Richmond Road,
London Fields,
E8

”’We were not actively looking for a new home when we initially came across this place, we actually tagged along with my brother when he was on a viewing, and fell in love with the house from the very first moment. We couldn’t get it out of our minds, so decided to make an offer and it became our family home for the next 17 years.

During our ownership we maintained the house with the notion that we’d be living here forever, the previous owner was an architectural historian and we have continued to preserve the early Victorian style and architecture.

There are lots of unique handmade details dating back to 1850, in particular the curved wooden handrails in the hall and stair tread, each one is different.

There are six fireplaces throughout the home, we replaced the windows with handmade ones that are in keeping with the quality and age of the property. It has always felt like a friendly house, when you enter you immediately get a feeling of space and can see right through to the back of the garden. It is extremely bright due to its south facing aspect, high ceilings, large windows and doors.

The garden is south facing, it is well stocked with mature trees, there is a fig, mulberry, weeping hornbeam and an espalier pear tree with three types of fruit.

I will mostly miss the gorgeous 50+ year old wisteria on the back of the house – sitting on the balconies in the sun with purple flowers all around, really is a sanctuary from busy London life.

In 2010 we built our studio at the end of the garden, it is a multifunctional space. It achieves this by adopting a half basement as its principal level and a mezzanine floor.

The structure has one window which forms a dialogue across the garden with the main living space of the home, and a sky light making it bright and airy.

At night time the window transforms into a reverse projection cinema screen, for private viewings in the garden.

The local area has a village feel, especially around Wilton Way, there is very little traffic, and you really do not need to travel far to be amongst all the action.

Broadway market is just a short walk across London Fields, there you will find lots of independent shops, and of course London Fields Lido and tennis courts.

The community is very diverse. Some of our favourite restaurants are Little Duck – The Picklery, Lardo and Pophams. Hackney Empire, and Picturehouse cinema are also close by.

We are in the catchment area for Gayhurst School, which is very popular and is less than 5 minutes walk.”