Wing it Property · In Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig as 007 and Judi Dench, playing spymaster M,...

Wing itFrom cushions to concrete, the feathers are flying

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NEW HOMES: CITY ROAD P4 BARGAINS ON THE COSTAS P8 ORGANIC HIGHGROVE P23 SPOTLIGHT ON CITY OF LONDON P28

Homes&Property

Wednesday 28 August 2013

London’s best property search website: homesandproperty.co.uk

LONDON’S BIGGEST AND

MOST-READ PROPERTY

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This week: homesandproperty.co.ukProperty search

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VISIT homesandproperty.co.uk/rules for details of our usual promotion rules. When you respond to promotions, offers or competitions, the London Evening Standard and its sister companies may contact you with relevant offers and services that may be of interest. Please give your mobile number and/or email address if you would like to receive such offers by text or email.

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we discover: London’s most unusual homes

For more unusual homes, visit homesandproperty.co.uk

Or buy one in our shop for only £159.99, plus £3.99 p&p

LONDON has a long history of reinventing itself. Listed water towers, churches, barns and warehouses often have stunning original character features that could create unique modern living spaces. Thanks to creative architects and ambitious renovators, many of the city’s most interesting buildings have been transformed into quirky and innovative homes. We take a property tour to discover 10 of London’s most unusual homes, including a bijou barn conversion in the heart of Brockley (pictured above) with a secluded courtyard garden; an award-winning, ultra-modern renovation in Nunhead, and a 1,783sq ft lateral penthouse flat within a warehouse conversion near Southfields (pictured below).

Win a smart double hammock

FINISHED in a light coffee-colour stain, measuring an impressive 13ft 1½in (4m) in length, and supported by 3ft 11in cross beams, this beautifully designed, single curved-arch wooden hammock frame is manufactured from Russian larch — which is renowned for its rot-resistance, strength and longevity. With just a little TLC it will last for years through our unpredictable weather. A generous-size 6ft 7in by 4ft 7in (2m by

1.4m) 100 per cent cotton canvas hammock is included, strong enough to support up to two people (a maximum of 24st, or 150kg). Home

assembly is required — with all tools supplied — and fully assembled the hammock weighs 43kg.

Buy one for £159.99 (plus £3.99 p&p) from homesandproperty.co.uk/shop

We also have one to give away. To enter, see side panel.

£580,000: offering the ultimate rural bolt hole, in grounds of two acres with only local wildlife for neighbours, is Railway Cottage in Souldrop, Bedfordshire. There are many outbuildings to play with, all with planning consent for an annexe or conversion into a new business empire, perhaps. The house itself — converted from two railway cottages —has a lovely feeling of light and space, with wood floors, sash windows and an Aga in the kitchen. Upstairs, four bedrooms and an attractive bathroom complete with roll-top tub take full advantage of the views. Through Taylors.

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/lifechangersouldrop

£650,000: fast movers will love this chain-free family home in Brixton’s popular Clapham Park area. An exquisite makeover of the 1,000sq ft home has created open spaces that include a double reception room with dove-grey walls and dark wood floors. Clean white lines impress in the kitchen/breakfast room, along with glass doors to a decked garden enclosed by high white walls. Stylish monochrome style continues in three big bedrooms and a sleek bathroom above. Through KFH.

Visit homesandproperty/buyoftheweekclapham

TO ENTER For a chance to win a double hammock, visit homesand property.co.uk/offers before the end of September 8

Terms and conditions: usual rules apply, see homesand property.co.uk/rules for details

London buy of the week monochrome makeover

Out of town buy of the week as seen on a picture postcard. . .

Life changer your new business empire starts here

£595,000: this little Hampshire beauty sits snug in the scenic New Forest village of Minstead, a few minutes’ stroll from the village green, pub and historic church. You can expect a thatch cottage full of treats, from wood floors and deep beams to rustic fireplaces in the sitting and dining rooms, while the country kitchen is fitted with bespoke

cabinetry and terracotta floor tiles. The master bedroom and its en suite bathroom, plus a guest bedroom and bathroom, are reached by separate staircases. Colourful gardens and a charming summerhouse complete the picture. Through John D Wood.

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/outminstead

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EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 28 AUGUST 2013 3

Find solace in your licence to make a killing — or simply enjoy a view to a thrill — in the world of 007

Got some gossip?Tweet @amiranews

SALMA HAYEK has put her Los Angeles home up for rent.

She bought the pad in 1996, shortly after filming Desperado, for £344,000 and it was her main residence for nearly 10 years until she bought a Bel Air home from Frasier actor Kelsey Grammer.

The Grown Ups actress still has a soft spot for her 1962-built LA property. Rather than sell it, she is happy to let someone else call it home for £6,000 a month.

The new tenant could be in starry company as the bungalow is located in the Outpost Estates area, where A-listers including Matthew Perry and Ryan Reynolds have lived.

AN APARTMENT in a block that served as a James Bond film location is for sale in W2, overlooking Edgware Road and Sussex Gardens.

In Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig as 007 and Judi Dench, playing spymaster M, meet in a high-rise flat in the Sixties block after it is revealed that M’s bodyguard is a dastardly double agent. Now the four-bedroom duplex on the 16th and 17th floors is listed with Cluttons at £4.5 million.

Residents can sip a martini and find solace on the private roof terrace while soaking up the 360-degree city views.

Well, why not indulge yourself? You only live twice...

Where the Wolseley’s breakfast is beneath you

Grown Up Salmagrew out of pad

By Amira Hashish

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FROM Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss, right, to Madonna and Jack Nicholson, The Wolseley, far right, famous for its breakfasts, pulls in its share of A-listers. So the glitterati may be interested to know that a six-bedroom duplex, centre right, above the glamorous Piccadilly restaurant is for sale. Adjacent to The Ritz hotel, with interior design by Candy & Candy, it oozes luxury, with a gym, games area, two terraces and views of the London Eye and Big Ben. And the price? A cool £47.5 million, through Knight Frank.

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/wolseley

EVERY rock star worth their salt has played at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire. Robbie Williams, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Oasis are just some of the performers who have gigged in the grounds of this magnificent stately home.

The leasehold of its Grade II-listed gatehouse, Tower Lodges, left, was sold by the Knebworth Estate about 20 years ago. Now it is on the market for £1.3 million through Hamptons International. The gatehouse’s most attractive feature is the dining hall, opening on to a conservatory with a vista of Knebworth Park.

A chance for the rock star life at Knebworth

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Nine acres of water and a corridor of skyscrapers in a £1 billion makeoverLondon surprises again with a spanking new city-centre quarter, says David Spittles

A ONCE unloved and dowdy district between Angel and the City is stepping out of the shadows with a £1 billion makeover, bring-

ing hundreds of glamorous new homes for geeks and bankers.

For generations, world-famous Moor-fields Eye Hospital has been the main reason to visit City Road, an ugly duck-ling thoroughfare that straddles three London boroughs.

Lined by low-rise commercial premises serving Square Mile busi-nesses, it is set to become a master-

October, is the first of the new sky-scrapers — a sleek, 31-storey glass-and-steel tower designed by celebrated Dutch architects UNStudio. It will have three storeys of amenity space, includ-ing a spa and private cinema, below 190 apartments, plus a Manhattan-style “club lounge” and garden terrace higher up the building. Completion is

planned “corridor of skyscrapers” designed by architect bigwigs including Terry Farrell and Norman Foster.

Close proximity to a prosperous banking community has helped seed regeneration but the emergence of a “silicon city”, a burgeoning cluster of hi-tech and digital companies based around Old Street roundabout, has been the game-changer.

Below the City Road is a fibre-optic highway reaching all the way to King’s Cross, where Google’s European head-quarters is under construction.

The outbreak of residential develop-ment follows the opening up of a hid-den canal basin. During its Victorian heyday it was one of the main canal centres in London, marking the half-way point on the Regent’s Canal run-ning between Little Venice and Limehouse. Remarkably, the basin was partly concreted over during the Eight-ies to provide land for an electricity sub-station but today the nine-acre expanse of water is at the heart of a new “quarter”, with apartments, loft offices, bars, restaurants and a com-munity boat club.

A new public square forms an entrance to the basin at City Road and provides a spectacular vista of the calming water. And streetscaping improvements along City Road will turn it into a Continental-type boule-vard with pavement cafés.

ANGEL OF THE NORTHYoung Ci t y profess ionals and Shoreditch designers are the mainstay of this new district. “They like new, modern apartment buildings and being able to walk to work,” says Nick Davies of estate agent Stirling Ackroyd.

“Prices are rising but it’s still at least 10 per cent cheaper than prime Isling-ton and good value for such a well- connected area with lots going on.”

Flanked by Hoxton on one side and

Clerkenwell on the other, it is surpris-ing that the area — postcode EC1 — is only now taking off.

Raul Cimesa of estate agent Knight Frank says the new wave of high-qual-ity developments is a step up for the area and will attract buyers from more expensive riverside districts such as Bankside. Canaletto, launching in

Towering: at Lexicon, the 36-storey Silicon Tower, left, is one of three buildings, with 307 new apartments

From £650,000: flats, right, in Folio, Micawber Street. Call 020 7251 8499

Water wold: the new City Road development will have nine acres of water at its heart

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due at the end of 2015. To register, call 020 7608 1825.

Fronting another side of the canal basin is Lexicon, comprising three buildings, including 36-storey Silicon Tower — in total 307 apartments, 69 for shared ownership.

The Eagle, rising in City Road, has 276 apartments above a retained five-

storey Art Deco building. Call Mount Anvil’s Eagle House development on 0845 077 9550. Prices start at £435,000. Folio, in Micawber Street, where several old boozers have been transformed into fashionable gastro-pubs, has 108 homes — apartments and houses — in low-rise blocks. Prices from £650,000, equivalent to £850 a square

foot. Completion in 2015. Call Notting Hill Housing association on 020 7251 8499.

A canalside industrial estate at 250 City Road has been acquired by Berke-ley Homes for redevelopment into a new “waterside neighbourhood” with 1,000 homes, offices and hotel.

Knight Frank predicts City Road

residential values will jump from £1,000 to £1,500 a square foot by 2016 on the back of the fast-expanding silicon city, a government-backed ini-tiative.

Nearby King’s Cross Central is another “digital hub” but only 900 new private homes are being built at the 67 acre-site, which will have 20 new office buildings where thousands of people will work.

It is easy to forget that the City’s east-ern fringe was a semi-industrial belt barely 20 years ago. In 1990, most of the capital’s 29,000 printers worked in Clerkenwell, alongside metalwork-ers, clockmakers and jewellers. Shoreditch was famous for rag-trade sweatshops.

Beyond expectation, the pace of change has accelerated since the onset of the 2008 banking crash. Whereas the fringe used to be in the shadow of the City, it is now in the spotlight.

The eastern side of the canal basin falls into Hackney borough and has a grittier feel. This is where Jamie Oliver opened his Fifteen restaurant, giving appren-ticeships to out-of-work youngsters.

Shepherdess Walk is one of the best

addresses, with authentic lofts availa-ble at The Factory, a decade-old development by Manhattan Loft Cor-poration. Urban Spaces is selling a 1,481sq ft loft for £945,000. Call 020 3324 7610.

On the Islington side of City Road Basin lies a charming conservation area of Georgian and Victorian homes. London Mayor Boris Johnson lives in this enclave and can often be seen cycling along the towpath and down City Road on his way to City Hall in Southwark.

Check out the patch around Goswell Road, where design creep has spread from Clerkenwell. Homeware brands Knoll and Porcelanosa and “starchi-tect” Zaha Hadid have opened show-rooms, while independent shops and galleries are sprouting up in side streets.

Ermine Apartments is a collabora-tion between developer Thornsett and the Dame Alice Owen Trust, an educa-tional foundation whose land holdings in the area date from Tudor times. Two-bedroom apartments cost from £710,000. Call Currell on 020 7843 9500.

From £435,000: Eagle House has 276 flats above a five-storey Art Deco building

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From Madonna’s bra to Verity’s tummy...

Damien Hirst’s new statue joins the twin-coned Landmark Theatre to add to Ilfracombe’s considerable charms, says Liz Hoggard

WHEN Damien Hirst unveiled Verity, his 66 f t -h igh bronze statue of a pregnant woman, on the har-

bour at Ilfracombe last autumn, it marked a key moment in the town’s history. Hirst is to this North Devon town what Rick Stein has become to Padstow along the coast in Cornwall.

Londoners took their cue and have been busily investing in Ilfracombe’s shops, galleries and holiday cottages, while the town’s once-tired hotels are being spruced up or turned into self-catering apartments.

Prices here are tempting. You can get a 16th-century fisherman’s cottage on historic Fore Street for £150,000 to £300,000, or a seven-bedroom detached house overlooking the har-bour for £275,000 to £325,000.

A 17-bedroom guesthouse in need of renovation went on sale for £350,000 while artists and writers priced out by London can rent a flat with a studio to

peace and quiet,” said Kirstie. “It’s still very unspoilt.” Ex-London manage-ment consultant Victoria Wills spotted a neglected Grade II-listed mansion house with 14 bedrooms for £730,000 six years ago and has converted it into the luxury weight-loss retreat, Nu Beginnngs (nubeginnings.co.uk).

“It’s an amazing bargain,” she enthused. “When friends visit, they start looking in estate agents’ windows and jumping up and down, because if you compare the prices with Cornwall, never mind London, Rock is three times the price of Ilfracombe, which is on the water and just as lovely. There’s the art quarter, then up on the Torrs you have the boutique B&Bs.”

Meanwhile, Hirst is developing 500 eco-homes, with hidden wind turbines in the roofs, solar panels and state-of-the-art insulation. A new medical centre, primary school, community gardens, sports fields and a small busi-ness district are also proposed.

There are still gritty bits. The town declined after the closure of the railway to London in 1970, and the high street has empty shops. Comedian Bill Bailey once jokingly referred to Ilfracombe as “10,000 alcoholics clinging to a cliff”. But the town is on the up again, partly thanks to the thousands of tourists who

have visited since Verity arrived. Eclectick, a rooftop restaurant and wine bar overlooking Fore Street, has created a Verity cocktail. Not that the statue’s reception was universally popular. Some critics declared her an ugly blot on the landscape.

You’ll find her at the end of the pier, looking out to Lundy Island. “If you’re coming in by boat, it’s like going to any of the best harbours in Europe,” said photographer Jane Perrin, who opened The Great British Tea Shop on St James’ Place last year. It sells cupcakes and boiled egg and soldiers, with lashings of tea and ginger beer. In high season the tea room is full of tourists debating the statue. “It’s lovely, just like art school,” laughed Jane.

Fiona Hoggard, a charity fundraiser who bought a Victorian terrace house 10 years ago for less than £50,000 as a holiday let (laundry-cottage.co.uk), has seen many changes. “The Damien Hirst factor has helped attract visitors, but part of Ilfracombe’s charm is that it is an old-fashioned working coastal town with real people in it,” she said.

“The North Devon coastline is stun-ning, the beaches are clean and there is loads to do. It’s hard to get to, but when you are here it’s another world. You won’t want to leave.”

work in for £500 a month. Hirst spent many childhood holidays in North Devon and bought a farmhouse in Combe Martin for the surfing at Woolacombe and Croyde. His children go to local schools and he loves Ilfracombe — offering Verity on a 20-year loan to help support local regeneration projects.

The Tunnels Beach area — a 19th- century spa cut into the rocky coves — has been redeveloped as safe tidal bathing pools, plus a bespoke beach-front wedding venue. Nearby, artist Kirstie Jackson and her husband, designer furniture maker Paul, have renovated the Quarry (bighousedevon.co.uk), a panoramic seven-bed Victo-rian villa, for holiday lets.

Hirst is not the only famous resident. Artist George Shaw, nominated for the 2011 Turner Prize, has bought a house on the high street.

Nestling on the coast at the edge of Exmoor and near suburban Barnstaple, Ilfracombe was famous in the 19th century as a bathing location. It has avoided the worst aspects of urban renewal and retained the archi-tectural trappings that came with bygone wealth. Huge houses on the hilly approaches to the harbour are blessed with cast-iron balconies and

colourful brickwork. The imposing detached Victorian villas on the Torrs — the hills and cliffs to the west of the town — go for around £360,000.

Certainly Hirst has become an astute property developer. First he bought a deserted pub on the harbour front and turned it into a £1 million restaurant called The Quay, decorated with his trademark butterfly paintings.

Now he has bought four adjoining buildings. In June he opened his Other Criteria gallery and shop, selling painted skulls, butterfly pictures, iron-on spots and art books. He is said to be planning a Damien Hirst museum — to rival Tracey Emin’s Turner Contempo-rary at Margate.

Part of Ilfracombe’s charm is that it combines old-fashioned seaside appeal (fish and chips, tattoo parlours, crazy golf ) with more metropolitan touches — funky tea rooms, delis and a farmers’ market. In the last month four more art galleries have opened.

As for visitor attractions, there’s the Landmark Theatre with its twin cones, dubbed “Madonna’s bra” by the locals, a cinema and museum. The harbour-side aquarium was opened by former London Zoo worker Lawrence Ray-bone in a deserted lifeboat station. “You get these very dramatic walks and

£299,950: a listed four-bedroom house for sale in Fore Street, Ilfracombe, arranged as two self-contained holiday cottages

Visit homesand property.co.uk/fore

Point of view: Damien Hirst’s pregnant statue Verity holds her sword aloft

Making merry: the lively Ship and Pilot Inn, above right, and its pretty outdoor seating area, above

Sight to see: Ilfracombe harbour, above left, with the twin cones of the Landmark Theatre seen left of centre

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Peckham scrubs up nicely with a boho makeoverGigs, galleries and good-value property lure first-timer buyers south, says David Spittles

HAVING marched from no-go zone to up-and-coming area, Peckham has relaxed into a third guise — bohemian hotspot. Cool

dudes are waving goodbye to Dalston and boarding the East London line to SE15 to sample Peckham’s clubs and cafés, gigs and galleries, rooftop bars and foodie night markets.

With properties from £170,000, Peckham is firmly first-time buyer territory too, while for those moving up the ladder, cheaper Victorian houses are plentiful, from £350,000.

“Peckham has reached the stage where people want to live here, rather than having to live here because they cannot afford somewhere else,” said John East, director of estate agent Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward.

Fashionable new-build schemes are sprouting up to meet the rising demand.

Peckham splits into three definable parts: the northern patch around much-improved Burgess Park, the bustling town centre, and the leafier southern section embracing Nunhead, Peckham Rye and the Bellenden con-servation area, which is popular with families and arty types.

VICTORIAN TREASURESBurgess Park is a 113-acre expanse, upgraded with new entrances, path-ways, recreational areas and planting. It is one of the capital’s most under-rated Victorian parks, with several listed buildings, including a Victorian church, library and baths, almshouses and artisan cottages. New homes are for sale around the park’s perimeter.

Albany Place comprises four new apartment blocks, one facing directly

on to the park. Prices start at £265,000. Buyers get free Zipcar membership. Call L&Q housing association on 0844 406 9290.

Peckham’s architectural legacy is also evident in the lively town centre, where council-backed regeneration is helping to tackle street crime, while a “neigh-bourhood action plan” is upgrading key corners and public spaces. Rye Lane, recently designated a conservation area, has attracted Heritage Lottery cash which is bringing dilapidated period buildings back to life. Coming soon is a Notting Hill Housing association scheme of 333 new homes around a communal garden and “pocket” park.

Peckham Hill Street runs from the town centre to Burgess Park, parallel to former Grand Surrey Canal — sadly concreted over in the Sixties.

The canal’s contours are still visible and a sprinkling of old factories and warehouses, which emerged after the canal was built in the early 19th century, survive today.

For many years these were the right buildings in the wrong place, passed over by developers who were uncon-

vinced that the area was ready for loft living. But now attitudes have changed, and small-scale conversion projects are ongoing. Camberwell College of Arts on Peckham Road provides buyers and renters.

Factory flats at Peckham Grove cost from £229,950 — call Foxtons on 020 8613 6200 for details — while double-height loft-style apartments in a Victo-rian school conversion on York Grove cost from £315,000. Piano Factory on Peckham Road is another sought-after address, offering loft spaces up to 1,700 square feet.

Nunhead, previously ignored except for its famous cemetery, is worth inves-tigating. It has acquired “village” status, going from being a sleepy neigh-bourhood to having an independent baker, butcher, fishmonger, florist, deli and gastropub. Nunhead Green, the hub, has been tidied up and a row of refurbished almshouses adds period charm. Remarkably, locals even have Aquarius Golf Club on their doorstep, a challenging nine-hole private course created on elevated land that is part of a Thames Water reservoir.

DEVELOPING STORYOverlooking Nunhead Green is a new development with 13 flats and four live-work units, all currently rented but coming up for sale soon. Call Wooster & Stock on 020 7708 6700.

Ivydale Road curves around the cemetery and offers new Victorian-style four-bedroom houses with solar roofs which back on to a “wildlife corridor”, an uncultivated strip of land. Prices from £545,000. Call 020 7089 1315 for more information.

From £265,000: interior of a flat at Albany Place, which comprises four new apartment blocks

What a treat: South London Gallery café, (above), is in a refurbished Victorian terrace in Peckham Road. Ivydale Road (below), offers Victorian-style properties from £545,000

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Still costing less on the Costas Spain’s property market has bottomed out, so bargains can be had — but only buy in the best areas, says Cathy Hawker

WHISPER it quietly but the word on the street is increasingly hinting that the Spanish property

market has bottomed out. Reports are mixed and often contradictory but the country that first introduced Britons en masse to the joys of a home abroad is — finally — showing signs of life.

Spanish property portal Kyero says that the average asking price across Spain rose by £6,020 in the 12 months to June this year, while an exceptionally strong tourist season has resulted in a marginally improved — though still negative — growth in GDP. Many property agents report an increase in interest from Chinese and Russian buyers on the back of the new “Golden Visa” rules that allowing non-Europeans spending more than £430,000 to obtain residency.

Other indices remain downbeat. Spanish real estate analyst Tinsa reports year-on year-falls of 10.5 per cent in house prices in the second quarter of this year, bringing property prices back to 2003 levels, while figures from Knight Frank put annual drops to June at 7.9 per cent.

Barbara Wood of Andalucia-based The Property Finders is firmly on the side of caution, predicting two more years of flatlining prices. “It is too early to talk about price rises in Spain,” comments Wood. “We are still seeing cash buyers back off if the discount is not right.”

LOOKING GOOD ON THE COSTA DEL SOLThere’s promising news from the Costa del Sol. Marc Pritchard of Taylor Wimpey Espana (TWE) says he has sold more properties this year than any year since 2006. “We have sold more than 100 homes in seven months on the Costa del Sol to a very international market,” he says. “But only certain pockets perform well. Ten miles around Marbella is good but 10 miles beyond that has large areas of oversupply.”

TWE has off-plan property from £153,100 for a 9,100sq ft two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in a 50-unit development in Elvira and from £215,000 for two- and three-bedroom apartments four minutes from the sea between Puerto Banus and Marbella.

Further west on the gorgeous golf courses of Sotogrande, arguably Europe’s most prestigious sporting resort, property for sale through

Savills includes substantial detached villas reduced from £860,000 to £645,000 and a four-bedroom townhouse at San Roque reduced to £395,600 from £516,000.

STILL GOOD VALUE ON THE COSTA BRAVA Even on prime Costa Brava, 90 minutes from Barcelona, one of Spain’s classiest coasts, prices have fallen up to 50 per cent since 2007 says Tom Maidment of Lucas Fox. “Good value includes four-

bedroom houses within walking distance of the beach for £645,000 that three or four years ago were £1.03 million,” he says.

Lucas Fox recently sold a waterfront home for £688,000 that was first offered off-plan in 2007 for £3,010,000. A beautiful townhouse three miles inland in the Alt Emporda that was £3.61 million three years ago is now for sale fully furnished for £1.71 million.

BUYER BEWARE OF REPOSSESSIONSFrom Menorca to the Costa Blanca, tens of thousands of repossessed

Spanish properties are languishing with Spanish banks for sale at a fraction of what they would once have achieved. But before you hotfoot it to bag a bargain, be aware: all is not as it might seem.

“Many repossessions are either badly located in areas that would not appeal to international buyers and would be difficult to re-sell, or they require a substantial amount of work,” says James Stewart of Savills’ Sotogrande associates. “My advice to buyers would be to choose a reputable bank and exercise extreme care over what you buy.”

Out of a total of 214 sales last year,

Colin Guanaria of Hamptons Internationals’ associate in Menorca sold 63 bank repossessions. “Overall, 10 per cent of stock is repossessions, the majority in complexes where the developer has gone bust or where owners couldn’t pay the mortgage,” says Guanaria. “Generally, though, they are not in places where people want second homes.”

The best bargains sell quickly but properties should always be visited before purchase. An independent lawyer acting for the purchaser is vital, and take great care to inspect amenities, advises Marc Pritchard of TWE. “That badly kept golf course you are buying on could end up being your responsibility to maintain. Many banks are not paying for resort maintenance as they should be and owners will end up sorting out problems.”

The pick of offers from BBVA, Spain’s second-largest bank, include reductions of more than 75 per cent with homes across Spain from £25,800 (bbvavivienda.com).

CONTACTS

Taylor Wimpey Espana: 0800 012 1020; taylorwimpeyspain.com

Hamptons International: 020 7265 6595; hamptons.co.uk

Savills: 020 7016 3740; savills.co.uk/abroad

Lucas Fox: 00 34 933 562 989; lucasfox.com

The Property Finders: 0800 622 6745; thepropertyfinders.com

Keeping afloat: it’s best to buy within 10 miles of swanky Marbella

Reduced from £516,000 TO £395,600: four-bedroom townhouse at San Roque Club on the Costa Brava at Sotogrande. Call Savills on 020 7016 3740

£600,000: originally sold for more than £3 million, a four-bedroom villa in Modernist style at Begur on the Costa Brava. Call Lucas Fox (00 34 933 562 989)

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By Barbara Chandler

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL

AT 33, Max Fraser has written eight design books, including three editions of the self-published London Design

Guide (the first in 2009, and the third just out). Last year he began his first “proper job” as deputy director of the London Design Festival, which starts next month. Brought up in Hampstead, Fraser did a one-year foundation course at Chelsea College of Art and Design, dropped out, went travelling, then had his first big idea — a shops guide to Britain called DesignUK, published in 2001. He then ditched college (furniture design) a second time for more travelling/writing, including a book of design interviews co-authored with Terence Conran. WHY I LOVE LONDONI love coming home to London. It’s my city, one of the greatest in the world. It’s a tapestry of architecture spanning centuries. But London’s so huge and constantly evolving, there’s always so much more to discover.

OUR HOMEIt’s a small Islington flat, part of a Georgian mansion block, shared with my wife, Hannah. We love the high ceilings and large windows. I’m obsessed with natural light. I can’t handle dark Victorian spaces. We have white walls, dark-stained floorboards and bits of contemporary design in muted tones. I love home because it’s a place for silence.

I also like Hampstead Heath, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the Regent’s Canal and Camley Street Natural Park, just a spitting distance from King’s Cross. OUR GARDENIt’s massive and communal but no one else is interested, so we’re making an urban jungle. Gardening is so therapeutic in London. We planted two strawberry plants a few years ago, now we have loads. Our raspberries give us a good crop, too. We’ve also grown tomatoes, lettuce, beans, beetroot, radishes, spinach, chard and cavolo nero. WHERE I EAT OUTI like local places in Islington. Ottolenghi has healthy flavours, and Trullo is good for serious Italian. We eat in a lot and get meat from local Frank Godfrey, cheeses from La Fromagerie, fish from Steve Hatt and

MY FAVOURITE BUILDINGRichard Rogers’s Lloyd’s building in the City and the Royal College of Physicians (pictured) at Regent’s Park by Sir Denys Lasdun. Plus, a walk down Fleet Street, which is a stunning architectural mishmash with Art Deco jewels.

Haven in the city: Camley Steet Natural Park is a two-acre nature reserve in the middle of one of the most densely populated parts of London, near King’s Cross JO

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Homes & PropertyDesignhomesandproperty.co.uk with

MY MOST-WANTED ITEMChampagne flutes by Londoner Michael Anastassiades. And his lights, which are artworks. TIPPED FOR THE TOPOscar Narud and Amy Hunting, launching their copper mirror series at Gallery Libby Sellers on September 5. DESIGN CAPITALLondon, of course. The festival was the first of its kind, and now we’re 11 years old, with 300 events.

The London Design Festival runs from September 14-22 (londondesign festival.com). The London Design Guide, £12 at londondesignguide.com WEBSITES

jaspermorrison.comhuntingandnarud.commintshop.co.uklibbysellers.comtwentytwentyone.comscp.co.uk shoreditchdesigntriangle.com

MY FESTIVAL MUST-SEEEndless Stair (right), outside Tate Modern, is a huge sculpture you can climb — interlocking wooden staircases that don’t go anywhere but give you amazing views. It’s in a pale yellowy, cross-laminated wood called Tulip Tree, incredibly light and strong, and it can be taken to pieces later. It’s designed by Alex de Rijke, director of London’s dRMM Architects. Visit from September 13 to October 10, from dawn to dusk.

boxed vegetables from Riverford Farms. For lunch in Soho where I work, it’s Koya for udon noodles, Barrafina for tapas and Fernandez & Wells for sandwiches. BEST LONDON DESIGN AREAShoreditch. Moving upmarket but still gritty. SCP design shop’s been there for 25 years but the real changes are in the past 10, with bigger brands and hotels. The Shoreditch design triangle is a special programme for the festival. FAVOURITE DESIGN SHOPJasper Morrison in Shoreditch. His studio in Kingsland Road is almost anti-retail. Simple design, no hype. I also like hidden-away Mint in South Kensington, full of global design gems. A recent design buy is Jasper’s Lo-Pad chair at twentytwentyone in Islington, another favourite shop.

Rising stars: copper mirror series by Oscar Narud and Amy Hunting, launching next week

Most coveted: functional champagne flutes and lighting by Londoner Michael Anastassiades


Homes & Property Just one thing homesandproperty.co.uk with

BATTYWe were going

When kids and wildlife caused a flap in the Pierces’ rural home, a part-panelled extension soon sorted things out. By Ruth Bloomfield

WHEN Claire and James Pierce moved from the capital to the Home Counties, they were attempt-

ing to future-proof their life.They swapped a three-bedroom

maisonette in Mortlake, south-west London, for a five-bedroom barn in the village of Great Amwell, Hertfordshire, which they hoped would be the ideal setting for them to start a family.

The location meant that James, 39, was able to continue commuting to his job in the City. Claire, also 39, was at the time working in London in the fashion industry and was also able to get to work.

That was back in 2007. Fast forward to today and the couple have their hands full with three children — Lois, four, Ava, three, and William, 10 months.

By the time Claire became a stay-at-home mother, the family’s once-ideal, open-plan barn — for which they paid £1.27 million — was no longer ideal.

The layout did not work for babies and toddlers. Claire said: “We were continually up to our eyes in toys, and the children had nowhere to play and make a noise without everyone else having to cope with it.”

Their solution was to hire the architect Nicholas Tye (nicholastyearchitects.com) to design a contemporary glass extension to give them a new sitting room/dining room to the rear of the timber-clad, period barn.

Drawing up the scheme was not entirely without challenges.

“At first we thought we were going to get a ‘glass box’ sort of extension,” said Claire. “But then we discovered that the back of the barn was on a bat path — basically there were bats flying across the area.” Glass

structures and flying bats do not mix. The creatures, despite their refined sonar navigation systems, have a habit of flying straight into glass, with often-fatal consequences for them. The council bat officer took bat death very seriously.

The solution Tye came up with was to partially clad one of the extension side walls in black wood panelling, mirroring the exterior of the barn itself.

Narrow horizontal windows have been cut out of the wall, to bring in light and as a design feature, while the other two outside walls are entirely glazed, giving wonderful views over the garden. Planning

consent for the project was granted in 2010 and the work began that summer — by the Christmas they were able to use their new extension.

The main barn combines modern and period features: bare brickwork and exposed beams, plus an overhead glazed walkway linking the upstairs bedrooms to an open mezzanine sitting room overlooking the ground-floor living room.

The extension is also a mix of old and new — the back wall is bare brickwork but the floor is industrial concrete, and so is fashionable and hard-wearing, while the room is heated with a wood-burning stove.

As part of the project Claire and James also had their garden landscaped. The barn is on a sloping plot and 400 tons of earth had to be removed to give a flat space for the extension and a large patio.

The garden itself was designed by Cassandra Crouch (contemporarygardendesign.co.uk). Like the extension and the barn, it cleverly mixes two styles, with dramatic concrete planters close to the house giving way to beds planted in wild flowers and grasses tall enough to hide the children’s trampoline from view. There’s also space for an allotment.

The project cost in the order of £100,000 — a substantial sum to add one room to an already-large home. But the couple got what they wanted — a huge improvement to their quality of life. Claire said: “The extension has given the house depth and the extra space has given us a room with a door that shuts.

“The garden is beautiful and having a big glass wall gives great views of it and really brings the outside inside.

“It is just one thing — but it has meant more than one thing to us. It is everything.”

Photographs:: David Butler

Country charm: the traditional barn in Great Amwell, Hertfordshire

Family-friendly: Claire Pierce with baby William, Ava, three and Lois, four, outside their Hertfordshire home

Wonderful views: large glass walls reveal the garden

Design solution: one of the extension’s side walls is partially clad in black wood panelling to deter bats

Great outdoors: a large dovecote in the Pierces’ delightful country garden

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The companies listed here are wholly independent of the Evening Standard. Care is taken to establish that they are bona fide but we recommend that you carry out your own checks prior to purchases and use a credit card

where possible. To offer feedback on any of these companies, email [email protected] with “Bargain News” in the subject line. For more bargains, visit alisonathome.com or homesandproperty.co.uk/offers.

DRIFT away on a bed of roses with Riverdale’s Joy candle and diffuser collection, which readers can purchase with a 20 per cent discount. The Wild Rose-scented Riverdale Joy candles and diffusers are filled with essential rose oil to make your home smell fresh and fragrant at all times.

Candles start at £10.39 (8cm) and diffusers start at £17.59 for 150ml (prices quoted with discount). To view the complete collection and for more information, call 0330 1000 335 or visit g-l.co.uk and quote 00905688 to claim your discount, before September 14.

WITH its sleek Scandinavian design and easy functionality, this contemporary sofabed is a fine addition to any modern home.

Available as a chair or three-seater with elegant wood or contemporary chrome legs, in a choice of fabric or faux-leather upholstery, the Pablo is reduced from £1,329 to £995 as part of a 25 per cent discount across all sofabeds at OneDeko. Featuring a simple three-stage ratchet function, it can be ordered with or without arms for maximum flexibility.

Call 020 7377 5900 or 020 7375 3289, order at onedeko.co.uk, or visit the showroom in Spitalfields, E1 6EA and quote summersofabedoffer before September 11.

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Bargain newsMAKE the most of your outdoor space while summer’s still here by embracing the 20 per cent off sale across the entire range at Torstone.

The company offers an extensive range of styles, shapes and sizes, perfect for both private gardens and also large commercial projects — so choose what suits you best.The Geneva Urn 21 and planter, (pictured) was £444.99, but is now reduced to an affordable £356, with the 20 per cent discount. Dimensions d32cm by h32cm.

To claim your offer visit, torstone.com or call 01458 834320 and use the code AAH2809 before September 8.

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THE majestic Cheetah on Branch (pictured, edition 250) measures 14cm high and is one of a collectable range of exclusive solid bronze sculptures by Jonathan Sanders.

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THE Chloe occasional chair will capture your heart. New to Alison at Home, this deep-buttoned 100 per cent truffle velvet-finish chair has an introductory £15 discount offer, reducing the price from £195 to £180, for one week only. Made from a non-tropical hardwood and soft foam, this chair offers personality and style, without sacrificing comfort (dimensions: w58cm x d50cm x h75cm, cushion depth 48cm, seat height 46cm). Visit alisonathome.com or call 0800 011 4793 and use the code CHL2808 before September 7. Made to order in six to eight weeks.

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Homes & Property Our home homesandpropertyhomesandproperty

PLOT FOR A PERFECTPatricia Westerburg and Dan Burr had a real struggle finding a plot of land to build their dream home — until a chance meeting with fellow architect Scott Kyson changed everything. By Anna TobinA

RCHITECTS Patricia West-erburg and Dan Burr had always talked of building a home together at some point, so when their second

child Leo, now four, came along, they started to think more seriously about it.

“Every architect always dreams of building their own home. And, a few years back we started looking for a piece of land to buy,” explained Patricia.

“Our daughter Lena, who is now nine, was settled in a good local school, how-ever, and we love this part of east Lon-don, so we limited our search to a quite specific area.”

However, finding a suitable plot of land in a heavily built-up area, close to the Olympic site, was to prove almost impossible. “We registered with all the local estate agents, auction houses and property websites. I also studied Ord-nance Survey maps to try to identify vacant plots,” said Patricia.

“When I found one that looked a pos-sibility I went to the Land Registry to find out who it belonged to and contacted them direct.

“When I did find someone willing to sell, we were either outbid or they were wanting upwards of £300,000 for the land alone and on top of the price of building, it just didn’t add up.”

The couple were about to abandon their plot search, when they met fellow architect Scott Kyson at a trade fair and

got talking to him about their land predicament. “He told us that, as it happened, he had planning consent for three terrace houses in the area where we had been looking,” said Patricia.

“It was funny because I passed this brownfield plot every day on the way to Leo’s nursery, but dismissed it because I thought it was horrid, overlooking a busy A road. But when we looked at the plans, we really liked what we saw and decided to buy one of the houses.

“The property had been designed so that the focus of the house is the inner light well, with a frontage on to the park, and it’s almost closed off at the back, so there is hardly any outlook on to the main road.”

The shape of the site, and the proximity to the busy road, did pose challenges, said Scott: “But the internal arrangement is such that the principal rooms face the park with large windows, whilst the rear rooms have smaller, quadruple-glazed windows positioned in such a way as to avoid views of the road and minimise the sound from it.

“Our scheme provided three much-needed family homes, each with ample

amenity space and a good outlook and, therefore, in policy terms the scheme was welcome.”

Planning permission had been approved for three contemporary terrace houses clad in wire-brushed and vacuum-stained black Douglas Fir wood, with large floor-to-ceiling structured glass, designed to complement and balance the Victorian terrace houses they were to adjoin. Patricia and Dan couldn’t make any changes to the exte-rior. But as they were buying off-plan they did have some input over the inter-nal layout, fixtures and fittings.

DAN joked: “They say that when you get two architects working together you get three opinions. So with three architects involved there was

a lot of discussion about what to do with this house!”

Patricia added: “It was good to be the clients for once and to have someone come to us with a choice of two or three samples, say of flooring or paint colours to choose from. Scott limited our choice and this meant things got agreed so

much quicker than they would have done otherwise.”

Despite the small openings on the rear façade, the glazed three-storey vertical atrium and a separate glazed area on the roof terrace above the staircase allows lots of natural light to penetrate deep into the building, minimising the need for artificial light.

To further reduce overall energy con-sumption the house has been built with high levels of thermal insulation to the roof, walls and floor, and the quadruple-glazed windows reduce the demands on the water-based underfloor heating system.

“The super insulation is very effective,” said Dan. “We don’t need to run the under-floor heating too much. And, if it ever becomes too hot, we have a fan at the top of the atrium that cools the place down.”

In April 2011, just over a year after the family first viewed the plot of land, they moved in. With its white painted plaster walls and a mix of French oak finished with Danish white soap, neutral wool carpet and slate flooring, the home offered a blank canvas for Dan, Patricia, Lena and Leo to project their own style

on to. The couple chose blocks of simple white, clean-lined furniture to comple-ment and enhance the architectural features, and opted for splashes of colour, often textured, to add warmth and visual interest.

The combination of the large glazed areas and the proliferation of house-plants blurs the boundary between the interior and the exterior. The family have called this house a home for a year now and they love living in it.

“There are a couple of things we will maybe change in the future,” said Dan. “At some point we may cut some window openings into the bathrooms so that they benefit more from the light well, and we’ve talked about extending our bed-room over the stairway to create one room that runs the whole width of the house — but then we’d sacrifice the drama of the triple height and we’re not convinced we really want to do that.”

Architects, being architects, always have plans. But Lena’s schoolfriends have given her the accolade of having the “coolest home in her class”. She wouldn’t do anything to alter its street cred.

Architect: Scott Kyson (kyson.co.uk)Structural engineer: Graham Spittle

from the Alan Baxter Partnership (abpengineers.plus.com)

Builder: Kyson Construction (kysonconstruction.co.uk) and Nathen Dew (nathandew.com)


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

T HOME

Far left: façade of Patricia and Dan’s home, in the centre of a terrace of three, designed by Scott Kyson

Left: there is plenty of subtly concealed storage in the first-floor playroom to accommodate both Leo and Lena’s toys

Right: outdoor furniture and potted plants on the modern roof terrace

Right: modern kitchen from Beeck Küchen. The green corded pendant lights are by Nud and the green S chair is by Verner Panton

Above far right: bright red and pink towels in bathroom with slate tiling and Catalano bath

Left: Patricia and Dan with their children Leo and Lena

Right: Mega Dot grey bed cover by Hay at Haus on low bed, with cushions from Heals. The pink S chair is by Verner Panton

Far right: red cushion from John Lewis on white modular Edra sofa in the living room

Photographs:: Andreas von Einsiedel

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Homes & Property Design homesandproperty.co.uk with

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FROM ethereal and uplifting to dramatic and moody, angels are flying into London homes, where their wings add a heavenly touch. 1 Each beautiful pair of hand-carved limed-wood angel wings is individually made with wall fixings on the back. Price £35, 14cm wide by 30cm high, from Cox & Cox. Call 01373 468482l (coxandcox.co.uk).

2 New designer Adam Slade has drawn his “angel of justice — and occasional death”, and then printed the image digitally on to linen, adding stylish piping, a grey chenille backing and duck-feather filling. The cushion size is 50cm by 50cm and it is priced at £75. Call 01225 519263 (aslade-interior-textiles.co.uk)

3 Feathery treasures at London design boutique Graham and Green include this charming pair of vintage-style stone-effect angel wings (105cm high by 66cm wide by four cm deep) priced at £270. The boutique’s Eos feather shades are hand-covered in beautiful white feathers and clip on to your existing light fitting. They come in three sizes (diameters 20cm, 45cm, and 75cm) at £70, £89, and £395. Also pictured are Rangoli floor cushions, in embroidered felt. They come in three colours (26cm high, 50cm across), all at £69. Visit grahamandgreen.co.uk, or the shops at 4 Elgin Crescent, W11 and 164 Regent’s Park Road, NW1, or call 020 8987 3700. Five angel wing door handles (36cm high by 17.5cm

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wide) come left or right-handed, in cast aluminium with either a bright or satin brushed finish, £252 each or £504 a pair. Also available in solid brass or with a bronze powder-coating and/or plated finish. You can use these handles inside or out, on timber or on glass doors. Designed and made by philipwattsdesign.com; call 0115 926 9756.

4 This dramatic angel-wing cushion by studio London Kills Me is in black silk with a silver angel-wing print; the back has the studio logo in black, silver and pink. Size is 33cm by 20cm and price is £22. From stylechapel.com; or call 01273 243954. 5 Here Adam Slade digitally prints a weeping “fallen angel” on a linen cushion that has piping, a grey chenille backing and soft duck feather filling. Measuring 50cm by 50cm, the cushion is £75 and the contact details are as before (see item 2)

6 You can put these concrete angel wings up on your wall but make sure the fixing are firm as each weighs 6.3 kg (75cm by 30cm). From Rockett St George. Call 01444 253391 or visit rockettstgeorge.co.uk

7 This feathery design by new young designer Helen Stevens is called Jaeger, from the Navajo collection; rolls 52cm x 10 metres cost £225 each Visit surfacephilia.co.uk or call 07771 577 672.

8 This opulent Rococo-inspired wall covering by eccentric German designer Harald Glööckler comes in textured vinyl at £85.75 a roll. See wallpaper-uk.com or visit the showroom at 32 Surbiton Road, Kingston-Upon-Thames. Call 020 8549 43219.

9 Designed by Tord Boontje for Artecnica, the Icarus “feathered wing” lampshade takes its name from the tragic Greek myth. It is made of wipeable layered polyester sheets and comes packed flat in a tube. Priced £69.50 at tordboontje.com or from Boontje’s shop at 23 Charlotte Road, Shoreditch, EC2. Call 020 7717 5398.

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Homes & PropertyOutdoorshomesandproperty.co.uk with

buy itBuy it: the toolsSee it: Charles’s gardens

Pattie Barron

Relax! Don’t do it, let the robins flit through itHighgrove’s team of a dozen gardeners harness nature to create this organic paradise

SET yourself up with the best-quality hand fork and trowel set for autumn planting — as well as a tool that makes short work of weeds that pop up between paving stones. Highgrove’s hand tools, made from iron, are built to last a lifetime and carry the Highgrove stamp on the ash handles, which have a leather hanging thong. Hand fork, planting trowel and hand patio weeder cost £20 each incl p&p, but Homes & Property readers can have a 10 per cent discount on all Highgrove Garden products at highgroveshop.com until September 15 if they used the code HG83 when ordering.

TAKE the tour next month or in October with one of the garden guides and see the late-flowering perennials and annuals, the orchard full of rare dessert and cooking apples, the exotic Carpet Garden, the walled Kitchen Garden and many other inspirational areas — as well as the gardeners in action. There is also an exciting new feature in the Cottage Garden: a rustic summer house made from dead standing oak at Highgrove Estate. Tours are £22.50 per person, which includes the chance to visit the Highgrove shop on the estate and the Orchard Room restaurant; book by calling 020 7766 7310. Homes & Property readers also enjoy a free copy of the guide book, worth £6.95, and pot of tea or coffee, if they quote code HG83 when booking.

All profits from Highgrove tours are paid to The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation, a grant-making trust, which was established by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1979.

LATE summer and early autumn are spectacular in the gardens of Highgrove House, the Gloucestershire country home of Prince

Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. In September, the crimson glory vine at the front of the house takes on deep burgundy tints, the dahlias, asters, echi-naceas, fuchsias and blue salvias are in full fling, the Japanese maples and kat-sura tree lead the colour pageant in the arboretum and the apple arch in the Kitchen Garden is laden with fruit.

The collection of large-leaved hostas remains remarkably hole-free, thanks to the garden’s ecosystem where pred-ator eats pest, one of the bonuses of managing the garden to organic and sustainable principles as Charles has done for the past 30 years.

“Highgrove does look neat and tidy, but it’s soft around the edges,” said head gardener Debs Goodenough, who oversees a team of gardeners and train-ees to manage the 15 acres. “Gardening organically is actually easier: it’s about having a more relaxed attitude and being aware of what is most important to do at the time. Deadheading isn’t essential at this time of year — leave the seedheads to decorate the garden and feed the birds — but getting your bulbs planted is. When you have the robins following you around and the butter-flies have been so phenomenal this summer, why cut it all down now?”

This is an especially busy time of year at Highgrove: seed from choice varie-ties of annuals, such as nicotiana, nasturtium and poppy as well as peas, are collected for sowing in the spring, high-performance perennials such as alchemilla and nepeta are cut back to deliver fresh foliage, topiary is shaped, hedges are cut and over 30,000 bulbs are planted in the next two months.

Bulbs are chosen for their sustainabil-ity as much as their good looks, so Anemone blanda, crocuses and varie-ties of muscari — grape hyacinth — that naturalise are top of the list; Muscari armenaicum Early Giant, a deep blue, is planted among the catmint to accen-tuate the silvery foliage. Tulips are mostly reserved for containers, and the following year they will be planted to provide flowers for the house.

At this time of year, a bed or border might be thoroughly cleared, to invigor-ate it for future plantings. “This will work for a bed that’s two feet by two feet or 20ft by 20ft,” said Goodenough.

Gardeners clear the ground, digging it over, in sizeable sections. They take out weed-infested or sickly plants, and hold others in pots until they can use them. Then they plant bulbs for a spring display, and after they’ve flowered, dig those up and sow or add plugs of annu-als. When the annuals have finished, the bed is dug over again, sown with green manure such as pretty purple-flowered phacelia, and planted permanently the following spring. This lengthy but clever technique means the soil is reinvigor-ated while displays continue.

Troublesome weeds here are ground elder and bindweed, which likes the Cotswold stone walls. The team dig it out where they can, and make a path like a firebreak at the back of the wall, so they can spot where it starts to creep in. A mowing strip between hedge and border allows for mowing before bind-weed invades the borders.

There are some exceptional plants at Highgrove, but most are not out of the ordinary. The gardeners look for hard-working plants that are tried and tested such as Sedum Autumn Joy, Fuchsia magellanica and hydrangeas, that still look good even when the flowers are waning.

The gardeners look for hard-working plants such as Fuchsia magellanica and hydrangeas, that still look good even when the flowers are waning

Photographs:Andrew Butler

Topiary treat: an avenue of golden yew, clipped into novel shapes, right, lines the Thymes Walk behind the house

Moorish treat: the vibrant Carpet Garden right, was inspired by a Turkish carpet and originally shown at Chelsea Flower Show

Window dressing: outsize Cretan pots, far right, are planted with colourful bedding and grouped together for maximum impact


To find a home in the City of London, visithomesandproperty.co.uk/cityoflondon

£845,000A TWO-BEDROOM apartment on the first floor of Defoe House on the Barbican estate, with a balcony. Through Scott City Residential.

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£775,000A FOUR-STOREY, two-bedroom house in St John Street, Clerkenwell, with a commercial space in the basement. Through Foxtons.

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£1.2 MILLIONA ONE-BEDROOM flat in a “Venetian Gothic” building behind the Bank of England. Through Felicity J Lord.

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£349,950A ONE-BEDROOM duplex in City Road, close to the Old Street/Hoxton/Shoreditch triangle. Through Nelsons.

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SpotlightCity of London

Homes & Property Property searching homesandproperty.co.uk with

DURING the Second World War, much of the City of London was wiped out by German bombs. Cripple-gate ward was flattened,

leaving only 48 residents. So in the late Fifties the City of London Corporation built Barbican there, one of London’s largest housing estates. The fortress-like estate’s concrete brutalist towers are humanised by a landscape of water-falls, a lake, private gardens, an arts centre and a medieval church.

The City vies with New York for the title of the world’s leading financial centre. It’s a townscape dominated by streets of office blocks and landmark towers — not a place that encourages residents. The Square Mile has fewer than 8,000 residents — most of them living in Barbican — and over the next decade it doesn’t expect the number to grow beyond 10,000.

It remains a “city within a city”, with its own system of local government that dates back to medieval times, when the craft guilds controlled trade. Today their successors, the powerful livery compa-nies, still hold sway, electing the Lord Mayor of London. The City is the only council in the country where the busi-ness community retains the right to vote in local elections, a franchise that was swept away elsewhere in the Sixties.

WHAT THERE IS TO BUYMost homes are concentrated in Bar-bican, but in the small enclave of streets between Blackfriars and St Paul’s, and in Smithfield, there are warehouse apartments and flats above commercial premises. Barbican homes range in price from £325,000 for a studio to £2.25 million for a five-bed-room house. Frank Harris (020 7600 7000), the only estate agent with a Barbican branch, is selling a four-bed-room house with a roof terrace in The Postern for £2.25 million.

The Grade II-listed Golden Lane Estate on the western edge of Barbican was built as social housing by the City of London. Like Barbican, it was designed by Chamberlin Powell & Bon. Now around half the flats are privately owned and are popular with the

design-conscious. Prices here start at about £275,000 for a studio. A two-bedroom flat sells for around £550,000 to £600,000, compared with £750,000 to £800,000 at Barbican.

The City also extends to a small area east of Bishopsgate around Petticoat Lane market, where there are flats available above commercial premises. Petticoat Tower, a Sixties brutalist block also built as social housing by the City of London, has a raised communal garden, and leasehold apartments here are among the cheapest in the neigh-bourhood. Two-bedroom flats sell for about £325,000.

In Middlesex Street, 85 new council flats are being built, the first new social housing since the Sixties. The keys to the first 24 were recently handed over. A total of 237 new social housing flats are planned before the end of 2016.

One of the most interesting buildings now on the market in the City is a Venetian-style property in Lothbury, almost opposite the Bank of England, that has been converted into two one-bedroom flats, on sale through Felicity J Lord (020 7251 9449) for £1.2 million.The area attracts: with many traders at their desks by 7am, many homes here are pieds-à-terre inhabited only during the working week. However, Tina Evans of Frank Harris said Barbi-can is home to a surprising number of families. “There are good nurseries and schools and I know families who share nannies. We also get downsizers who like the culture at the Barbican Centre — and living on one level.”Best roads: it is more a case of the best tower blocks: in Barbican, those with

Who wouldn’t live in this fantastic part of London if they could?Justifying its towering prices, for those who work and play hard the City has more variety than you might expect, says Anthea Masey

Taking a break: Bank of England workers sun themselves outside the Royal Exchange in the heart of the City

Landmark: the Barbican Centre complex has much to over, as well as its admired brutalist architecture Great spot: the bar inside the converted Royal Exchange


CHECK THE STATS

The best schools in the City of London

Best City shops and restaurants

The latest housing developments

The most expensive street

Where to find the up-and-coming areas

How this area compares with the rest of the UK on property prices

Smart maps to plot your property search

GO ONLINE FOR MORE

For all this and more, visit homesand property.co.uk/ spotlightcityoflondon

What do you like about the City of London? Have your say at ESHomesAndProperty

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGEWho has the right to drive a flock of sheep over London Bridge, herd geese down Cheapside, get married in St Paul’s and avoid arrest for being drunk and disorderly?Find the answer online

■WHAT HOMES COST:BUYING IN THE CITY OF LONDON, EC2 (Average prices)One-bedroom flat £698,000Two-bedroom flat £1.27 millionThree-bedroom flat £4.22 million

Source: Zoopla.co.uk

RENTING IN THE CITY OF LONDON, EC2 (Average rates)One-bedroom flat £2,552 a monthTwo-bedroom flat £3,050 a monthTwo-bedroom house £3,696 a monthThree-bedroom flat £3,627 a monthThree-bedroom house £4,918 a month

Source: Zoopla.co.uk

Homes & PropertyProperty searchinghomesandproperty.co.uk with

the best views are Cromwell, Shake-speare and Lauderdale. Up and coming: the Golden Lane Estate is often referred to as the poor man’s Barbican; flats here are cheaper and the quality of design is high. Open space: there are riverside walks and pocket parks throughout the City. Postman’s Park off St Martin’s Le Grand contains the Watts Memorial, com-

memorating “heroic men and women” who gave their lives saving others. Leisure and the arts: Barbican Centre, a world-class facility with a concert hall, two theatres, cinemas and art gallery, is home to the London Symphony Orchestra. The Museum of London charts the capital’s history in objects from a Roman “bikini” to a suitcase carried by a Turkish-Cypriot refugee in the Seventies. Other museums include the Bank of England, the Clockmakers’ Museum, the Barts Hospital museum and the Guildhall Art Gallery.

High point: taking in St Paul’s Cathedral — and lunch — on the sixth floor of the One New Change shopping centre

Travel: almost every London Under-ground line passes through the City and there are six mainline train stations: Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street, Far-ringdon and Blackfriars. The new Crossrail link will have stations at Farringdon and Liverpool Street. All stations are in Zone 1 and an annual travelcard costs £1,216.Council: City of London Corporation (the councillors and aldermen sit as independents). Band D council tax for the 2013/2014 year is £943.39.

By the river: the City also includes prestgious flats with spectacular balcony views along the ThamesWindow on the world: from the top of St Paul’s the changing skyline now includes the Shard of Glass

Photographs: Graham Hussey

For more on the history of the City of London, visit Melanie Backe-Hansen’s blog at homesandproperty.co.uk/blogs

THANKS to reader Charlotte Palmer for suggesting the City of London for a Spotlight. If

you have an area you would like us to feature, tweet us @homesproperty


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 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

My landlord won’t redecorate my flat

QI BOUGHT my flat 20 years ago. There is a clause in the lease that says the block will be

painted every four years but it hasn’t been touched in at least eight. I have contacted the managing agents, but their response was that several people in the block are in arrears and there is money outstanding which they are chasing through the court. I have always paid my service charge so what action can I take?

A IT’S difficult to advise without seeing your lease but there appears to be a breach of the terms of the lease as

your landlord has failed to comply with the redecoration clause.

Strictly speaking you have a right to sue your landlord for an injunction in the county court requiring them to carry out the redecoration and/or compensate you.

Your landlord has given a reason for the delay in decorating and

appears to be taking positive steps. The court will consider whether it is reasonable to grant an injunction and will look at your needs and your landlord’s. Unless the landlord has delayed unreasonably, the court will look to avoid granting an injunction.

As for compensation, you need to prove what losses you have suffered as a result of the breach.

If the lack of maintenance has reduced the value of your flat, you may be able to claim compensation.

QWE ARE interested in having solar panels on our roof and have been told it is possible to have a deal where we don’t pay for them to be fitted, and we also get free electricity. This

seems too good to be true. How does it work?

A THE Government is keen to encourage the generation of low-carbon energy. A feed-in tariff pays people for generating their own electricity. The feed-in tariffs enable a home owner to earn

income through the generation tariff, export tariff and through the electricity supplier. The generation tariff is based on the electricity generated from the panels and the export tariff is for any surplus electricity exported.

Some solar panel firms, in order to benefit from the feed-in tariff, run “rent-a-roof” schemes which involve leasing the airspace over a roof, including rights over the roof structure for the installation of photovoltaic or solar panels. The firm will lease airspace for 20-25 years, for example, and in exchange will install and maintain panels at no cost to you, generally keeping generation and export tariffs while you get the benefit of free electricity.

Consider the proposed contract very carefully and establish, for example, who owns the solar panel system, and what happens if you wish to sell your property, or make alterations or carry out work near the panels?

If you have a mortgage you may need your lender’s consent for such a lease, so contact them to establish their requirements. The lease will have to meet the minimum requirements of the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Take legal advice before proceeding.

Fiona McNultyOUR LAWYER ANSWERSYOUR QUESTIONS

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MONDAYSome days it can take me 10 minutes to walk down the street to the office as locals stop to chat. Today I bump into a barber we found premises for, then a famous restaurant owner stops to ask for a property market update.

He has recommended clients to me who dine at his restaurants and we are pleased to reciprocate. It’s really important to connect with businesses in the areas we cover. Owners who have rented a shop, restaurant or office locally often come to us when looking for a home close to their businesses.

Within the past week, the owner of a well-known Italian restaurant has had an offer accepted on the flat he is living in. He has twice rented the same flat through us but has been looking to buy in the block for 10 years. A tough two-week exchange deadline was set by the landlord. A week in, I have not had a mortgage survey — I will need to do a lot of chasing.

TUESDAYI arrive at the office this morning to the sound of my French-speaking senior lettings negotiator, Sandrine Locatelli, chatting away enthusiastically to a lady who was recommended to us by an existing French tenant, who Sandrine found a property for. It’s always great to have people recommend us.

There has been a huge influx of French

people coming to the UK, and it is show-ing no signs of stopping, particularly with the higher tax rates over there.

Sandrine is popular, as she has built up a reputation for being very patient and able to explain the differences between the lettings process here com-pared with France.

WEDNESDAYWe are halfway through the week and I still haven’t had a survey on the Italian restaurant owner’s purchase.

So I need to make some calls to find out whether there is an alternative to a mortgage for him, and if he has the funds to buy, in view of the fact that we won’t get a mortgage by the end of the week.

The landlord is absolutely steadfast in his wish to get this done by Friday and the lawyers have all the documen-tation in place and ready to sign.

THURSDAYI am called to a house in Marylebone that has been owned by the same family for many years.

The owner is not happy with her existing agent. She feels her house has been undervalued. Our inspection backs her opinion, as i t i s an unusual home with quirky features.

I confirm our valuation, which is 10 per cent higher than the previous agent had suggested, and agree instructions to act on her behalf to aim to get her the best price for her property.

FRIDAYToday is the deadline for the deal on the flat for the Italian restaurant owner.

The clock is ticking but I manage to get in touch and he confirms that his solicitor has the funds in place to exchange contracts — although there are still a few niggling legal issues to resolve.

The viewings on the Marylebone house instruction are going well, too, and we already have a second viewing booked for early next week.

Judging by the viewings so far I am confident we will get the owner a great price. It shows how important it is to get more than one valuation for your

property. At the end of the day, good news comes for the Italian restaurant owner as I receive a call from the seller’s lawyer. He’s ringing to confirm that the 10-year wait is over at long last.

The restaurateur invites me to share a drink with him and his wife at one of his restaurants. What a great end to the week.

Diary of an estate agent

Lucky chef gets a good deal on a plate

Jonathan Hudson is the founder of Hudsons Property in Charlotte Street, W1 (020 7323 2277).


Homes & Property Letting on homesandproperty.co.uk with

Find many more homes to rent athomesandproperty.co.uk/lettings

The accidental landlord

Tick, tock, get tenants on the clockVictoria Whitlock wonders whether a scientific approach will serve her best as she tries to let her soon-to-be-vacant property

MY FOUR-BEDROOM property needs re-advertising as the present tenants are due to move out next

month, but I have decided to take a more scientific approach to the whole process in order to let the flat as quickly as possible with the least amount of effort.

I’m keen to avoid traipsing to the property several times a day for the next few weeks to show zillions of viewers around when 90 per cent of them won’t be in the least bit interested. Many will only be window shopping and quite a few who turn up won’t make suitable tenants.

My plan is to generate the maximum amount of interest from my ad but conduct the fewest number of viewings necessary to secure an offer in the shortest amount of time.

To do this, I have sought inside information on property seekers which, since you’re good enough to be reading this, I’m going to share.

I’ve found some research from Upad, the UK’s largest online letting agent, which analysed data from the 25,000 tenant enquiries it received in July to find out when and how tenants look for their next property.

It shows that the majority of enquiries come during weekday evenings, but also that Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes are peak periods for property searches online.

More than 80 per cent of the 278 tenants who responded to a survey by Upad said they preferred to view

properties during the daytime on Saturdays, though 72 per cent said they would also go house hunting on a Sunday.

Nearly half would do viewings on weekdays after work, but only one in 10 would visit a place on a Saturday night and only one in five would visit during normal working hours from Monday to Friday.

What this shows is that, ideally, landlords should try to be flexible as viewers are more likely to prefer

weekends to other times but Mondays and Tuesdays are very active for enquiries. Now, past experience tells me that if you aren’t able to show tenants round a property within a day or two of their enquiry they usually find somewhere else. However, because I don’t want the re-letting process to take over the rest of my summer, I’ll aim to be free on Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes to respond quickly to enquiries.

Then, rather than dropping everything to show tenants around whenever is most convenient to them, I’ll try to bunch all the viewings together on Saturday or Sunday, as these seem to be the most popular days. A risky strategy, I know, but let’s see if it works.

Upad’s research also shows that

more than 40 per cent of property enquiries come from a mobile phone or a tablet, which suggests to me that many people are looking for their next place to live while on the move, maybe on the bus on the way home, or possibly during the ad break while watching a movie.

I reckon that if folk are looking at property ads on such small screens, it’s best to grab their attention as fast as possible. Time to ditch the prose, then, and limit my ad to a series of bullet points, listing all the essential facts in just a few words, backed up with some excellent photos. To tell

the truth, I’ve always thought punchy ads work best, especially with younger viewers who, having been weaned on Wikipedia and Google, have lost the ability to read a sentence more than five words long anyway.

Of course, if all of the above fails I will ditch the science and resort to Plan B: a glowing ad and viewings 24/7 until the flat is let.

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

£650 a week: in Barons Court, W14, Faron Sutaria has this refurbished three-bedroom house available to rent. Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/rentbarons

A home in one of London’s trendiest postcodes

Dalston CurveKingsland High Street, Dalston, London E8 2NS

taylorwimpey.co.uk/eastlondon

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Smart moThe word from the street David Spittles

Designed with family in mind

THE QUADRANT is the final phase of homes in the listed grounds of Queen Mary’s Place, Roehampton, and arguably the best yet. The 14-acre estate has been built on the site of a former hospital, with new streets,

squares, crescents and courtyards. Eight new three-storey, five-bedroom semis in a

quiet corner have a ground floor “super-room” for family living, a sun terrace on the upper floor and a utility room with separate external access, a practical solution for children and pets with muddy feet. A rare Palladian mansion has been split into apartments, and there is a private shuttle bus to East Putney Tube station. Prices from £1,675,000. Call 020 8246 6748.

Kingston benefits from two of the capital’s greatest assets – the river and Richmond Park – while the

Homes & Property New homes homesandproperty.co.uk with

Go north for the latest in the Caledonian experience

shape of the old medieval town can still be seen in the fine old market square and the warren of surrounding streets and passages.

Kingston Riverside looms over the Thames and

NOW that once-seedy King’s Cross has become a desirable neighbourhood, a formerly scruffy area just to the north of the station is swinging into fashion.

Lively Caledonian Road is the spine of this area and coming soon is a new “hub” —25 low-energy homes, work studios and shops. Compulsorily purchased as part of the Eurostar tunnelling project, the factory premises had been decaying for several years.

Now Igloo, a regeneration specialist, is building a new courtyard apartment complex plus two semi-detached houses. Visit 400caledonianroad.co.uk.

Market Green is another local development. Butting up against the 10-acre Caledonian Park, this scheme offers shared-ownership flats in smart, low-rise courtyard blocks. Prices start at £302,500, or £90,750 for the minimum 30 per cent share. Call 020 7089 1315.

From £90,750: for a 30 per cent share in Market Green flats

Final phase: The Quadrant in Roehampton offers family homes and apartments. Call 020 8246 6748


PREMIER PADS THE CIRCUS HAS COME TO TOWN

Homes & PropertyNew homeshomesandproperty.co.uk with

Stepney steps up to the mark as a desirable location

has apartments with big terraces jutting out like the prow of a ship. Floor-to-ceiling glass maximises the splendid views. Prices from £295,000. Call Redrow on 020 3441 7621.

A MARKETING suite resembling a big-top circus tent has been created by developer Bellway to tempt homebuyers to a scheme of 260 homes in Hackney where a failing council estate once stood. Pembury Circus (pictured right) launches on September 14 and the fanfare will include entertainers such as fire-eaters, stilt-walkers and acrobats. Show homes have a circus design theme, too, and the government-backed Help to Buy scheme is available. Prices from £244,950. Call 0845 257 6064.

TOOTING is affordable territory for couples trading up to a house because of the patter of tiny feet. The area is on the Northern line

Tube, has well-regarded schools, two commons, and the refurbished lido is a terrific local amenity. Langroyd Mews is an Edwardian-style terrace of 13 bay-fronted houses with a garden plus parking in a gated courtyard five minutes’ walk from Tooting Bec station. Each house has four bedrooms, one in the vaulted roof space, and a family kitchen/dining room with glazed roof. Prices from £849,995. For more information, call Bellway on 0845 548 3059.

FAMILY-SIZE three-bedroom flats are for sale at Vivo, part of a “new” neighbourhood at Stepney Green, where a council estate has been bulldozed to make way for 462 private and rented homes.

Thoughtful new architecture is enhancing an inner-city district that is easier on the eye than many newcomers expect.

Upgraded Regent’s Canal and Mile End Park, and a Lottery-funded “green lung”, are among well-used local amenity spaces. Buyers are

also waking up to Stepney’s location — close to two Tube stations and equidistant between the City and Canary Wharf. Prices start at £105,000 for a 25 per cent share.

Developers First Base and East Thames Group are also selling a “Rooftop Collection” of penthouse-style apartments with generous 18 square metre terraces. Prices from £420,000.

For more information, call Savills on 020 3069 2073.

From £105,000 for 25 per cent: three-bedroom flats at Vivo (020 3069 2073)

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