venues
tural character, still largely working in Cricklewood, continue to sprout up along the bus-
class, and what it lacks in architectural STREATHAM above, where tling High Road, reputedly the longest
beauty it makes up for in location and Good-value Streatham is regaining its Octavia Living in Europe.
connectivity. post-war popularity following a high has houses for A scheme of 214 flats close to Streatham
A decaying Victorian factory trans- street face lift and the arrival of apart- sale now, with Hill station, London Square
formed into 23 low-energy homes and ments that are enticing hipsters from flats to come Streatham Hill incorporates the listed
work studios was the first telltale sign Clapham and Brixton. Art Deco façade of the former cinema.
of change along “The Cally”. In its Fifties heyday, the area was a Many of the apartments have a large
Now it has been followed by London popular place to live and visit, with a balcony or terrace overlooking an inner
Square Caledonian Road — a much department store, a Locarno ballroom, courtyard garden, plus there is a con-
larger scheme of 150 flats in the Market theatre, cinema and an ice rink. The cierge, gym, cycle storage and under-
Road conservation area that includes very first Waitrose store opened here ground parking. Streatham Playhouse,
10-acre Caledonian Park. in 1955. Decline set in during the Eight- From £699,999: a new theatre space, forms part of the
London Square, the developer, is ies, when discount retailers landed in two-bedroom scheme and there’s an on-site Marks & Company moved its locomotive works From £895,000:
building nine low-to-mid-rise blocks Streatham and notable buildings lan- flats, below, at Spencer food store and café. Prices from from Kentish Town to the new Brent four-bedroom
clad in pastel-coloured bricks, with guished empty, while the neighbour- London Square £380,000. Call 0333 666 2131. Sidings and built an estate of worker houses, above, at
metal window frames and full-height hood’s nightclubs became flashpoints Caledonian Road cottages, now sought-after private Gladstone Village
glass, set around landscaped court- for trouble. These days, it’s a different (0333 666 0109) CRICKLEWOOD homes. Check out the quieter streets in Cricklewood
Argent, the urban regeneration special- and conservation areas either side of (020 8208 8355)
ist behind the impressive makeover of bustling Cricklewood Broadway. These
King’s Cross, is expected to work its include Mapesbury Estate and roads
magic again at Cricklewood, where a surrounding 86 acre-Gladstone Park.
£4.5 billion redevelopment of railway Gladstone Village is a new micro
lands is bringing 6,700 homes, three neighbourhood where housing asso-
new schools, four parks, oceans of ciation Octavia Living is selling stylish
office space and a new Thameslink sta- four-bedroom houses priced from
tion offering a 12-minute commute to £895,000. Flats will be available later.
central London. Call 020 8208 8355.
After years on the drawing board, the
project is starting, making this cheaper
north-west London district a promising
place to put down roots. Looking for a
Upsizers from West Hampstead can
settle into an affordable family house
new-build home?
in a credible-sounding postcode less Start your search
on
than four miles from Marble Arch — and
buy into an area on the up.
A new high street will lead to a
revamped Brent Cross Shopping Centre
and continue across the North Circular
via a “Living Bridge”, a new cycle and
pedestrian route. The area came of age
in the 1880s when Midland Railway
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 9
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by First-time buyers | Homes & Property
From £157,500: a
25 per cent share
of a flat at West
View Battersea,
left and right.
Two-bedroom
flats start at
£203,750 for a
quarter share.
Through
Peabody
W Yes, you
ITH Battersea Park on
one side and the
regeneration of Bat-
tersea Power Station
on the other, there
can be few first-time buyer-friendly
schemes in London better located than
West View Battersea.
And since Battersea Park station is
also on the doorstep — Zone 2, with
can afford
trains to Victoria taking four minutes
— brilliant transport links are taken
care of, too. In 2020 residents will also
be able to pick up the Northern line at
the new Battersea Power Station Tube
Battersea
station, which will be in Zone 1.
Shared-ownership homes at West
Ruth Bloomfield finds sleek
View Battersea are due to go on sale in
early spring from £157,500 for a 25 per
shared-ownership flats for
cent share of a one-bedroom flat, and
from £203,750 for a 25 per cent share
first-timers in a Zone 2 location
of a two-bedroom home.
“West View Battersea provides first-
time buyers with the chance to live in
a sleek and sophisticated home in one
of the most exciting areas south of the
river, while also having the serenity of
park-side living,” says Debbie Coombs,
head of sales and marketing at Peabody
housing association. “There is no need
to compromise when purchasing at the
development as it really does offer
young professionals everything.”
WOW-FACTOR DISTRICT
The flats are within Berkeley Homes’
Vista development, close to Chelsea Spot the icon: new flats have oak flooring and fitted
Bridge and on the border of the Nine West View wardrobes, and many have balconies
Elms regeneration zone. Within easy Battersea overlooking the park. Buyers need to
walking distance are the park’s tennis neighbours have a household income of less than
courts, café and boating lake. Battersea Power £90,000 and already live or work in
The start of King’s Road at Sloane Station and Wandsworth. Visit westviewbatter-
Square is a mile away with its many Battersea Park sea.co.uk for more information.
shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. Bat-
tersea Park Road is even closer, and WHAT ELSE CAN YOU BUY?
Lavender Hill is less than two miles from £479,950: as an The average price of a flat in SW11
the scheme. As Nine Elms develops, alternative to stands at almost £750,000 according
new attractions will include cinema at new build, a two- to Rightmove, putting this postcode
Battersea Power Station and an arti- bedroom flat is far out of the reach of most first-time
sanal food market at New Covent Gar- for sale in buyers. With a budget of £500,000 the
den Market. Holmewood best you are going to do is a one-bed-
The development, designed by archi- Gardens, below, room period flat, unless you buy above
tects Scott Brownrigg, is in two low-rise about half a mile a shop or in an ex-council block. James
curved buildings scored with wrapa- from Streatham Pendleton estate agents has a very
round balconies and set around private Hill station. Call smart one-bedroom flat in Bennerley
gardens. There will be just over 450 Eden Harper Road for £474,950.
homes on site when complete. The (020 8012 4166) To get more bang for your buck head
slightly south towards Brockwell Park.
The compromise here is the lack of a
station on the doorstep but a walk to
nearby Brixton or Herne Hill stations
might be worthwhile for the relative
value of property. In Holmewood Gar-
dens, half a mile from Streatham Hill
station, Eden Harper has a smart, two-
bedroom period flat for £479,950.
One-bedroom flats in one of this
area’s Victorian houses tend to sell
f r o m b e t w e e n £ 3 0 0,0 0 0 a n d
£350,000. Marlow Estates is listing a
one-bedroom flat in Helix Road with a
guide price of £325,000.
10 WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Elizabeth line
From £699,000: for a one-bedroom flat at Blake Tower, a former YMCA hostel
redeveloped into 74 art-inspired apartments by Redrow (020 3811 6968)
There’s a reason why
ALAMY
this is a stellar area City bustle: Clerkenwell’s unrivalled transport connections are soon to be bolstered by the arrival of Elizabeth line trains
W
Historic Clerkenwell HEN it comes to where
London’s artistic and
effect. The average price of a home in
Farringdon has risen 23 per cent in five
factors, beyond its central location,
that justify the above-average price
new homes, prices at developer Lodha
UK’s Lincoln Square start from
is an internationally creative minds flock
to work, Clerkenwell/
years, to stand now at just over £1 mil-
lion — 68 per cent above the London
point. Arguably the most compelling
is that it has something so many other
£990,000. Call 020 7004 0910. At 250
City Road a one-bedroom flat will set
recognised design Farringdon must be
near the top of any list. It may not be
average. In the wider Clerkenwell area,
it drops slightly to £922,000, still 54
London districts lack: a heart. you back a cool £1 million. Call Berkeley
Homes on 020 3918 2698. However,
district. Now Crossrail Shoreditch techville but it is home to a
plethora of architects, graphic design-
per cent above the London average.
While it is a price point at odds with
A ready-made, village-style high street
in the form of Exmouth Market is the
there are cheaper options available in
the area’s newer developments. A
is about to set this ers and start-up businesses.
Clerkenwell offers a mix of history,
the area’s creative workforce, this is
not an uncommon combination. From
kind of trendy focal point that so many
people seek. From restaurants Moro to
prime example is Redrow’s Blake
Tower, from £699,000 for a one-bed-
hotspot on fire, innovative talent and some of the
capital’s most popular bars and restau-
Shoreditch to King’s Cross, the old
adage of where the artists go, the prop-
La Porchetta, this semi-pedestrianised
market street gives the area pulling
room flat. Call 020 3811 6968.
says Emily Wright rants — think St. John, The Modern erty developers follow remains true. power, along with the presence of O Emily Wright is features and global
Pantry and Oriole, sister cocktail bar In Clerkenwell’s case, there are many nearby Sadler’s Wells Theatre. As for editor of Estates Gazette.
to Old Street favourite Nightjar. So it is
a pulsating place to work and socialise
— but how about living there? MUST FLY ‘AIRPORTS ARE EASY TO REACH FOR WORK TRIPS’
With the City to the south, the Barbi-
can to the east and easy access to Old KEEN to break the pattern of buying traditional Victorian
Street, King’s Cross, Islington and the homes, technology consultant Jean-Charles Lacoste and
West End, Clerkenwell has near-unri- banker George Clayton wanted a more contemporary look
valled connections — which will be for their next property in the city. Their search ended at
even more of a sell when Crossrail Redrow’s Blake Tower, a former YMCA hostel redevel-
opens next year, making Farringdon oped into a 17-storey tower with 74 art-inspired flats.
one of the most central stops along the Lacoste, 46, and Clayton, 42, bought a one-bedroom flat
new Elizabeth line. at Blake Tower for £750,000 and moved there in
September last year. “We travel internationally for work,”
The journey to Canary Wharf will be cut says Lacoste. “We can get to Gatwick airport easily from
from 25 minutes to just eight. Travel Farringdon station via national rail and to London City
times west to Bond Street and east to airport on the Underground. We take the Tube for work
Woolwich will drop from 18 and 39 and for meeting friends, so having Barbican station just
minutes to four and 17 respectively. over the road is really convenient.”
Of course, there is a premium to be On the completion of Crossrail at Farringdon station,
From £990,000: apartments at paid for such a central location and it they will also be able to get to Heathrow airport quickly
Lincoln Square, WC2 (020 7004 0910) has been bolstered by the Crossrail Location’s perfect: Jean-Charles Lacoste and George Clayton and easily.
12 WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Commuting
KINGS CHARING
LANGLEY A good-looking
The village in Kent village,
Hertfordshire Charing saw a
is celebrating 12 per cent
13 per cent growth in
property price home prices
rises in a year. last year.
GETTY
£380,000: a two-bedroom flat in £550,000: a
the former Ovaltine factory, above. four-bedroom
Call Pendley Estates (01923 270072). character high
£450,000: left, a four-bedroom street house, MONKS RISBOROUGH
waterside townhouse with parking left. Through £895,000: a four-bedroom listed thatched cottage in
and an orangery at Grand Union Connells the nearby hamlet of Meadle. Call JNP (01844 878013).
Way. Call Sterling (01922 716129). (01233 511018). Prices in the Bucks village are up 12 per cent in a year.
THE OUTPERFORMERS
Villages beat the city
Ruth Bloomfield continues our series on the top
commuter locations for property price growth
CHARING
T
HE average first-time buyer in London
spends between £400,000 and KENT
£500,000 simply getting on to the Average property price: £512,218
property ladder, for which, if they are Price increase since 2007: 47 per cent
lucky, they’ll get a two-bedroom flat. Average price for a house: £525,559
For those prepared to venture less than an Journey time: 54 minutes
hour’s train ride from central London into the PARENTS love Kent’s villages, partly because of
commuter belt, the same budget will stretch to their looks and partly because of the county’s
a smart period family house or cottage. It’s a rightfully famous grammar schools. Charing,
major calculation driving buyers into the home north-west of Ashford and right on the lip of the
counties, where prices continue to grow Kent Downs, hits the sweet spot of being
sufficiently to soften commuting costs. picturesque without being ruinously expensive.
You may never have heard of Monks Its high street is a delightful mix of period
Risborough, Charing or Kings Langley but they buildings, often either timbered or
have quietly enjoyed percentage price growth weatherboarded, and with a parade of useful
far exceeding anything dreamed of in Mayfair shops. On the outskirts are two “proper”
or King’s Cross. Both Charing and Monks country pubs, The Bowl Inn and The Wagon &
Risborough saw 12 per cent rises last year, latest Horses. Charing Church of England Primary
Hamptons International research shows, while School has a “good” Ofsted report.
Kings Langley residents celebrated a 13 per cent “Parts of Charing are really beautiful,” says
price hike in the same period. Maria O’Connor, branch manager of Mann
estate agents. Other parts are a bit grotty.
KINGS LANGLEY Charing is another village with a halo of
HERTFORDSHIRE uninspiring 20th-century housing built around
Average property price: £515,905 its traditional centre. If you are willing to
Price increase since 2007: 69 per cent overlook this, you can buy a three-bedroom
Average price for a house: £596,107 Fifties semi for about £300,000, or a village
Journey time: 27 minutes centre four-bedroom period house for about
THIS large “necklace” village on the northern £450,000. Windmill Lane is the best street on
fringes of Watford is the birthplace of Ovaltine, the outskirts of the village, where large family
though the factory where the bedtime drink homes are hidden behind a screen of mature
was made has been converted into apartments. trees. Prices are around the £700,000 mark,
Steve Sibley, sales manager at Hamptons though something really grand could go up to
International, believes the growth of Watford, £1 million.
where £1.5 billion is being spent on upgrading
the town centre, has focused attention on Kings MONKS RISBOROUGH
Langley. BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Buyers from London are also waking up to its Average property price: £465,338
super-fast commute. Only St Albans comes Price increase since 2007: 33 per cent
close to being as convenient in Hertfordshire, Average price for a house: £489,064
and Kings Langley is considerably better value Journey time: 54
for money. The village also has good motorway THE secret of this slightly unassuming suburb of
links and education standards are high. Kings Princes Risborough is its rural feel but with good
Langley School, for seniors, and Kings Langley facilities on the doorstep. Graeme Warren, head
Primary School both have “good” Ofsted of Savills in Rickmansworth, says Monks
reports, while the Rudolf Steiner School is in Risborough’s price growth is partly due to its
the village, and bright kids might get a place at development opportunities. “There are quite a
one of Watford’s two grammar schools. lot of small houses and bungalows on quite big
“The high street is definitely going up,” says plots. Buyers can replace them with much larger
Sibley. “There are a couple of very nice bespoke houses.”
coffee shops now, and two restaurants. It’s The village centre is pretty drab, but on the
more than just a corner shop now.” outskirts are quiet streets with rural views. A
The best housing is in the heart of the village, five-bedroom detached house with big gardens
if you have dreams of a lovely period cottage or would cost from about £900,000 to
townhouse. Sibley says a three-bedroom semi £1.5 million. There is a local golf club, the
would cost about £600,000 to £700,000. Like Chiltern Hills are close by, and residents can
so many home counties villages, Kings Langley join one of Princes Risborough’s sports clubs
has experienced a sprawl of housebuilding over and leisure centre. Monks Risborough has
the last century. A less pretty but larger four- neighbourhood pubs and restaurants, and a
bedroom detached house built in the Eighties parade of shops. There is also a choice of four
would be about £700,000. primary schools, all rated “good” by Ofsted.
14 WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Homes abroad
From £562,000: with national park views, Forest Village Chalets at Neukirchen (Alpine Marketing)
Super-long ski season: Obergurgl, where Alpine Marketing has flats for sale from £344,000. The
resort, high altitude at 1,950 metres, is a British favourite with a village vibe (alpinemarketing.com)
In Austria they heat
the ski lift seats
High-quality chalets and flats start at £183k in family-friendly
villages with superb skiing facilities, says Cathy Hawker
A
USTRIA’S alpine resorts combine airport with access to over 380 kilometres of ski-
years of tradition with cutting-edge ing. Kirsche Apartments are one- to three-bed-
innovation. There are family-run room off-plan homes beside the ski lifts, from
hotels in charming wooden chalets £183,000. On completion by Christmas 2019 there
complete with waitresses in dirndls will be an on-site spa, pool and restaurant.
but also a fabulously modern skiing infrastructure Forest Village Chalets, also for sale through
and a sincere desire to give visitors a five-star Alpine Marketing, is a small hamlet of 63 three- to
experience. five-bedroom chalets with wonderful views of the
“Austria invests more than any other Alpine national park. Fully furnished chalets start from
country in its ski resorts,” says Jessica Delaney of £562,000 net. These are beautiful properties with
Alpine Marketing. “They were the first to introduce double-height ceilings, built on a sloping 10-acre
heated seats on ski lifts and every year spend sig- site and managed from a central reception.
nificant amounts on lift infrastructure and snow- “Chalets of this quality that are easy to ski back
making machinery. Austria is catching up with to and have good views and full services, equidis-
France for winter tourism numbers, attracting tant from airports at Salzburg and Innsbruck, are
significant numbers of younger skiers, too.” incredibly rare,” says Delaney.
Top-dollar locations include Lech and Kitzbühel
where prices and prestige rival the finest in France O Alpine Marketing: alpinemarketing.com (020
and Switzerland — but there are also more afford- 7935 5132)
able, little-known, family-friendly resorts.
THE BIG-NAME RESORT ‘Brits
OBERGURGL
Obergurgl at the end of the Ötztal valley, 90 min- return to
utes from Innsbruck airport and an hour from Italy,
is high altitude and snow sure, with a super-long us year
ski season. It’s a British favourite with a village vibe
and a large, high-quality ski area. It shares a ski
after
pass with fashionable Sölden, a resort with two
glaciers, five runs featuring 1,000-metre vertical
year’
drops and home to the dramatic glass Ice Q restau- LUKAS SCHEIBER is the fifth generation of his
rant seen in the James Bond film SPECTRE. family to own Hotel Edelweiss in Obergurgl, a
“Obergurgl is ideal for families and intermediate welcoming 132-room hotel in the village
group skiing, as all steep black runs have an easier centre that is a firm British favourite.
blue run option beside them,” says Delaney. “Most “Some British families have been coming for
properties are ski in and out and link to the lifts 60 years,” says Lukas, who runs the hotel with
and ski schools in the village centre.” his wife, Tanja, above. “They like the safety of a
Alpine Marketing has fully furnished flats from small village and the big ski area with excellent
£344,000 net for one to three bedrooms. Fifteen snow quality and the guarantee of a long
are ready in the centre at Obergurgl Lodge, with season.” Obergurgl’s year-round population of
20 coming this year at Chalet Edel and Majestic 400 welcomes 80,000 skiers each winter. To
Apartments at the far end of the village. meet this demand the Scheiber family has
Under local Tyrol law they must be available to developed flats for sale in the village.
rent and will be fully serviced and managed by the “Our lift infrastructure can transport 45,000
Edelweiss Hotel, a long-established family-run skiers per hour so there are never severe
hotel and spa. Owners have five weeks annual use queues and we have 100 per cent snow
and receive 70 per cent of rental income with no cannon coverage,” adds Lukas. “Obergurgl
service charges to pay. has excellent options for non-skiers, too,
including tobogganing and hiking, and it’s
THE NEW-NAME RESORT particularly easy to meet up with skiers for
NEUKIRCHEN lunch in mountain restaurants.”
New rental and resale laws in SalzburgerLand Rates at Hotel Edelweiss start from £128 a
restrict the number of second homes for sale. Most night on a half-board basis.
resorts here have good year-round appeal with a
strong winter and summer season. Neukirchen is O Hotel Edelweiss: edelweiss-gurgl.com
a low-key, historic village 95 minutes from SalzburgEVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 15
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Personal finance | Homes & Property
PRICE UP LIFE’S OTHER ESSENTIALS per cent fixed AER. The amount you can deposit
“Shopping around for the best deals on things and ability to withdraw funds varies by account,
like energy, broadband, insurance and mobile so do check the small print.
phone tariffs could save you over £1,000,” says
Tashema Jackson, uSwitch.com money expert. ASK FOR FREE ADVICE
But life is also full of unexpected expenses. You Latest figures from the Money Advice Service
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Online Saver account is a great option for those burden. This means one in six people, on average
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Think about a regular saving account, too. First Whether you want online, telephone or even
Direct, HSBC, M&S Bank, Nationwide and face-to-face help, the Money Advice Service is a
Santander all offer accounts paying five per cent great place to start.
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ALAMY
Virgin’s regular e-saver offers a reasonable 2.25 Monday to Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturdays).
C
REDIT CARDS took an
£8.5 billion bashing in
If you splurged on your credit
Britain in the run-up to
Christmas, reveals the card over Christmas, the day of
uSwitch.com comparison
website. Half of those who splurged reckoning is here. Sara Yates
will still be paying back what they
owe next Christmas. Use these tips has expert tips that could help
to help tackle your debt and get in
shape for the year ahead. you clear your debt hangover
Piggy needs fattening
after Christmas spree
TACKLE THE FESTIVE BULGE rise, the market is still awash with
If you paid for your Christmas two-year remortgage deals where the
festivities on a credit or store card, interest rate — both fixed and
take action today. Switch your debt variable — is less than 1.5 per cent. If
on to a 0 per cent balance transfer you need help choosing or have
card. This could erase the interest complicated circumstances, speak to
payments on your existing balance a mortgage adviser. You can even do
for over three years, and give you a this online. Daniel Hegarty, chief
chance to tackle your actual debt. executive and founder of Habito,
There are two types of balance says: “Homeowners can see how
transfer cards — fee free and fee much they could save in a couple of
paying. Don’t automatically assume minutes online and switch from
the cheapest card is best for you. Do home on a mobile phone, tablet or
the maths. If you need more time to laptop.”
pay off your debt mountain, you may
find the best strategy is to pay a KEEP IN BETTER FINANCIAL
small, upfront fee for a much longer SHAPE BY SHOPPING AROUND
interest-free holiday. It may be cold but don’t burn your
Once you’ve got your new card, money. Ofgem, the energy industry
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that, by languishing on their energy
Here some top transfer card picks. Fee providers’ expensive Standard
free: Halifax offers an interest rate Variable Rate tariffs. Don’t be one of
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to 29 months, plus 0 per cent on new
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Low fee and a long interest-free grab your latest energy bill, as you’ll
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your initial balance for a fee of 0.76 comparison sites to work out the
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Longest 0 per cent period: Step three: take a meter reading on
Barclaycard offers 0 per cent on the day of the transfer to ensure you
your initial balance for up to 38 only get billed for the energy you’ve
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purchases for six months for a fee of Step four: pay your final bill or get a
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BE SAVVY WITH YOUR flowing into your house.
OTHER DEBTS Anyone who pays the bill directly to
UK households are overpaying an their energy supplier can switch. Pre-
estimated £29 billion on their payment meter holders can also shop
mortgages by slipping back into their around for a better deal. But if you
bank’s Standard Variable Rate, have a pre-payment meter and are not
according to Habito online mortgage in debt to your provider, a much
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switching to a new deal immediately changed to a normal meter. Many
your current deal ends. Even after suppliers do it for free. If yours won’t,
the Bank of England’s recent rate consider switching to one that will.16 WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Interiors homesandproperty.co.uk powered by
B
RITAIN’S big fabric houses
jump-start their year in Paris
tomorrow at Deco Off,
Europe’s premier decor plat-
form. Set in showrooms and
galleries lining quaint streets on either
side of the Seine, the event is unstuffy
and great fun, with plenty of cafés and
bars. It runs until Monday with a late
night on Saturday, the ticket prices
aren’t hefty and it’s open to all. See
paris-deco-off.com for details.
“This is where the decorating year
begins,” says Graham Noakes, sales and
marketing director at Chelsea’s
Osborne & Little. Currently marking
its 50th anniversary, the company
brings a huge “soft sculpture” fabric
birthday cake to Paris. You can see it
now on Instagram @osborneandlittle.
Amid 100-plus international brands, the East-west: Sultan’s Palace and Zellige
British shine through, with superbly papers, £135 and £100, with Zellige
trained designers well-equipped to border, £25, all per 10m roll, by Martyn
hold off the largely continental com- Lawrence Bullard (cole-and-son.com)
petition, and with archives rich for
plunder. UK firms excel in printing
wallpapers, using methods from tradi-
tional blocks, screens and rollers to
state-of-the-art digital machines. From
craft mills in Scotland, Wales and
Gloucestershire to the UK’s ever-
expanding range of studios, managed
with skill and imagination, interiors
Italian job: Portovenere wallpaper, £85 a roll; Manarola firms continually push boundaries with
Stripe, £65 a roll (on left-hand wall), both from the Manarola complex textured fabrics, layered
Collection at Osborne & Little (osborneandlittle.com) prints, huge wallpaper panels, metal-
lics, iridescence and glitter inks.
“We offer a blend of heritage, fashion,
craft, art and technology,” says Claire
Vallis, creative director of Style
Library, the new “umbrella” for six top
furnishing labels with 20 designers
between them. Style Library publishes
William Morris, whose archive is
revered worldwide, and Sanderson,
whose 2018 “coastal” portfolio has All gold: Designers Guild’s Chareau By Scion: Nuevo Arizona paper, £41 a
hand-drawn sea birds and beach huts. Chartreuse wallpaper, seen on panel, roll; Sanderson Silverflake paint, £43
is £135 a roll (designersguild.com/uk) per 2.5L (stylelibrary.com/scion)
British studios produce depth, detail
and authenticity. “We do all our art- generations by a family in Lambeth. loop pile épingle velvet by Mark Alex-
work by hand,” says Peter Gomez, head The Colours of London collection has ander is made possible by a mill in the
of design at Zoffany. That includes 120 shades with lovely names. Long Flemish countryside that uses rare
painting chrysanthemum heads from Acre is a chic grey and Millbank is a looms with needle-fine wires. “Crafts-
life; layering ink on linen and enlisting sludgy green. A clutch of whites manship and materials are at the very
craftsmen to “marble” an 18th-century includes Temple Bar and Clerkenwell. heart of what we do, in the choice of
from Deco Off archive damask or gild real lotus leaves
for a three-metre panel. The Muse is a
stunning new Zoffany fabric collection
The top British brands are far from insu-
lar. The design studios draw inspiration
yarns and international producers,”
says brand director Mark Butcher.
Carley Bean, new head of design at
that oozes inspiration. from across the world and scour the Cole & Son in north London, says:
By Barbara Chandler in Paris New to Deco Off is Mylands of Lon- globe for the best makers, from weav- “London is a cosmopolitan, design-led
don, with high-quality paints expertly ers of fine wool in Italy to exquisite city, and this global outlook is a driving
blended in earth pigments for four embroiderers in India. A new cut-and- force. We express a particular blend ofEVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 17
Interiors | Homes & Property
All priced per metre: Torcello sofa and
curtain, £135, Mikado sofa border,
£65, Caresse Diamond cushion fabric,
£55 (osborneandlittle.com)
Grand: Patina Haze wallpaper by
Martyn Lawrence Bullard, £95 for a 10m
roll (coleandson-martynbullard.com)
Wild about birds: Estuary Birds paper, from Sanderson’s new coastal collection, Luxe: cushions covered in Outline
£56 a roll, and cushion fabric, £58 a metre (stylelibrary.com/sanderson) Collection cotton épingle velvets, from
£145 a metre (markalexander.com)
heritage and modernity.” Her brand Geometrics abound, even from Tricia
looked to America and Martyn Law- Guild, ace operator of petal power.
rence Bullard, one of the US’s top 25 Watch out for her metallic wallpaper
interior designers. He explored artisan flocks on pearlescent grounds. But
techniques worldwide and took diverse flowers will always be the Designers
motifs, from Hollywood palms to Eng- Guild founder’s signature and she
lish botanicals and Moorish buildings. offers a garden of delicate paintwork
Nuevo, a jaunty new edit by Scion, in her new Giardino Secreto edit. “I
was prompted by a desert festival just adore Paris,” Guild says. “The French
outside San Francisco where the vibes love colour and are innately confident
were strongly Mexican, says its in its use.” To its unrivalled library of
designer Hannah Bowen, who then 5,000 textures, Designers Guild brings
used collages of coloured paper for Brera Moda, with 40 soft-washed
jazzy abstract effects. Ethnic gets an shades in heavy linen.
upgrade here, with patterns for As for colours, no single shade is
Bowen’s target “urban tribes”. paramount at the show. Rather there
Zapara by Harlequin hints at the are mixes of subtle tints, including soft
Amazonian rainforest, while Osborne greys and buttermilk from Designers Harlequin: Bora curtain fabric, £68 a
& Little looks to the sun-bleached Ital- Guild, or midnight and ink with copper metre; sofa in Boutique Velvet, £72 a
ian Riviera, all indigo and azure. and bronze from Osborne & Little. metre. The Style Library (as before)18 WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Outdoors
N
O GRASS to mow, no weeding to
Alex
Time to think
do, no deadheading that’s worth
the trouble. It’s winter. You might
be joined by a robin, but the
Mitchell
chances are that any time you
spend in your garden right now will be for
solitary contemplation. However, for Francine January is for making plans and
Raymond, author of The Garden Farmer, a new
monthly guide about how to make the most of
you grow too much of one thing and not nearly
enough of another? Is there too much shade, or
moving plants for a new look
your garden all year round, January is full of more shelter needed?” Maybe you’d like to hide
opportunity. “It’s time to take stock, make your neighbour’s trampoline from view. Are you
plans and build up strength for the coming making the most of your sunny spots?
months,” she says. If you need a contractor to lay some new
“Take a look out of an upstairs window and paving or do other hard landscaping jobs such
examine the bare bones of your garden,” she as installing garden lighting or mending dodgy
suggests. “Do you need to make changes? Now’s masonry, now is the time to book them in. But
the time to rejuvenate, edit and change you can do quite a lot on your own. Here are
direction. Learn from past experience: was the five simple garden tweaks that really will make
table too far from the cooking area last year? Did a difference.
ALAMY
TAMING Better shape up:
If a deciduous shrub or tree has been this is the best
casting the garden in shade or time of year to
blocking a pathway, now’s the time to tame a wayward
tackle it when the branches are bare shrub, above, to
and you can see their framework. create an elegant
Use a pruning saw or loppers and cut shape. Right,
branches close to the trunk for an even quite small
elegant shape. Larger trees will need gardens are
a tree surgeon. Evergreens are best improved by a
left to prune in spring. well-shaped tree
as a focal point
SHIFTING
Do you have a shrub or small tree in
the wrong place? Move it now while it Get a shift on: if
is still dormant and it won’t mind too you think they
much. By spring it will be putting out are in the wrong
growing roots and hate being torn place, move
away. First, dig a large hole where you small trees and
want to move it to and then dig a shrubs while
ALAMY
trench around the shrub about 60cm they are still
from the main stem. Gradually ease dormant, below
out the shrub with as
much of the rootball as PLANTING
possible and replant it Don’t think that just because you
immediately, watering it have a small garden, you should only
in well, and keep plant around the edge. Even
watering it. relatively small gardens look better
with a well-shaped garden tree as a
SCULPTING focal point planted within the main
If you dream of banks of space. You can’t beat a multi-stem for
colourful perennials, a beautiful shape all year.
expand your beds into Amelanchiers are always a winner,
the lawn using a spade though the summer confetti of a
to sculpt out a new edge. cornus kousa can take your breath
But if weeding felt like away. Crab apples, acers, flowering
too much work last year, cherries and silver birches also make
make the beds smaller. great trees for small gardens.
Use soil from the bed to If a cold wind blows into your
ALAMY
build up the edge, then garden from one side, plant bareroot
patch up with turf from hedging (try hedgesdirect.co.uk). I
elsewhere in the garden, or leave it love griselinia for windy spots, or try
until spring to reseed with grass. Multiply: repeat yew or beech for pure elegance.
And here’s your chance to level out a plant you love,
hollows and bumps in the lawn. Make like these REPEAT PLANTING
an H-shaped cut with a spade and peel Agapanthus, If you particularly liked a plant in
back the grass. Then fill the dip with below, around your garden last year, why not have
soil from garden beds and replace the the garden to more of it? Repeating plants around
turf. Bumps can be levelled by making create a sense of the garden gives a sense of harmony
the same cut and scraping away some harmony and a and a smart, “designed” look. In
of the soil. “designed” look mild London, even in January, you
can divide established perennials to
make new clumps — for free.
Hardy geraniums, asters,
bergenias and Japanese anenomes
are just some of many that won’t
mind the disturbance. Push down
vertically into the clump with a
spade, then dig up a section and
replant it straight away and water
well.
O The Garden Farmer by Francine
ALAMY
Raymond is published by Square Peg
Books, £20.20 WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Our home homesandproperty.co.uk
Economic sense: David Money, left, and Kane Chan, right, teamed up to get more
house for their cash, and were then joined by Thein Win and Donald Gilbert
Shared
ambition
Architect David Money’s formula? Buy a wreck,
make a fabulous home and share the costs
with close friends. By Philippa Stockley
W
ITH refreshing honesty, 1900 terrace house was left untouched;
architect David Money the rest was demolished and a new, strik-
says: “If I hadn’t bought ingly modern house was built behind.
houses with friends, I The ground floor, almost one continuous
would never have been flowing space with a glowing concrete,
able to buy one. And I like living with underheated floor, silky birch ply cup-
other people.” boards and stairs, pale pine exposed joists
In his latest project, David has dramat- and faintly whitewashed exposed brick,
ically modernised and extended the is fresh, bright, and enviably large.
Camberwell terrace house he shares with In terms of extending, David only
three friends. They have all known each glassed over the narrow side return and
other for at least 15 years. went into the attic. Yet he’s added about
In the vast kitchen-diner, with its long, a third more space with clever spatial
bespoke, polished concrete table that gymnastics. By dropping the ground floor levels but David was going to gut it and staged demolition began in October 2015. as solid as a rock,” he says. Given the
seats 16, the friends take turns cooking a little and raising the ceiling height a bit, make a light, open-plan space. He kept “We didn’t just leave the front wall waving amount of work, it’s surprising that this
supper, and often cook together. he managed to tuck a mezzanine gym off the “super-nice” neighbours informed in the wind,” David grins. major build only took 11 months.
David, 51, has transformed a string of his bedroom, with steps up to it that hold and submitted his bold, detailed plans. Piece by piece the house came down Now there are no more dark corners.
older properties, each time buying, doing books between the treads. Thus, he cre- Though they included total demolition and steels went up. One, which runs front Light pours in — from a huge skylight at
up and selling, sharing the costs with co- ated an extra room and a library. and a large steel skeleton on a concrete to back, is an astonishing 60cms deep the top; a glass section of floor between
buyers. It’s a great way to tackle current foundation, the planners approved. A and nine metres long. “Now, the house is the ground and first floors; a big picture
high prices, too. He co-bought this south DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY window in the master bedroom; the
London house with Kane Chan, 46, who “Flow is vital,” he says. “I don’t like awk- glazed nine metre-long side return and
works in technology in an investment ward corners or levels. Design a home the sliding glass garden doors.
bank. David designed the house so that that suits your taste. Don’t make it ‘fash- The flow David wanted came with level
Kane and his boyfriend, Donald Gilbert, ionably neutral’ if you don’t like neutral. floors and pocket doors. His bathroom
would get their own section, like a stylish Kane and I decided on a house to suit our has striking black-and-steel fittings — a
studio flat with bedroom and living area, lives.” They plan to sell in three years, black sink and a steel loo. “I vowed there
a svelte bathroom, plus an extra wash and with its three bedrooms and three en would be no white porcelain or nickel,
basin in a bespoke closet. suite bathrooms, it will also work really I’m tired of them.” The joiners did an
well for a family. outstanding job using ply to create the
A MIX OF GROWN-UP SPACES In Autumn 2014, the search began “for new stair up the side of the house, with
Their mutual friend, Thein Win, rents the an old wreck to do up”. The two-storey, plentiful storage below, all beautifully
converted attic, with a swish double bed- 1,600sq ft terrace was online. Seriously detailed in ply.
room and a gorgeous bathroom accessed wonky at the front from historic subsid-
T
by a sandblasted glass pocket door, and ence, you could put your hand in a crack HE result is a perfect demon-
views through a huge skylight. on the back wall. “My dad put a jam jar stration of economy of scale:
Each person can be private, or meet in on the floor and it rolled right across to “Two people could each buy
the kitchen-diner with its great views to the other side,” says David. The price a one -bedroom flat for
a stylish garden through triple sliding plummeted from £1 million to £750,000 £500,000. Or they could
doors. The house is a mix of bespoke and David bought in early 2015. combine forces and get a four-bedroom
spaces designed for grown-ups who don’t The ground floor held five dark, poky house. Buying together isn’t difficult.”
want to live in solitary confinement. But rooms. The staircase had a useless cor- Double duty: stairs with bookshelves Room to retreat: the house is designed David says they found a good mortgage
this job was huge. Only the front of the ridor alongside and there were different inset lead to a mezzanine mini gym with swish “studio flats” for privacy broker and had no problems.
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