Completely London // Issue 18 // Summer 2015

Completely London

No.18 – Summer 2015

kfh.co.uk

It’s summer in the city The Londoners bringing you sunshine ~ Park life Tales of the riverbank ~ Propagating your postcode ~ Ding dong! some like it hot

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Donna Hardie, editor donna@completelylondon.co.uk

Completely sunshiney

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SUMMER

P ORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL MITCHELL. COVER: MARTIN USBORNE

IN LONDON

It may be but a mere flash in the pan of the UK year, but for those few glorious, short-lived months of summer, London really comes into its own. Meet the gardeners growing against the odds, be it on a tiny balcony or the roof of a shed. Let our tales of the riverbank float your boat. Get out more with our guide to postcodes near prime parkland. Marvel at the murals bringing colour to Brixton’s streets. And give yourself a boost with our homes for sale or rent at kfh.co.uk.

Fired up by London? Share your enthusiasm with donna@ completelylondon.co.uk

26 WHAT’S INSIDE? 04 SUMMER IS HERE 12 HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN 21 PARK LIFE 26 URBAN GROWTH 36 RIPPLE EFFECT: LIVING ON THE WATER 42 WHAT CAN I BUY BY THE RIVER? 44 STAYING PUT FOR THE HOLIDAYS 46 SUNNY PERSONALITIES 50 THROUGH THE KEYHOLE 58 MUSWELL HILLBILLIES 62 A CAPITAL LOVE AFFAIR 66 CHIMING IN: WHITECHAPEL BELL FOUNDRY 70 IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK 74 MY LONDON: FLORIST KALLY ELLIS

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Completely loving life

PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON HAWKES

WE LOVE LONDON IN THE SUMMERTIME… ❤ FEET DANGLING IN REGENT’S CANAL, DRINKING PINOT GRIGIO FROM A PLAST THEN HAVING TO CLIMB OVER THE FENCE WHEN THEY LOCK THE GATES Janetta N1 ❤ GETTING UP AT 5 AND STAYING UP ’TIL 5 Andrea Hunt N16 ❤ DRIVING TO HA AFTERNOONS IN BROCKWELL LIDO Drew Clawson SW4 ❤ DISPOSABLE BARBECU INSIDE AND COOKING IT ALL IN THE OVEN Imogen Beecroft N19 ❤ HAMPSTEAD H N19 ❤ LUNCHTIMES ON STEPS. THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL STEPS TO SIT ON ACROSS DRINKING OUTSIDE A PUB, WEDGED BETWEEN A GUTTER AND A BIN. SUMMER Simone Noakes E8 ❤ COLUMBIA ROAD MARKET ON A SUNDAY MORNING Stephanie SENSE. THAT, AND THE SOUTH BANK BUZZING Matthew Prout SE4 ❤ MY SWIM SH Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward

Completely loving life

IC CUP Miranda Thompson E2 ❤ LONG EVENINGS IN CLISSOLD PARK, Willis E17 ❤ STREET FESTIVALS LIKE BRIXTON SPLASH Vincent Abel MPTON TO HIRE A BOAT FOR THE DAY Sam Betts KT20 ❤ SPENDING ES IN THE GARDEN, THEN WHEN THEY INEVITABLY FAIL, GOING EATH ARMED WITH A SANDWICH AND A BLANKET Lindsey Phillips LONDON AND WATCH THE WORLD GO BY Nicky Clarke SW17 ❤ IN LONDON FEELS LIKE YOU’RE AT THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE King SE3 ❤ THE ABILITY OF LONDON MEN TO LOSE ALL FASHION ORTS FALLING DOWN AS I GET OUT OF THE POOL Anon, top right ❤ kfh.co.uk

Completely glorious

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S UMMER 2015

D IARY

B old, bright and brilliant. We love London in the summertime...

CHASING RAINBOWS Following on from its stunning Roy Lichtenstein retrospective, Tate Modern continues to blaze a colourful trail with its forthcoming The EY Exhibition: The World Goes Pop, demonstrating how artists around the world embraced and interpreted the Pop Art movement. Around 160 dazzling works from the 1960s and 1970s will be on display by key figures often left out of mainstream art history, including Japanese painter Ushio Shinohara, whose three-panelled Doll Festival (1966) is pictured above. The exhibition runs from 17 September. tate.org.uk

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Completely glorious

GET THE DOODLE BUG Remember how satisfying it was to fill in your colouring books as a kid? The School of Life has teamed up with Tate to harness the power of this simple therapeutic pastime and produce a set of colouring posters from six illustrators. Colour between the lines to feel calm and contented. Priced ÂŁ12 from theschooloflife.com/shop

WALK THIS WAY London might just be getting a shiny new bridge.

Following a competition to create a design linking Nine Elms to Pimlico, the London Borough of Wandsworth has released its four finalists. The winner will be announced in July. nepbridgecompetition.co.uk

kfh.co.uk

Completely glorious

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TRUE BRIT Inspired by a love of British design from the last century, Londoner Nicky Sloan founded her design house Magpie with the aim of producing nostalgic, colourful homeware. A celebration of mid-century style, The Modern Home: A-Z of the Atomic Era is its latest range of retro dazzlers, featuring 1950s-style Modernist images. Choose from mugs, tea towels, platters, espresso cups and these sets of two cups and saucers, in Chairs & Collectables or Living Room & Kitchen print, £18.

WHEELY GOOD Take a spin on an eight-mile loop of the Capital’s joyously traffic-free roads for Ride London, 1-2 August. prudentialridelondon.co.uk

PUNNY BUSINESS Forest Hill-based design studio Place in Print celebrates the unique identities of London postcodes with its print series of Neighbourhood Puns by graphic artist Paté, from £35. Also available are Londonthemed tea towels and greetings cards. placeinprint.com

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P HOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

magpieline.com

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FANCY FOOTWORK From an ancient Egyptian sandal decorated in pure gold leaf to futuristic shoes created using 3D printing, the V&A’s Shoes: Pleasure and Pain showcases more than 200 pairs of historic and contemporary shoes from around the world. Through 2,000 years of footwear, the exhibition will explore the agonising aspect of wearing extreme designs, as well as the euphoria and obsession they can inspire. Highlights include shoes worn by Marilyn Monroe, Queen Victoria and Sarah Jessica Parker, plus the infamous Vivienne Westwood blue platforms worn by Naomi Campbell in 1993, the ballet slippers designed for Moira Shearer to wear in the 1948 film The Red Shoes and iconic designs from Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo. Until 31 January 2016. vam.ac.uk

Completely glorious

‘I would hate for someone to look at my shoes and say, Oh my God! They look so comfortable!’

Christian Louboutin

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KFH

news

GOING THE EXTRA MILE Members of the KFH team have once again donned their trainers to help Housing for Women provide homes for vulnerable Londoners On 7 June, 90 KFH staff pounded the paths of Regent’s Park to raise money for Housing for Women, a charity dedicated to providing shelter and support for London’s most vulnerable women and their families.

KFH has been working with the charity for over a year since its team took part in the first London Estate Agents 10k run organised by Housing for Women in 2014. Anna Macleod, head of marketing and communications at KFH, ran in both events and says, ‘There were so many of us that it almost felt like a KFH run. It was great fun, and rather competitive as you would imagine!’

Anna says KFH decided to continue working with the charity because, ‘housing Londoners is the core of our business. Housing for Women does incredible work supporting vulnerable women, providing them with the tools to be independent and successful and to care for their families.’

Housing for Women not only provides over 900 homes for vulnerable women and their families, but also offers in-depth support work, including counselling and family therapy. This is vital, particularly because the women it supports are often victims of domestic violence. Paul Melbourne, fundraising manager at Housing for Women, says, ‘We help women of all ages, from all walks of life.

Domestic violence is a hidden crime and the abuse might go on for years before the families escape.’

KFH plans to continue its work with Housing for Women and is continuing its push to raise £13,000 from the 10k run. As Anna says, ‘The sky’s the limit.’

To find out more visit hfw.org.uk, or sponsor the KFH team at kfh.co.uk/charity-run

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Completely newsworthy

ELECTION OUTCOME

P HOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK

Following May’s General Election, sentiment and confidence are two key words that are back in the vocabulary of estate agents across the Capital. Lisa Mackenzie, regional sales director at KFH, commented: ‘While there was some uncertainty among aspirational buyers in the lead-up to the election, we are now finding many of these are already booking in valuations.

‘First-time buyers will soon benefit from the Help to Buy ISA and we’ll continue to see this market supported by the “bank of mum and dad” while interest rates remain low.’

LOG ON TO A NEW LOOK

Participants in last year’s London Estate Agents 10k run in aid of Housing for Women

KFH has recently relaunched its website with a redesigned look and feel alongside enhanced functionality. Customers are now able to easily navigate through the website, which automatically adapts to the user’s screen size.

The search function has been overhauled so users can look for homes based on their priorities from a basic search, draw search, map search, Tube/train search, school search or location-based (near me) search. In addition, the website now features a wide range of useful information, including extensive area guides, Land Registry price data and council tax data. The regularly updated London property market blog tackles all aspects of property in the Capital. kfh.co.uk

KFH EXPANDS IN CENTRAL LONDON The spring has been a busy period at KFH following two new branch launches in Marylebone and South Kensington.

The Marylebone branch, which now includes a lettings division and is based at a new location at 136 Baker Street, W1U 6UD, opened at the end of May, while the new South Kensington sales and lettings branch opened its doors at the beginning of June at 29 Harrington Road, SW7 3HQ. Lee Watts, managing director at KFH, commented: ‘Opening these two new branches has not only expanded our network, but considerably strengthened our position in the central London sales and lettings market. Locations such as Marylebone and South Kensington are significant for us and indicate the transaction levels being seen in property across this area involving both national and international investors.’

kfh.co.uk

Completely Zen

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Completely Zen

REGENCY REVIVAL

With a respectful nod to its 17th-century heritage, this Highgate villa has been exquisitely restored Words Dominic Lutyens Photography Polly Wreford Stylist Sam Grigg

kfh.co.uk

Completely Zen

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‘IT WAS IMPORTANT TO RETAIN THIS HISTORICAL BUILDING’S FEATURES’

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Completely Zen

Completely Zen A futuristic interior has intelligent lighting control, a centralised audio system and underfloor heating

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‘THIS HOUSE HAS BEEN DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY IN’

Property on offer in

HIGHGATE

SUSSEX GATE, N6 This beautiful five bedroom four bathroom family house has been finished to a high standard and is situated in a quiet private cul-de-sac close to transport links. £1,550,000 Contact Matthew Smith at KFH Highgate 020 8341 6666, msmith@kfh.co.uk

WILLIFIELD WAY, NW11 This is an exceptional three bedroom house with garden situated on the popular south side of Hampstead Garden Suburb and close to green space and local schools. £825,000 Contact Matthew Smith at KFH Highgate 020 8341 6666, msmith@kfh.co.uk

SOUTH GROVE, N6 Set in Highgate Village, this is a stunning ground floor three bedroom flat to rent. The property boasts a fitted kitchen, modern decor throughout and off street parking. £2,579pcm Contact Khan Stott-Cohen at KFH Highgate 020 8342 7030, kstottcohen@kfh.co.uk

kfh.co.uk

Completely Zen

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erene and stately, the stucco Regency façade of 6 North Hill in Highgate hides a chequered history. This handsome five bedroom pile dates back to 1813 and has seen a rich variety of owners: a rector, a businessman with a hardware store in High Holborn, a barrister, a textile merchant and an engineer. In the 1920s, the Church of England transformed it into a retreat. From 1931 it was used as a nursing home. Then in 1958, Hornsey Borough Council bought it and carved it up into 17 bedsits, eradicating all trace of its original layout.

Yet the high quality of its external design did not escape the notice of the architectural establishment and in 1951 the building was Grade II listed.

In 2008, it was acquired by M&S Homes – part of Paul Simon Homes, a North London-based company that builds and refurbishes properties – with a view to redesigning its interior for residential use and restoring it to its original splendour. After much consultation with English Heritage, Paul Simon Homes and architects GT Associates set about a radical transformation.

‘It was important for us to retain this historical building’s period features while incorporating modern living spaces throughout,’ says Paul Simon Homes. So successful was the renovation that it won the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence award last year for Best Change of Use of an Existing Building or Conversion.

This graceful mansion is now ready for a new generation to fill its rooms with life.

NORTH HILL, N6 £3,750,000 Contact Matthew Smith at KFH Highgate 020 8341 6666, msmith@kfh.co.uk

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Completely Zen

The bathroom’s enormous windows directly overlook the garden, creating a sense of the indoors blending with the outdoors

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Completely leafy

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CRYSTAL PALACE, SE19 The Victorians knew the value of a good park – their vast Crystal Palace pleasure ground at one of the highest points in London was the world’s first theme park. Today, it still offers plenty of amusement among its 200 acres GREEN CREDENTIALS: Queen Victoria opened the now Grade II-listed Crystal Palace Park in 1854. Named after the glass and steel structure that was moved from Hyde Park after the 1851 Great Exhibition, the park was a vast expanse featuring giant model dinosaurs, a maze, a lake and Italian terraces. Just behind the towering landmark transmitter on Crystal Palace Parade lies the park, where you can still find all of the above (the palace burnt down in 1936), as well as the National Sports Centre, a concert bowl, a café and a city farm with pigs, alpacas and Shetland ponies.

SE19 IS BEST FOR: Young professionals, couples and families looking for somewhere more affordable than neighbouring Dulwich with more space for their money.

BRICKS & MORTAR: You’ll find grand Victorian villas in the Fox Hill conservation area, while there are less expensive 1960s houses in Braybrooke Gardens.

HIGH STREET HANGOUTS: The triangle of Westow Street, Westow Hill and Church Road is groaning with gastropubs, delis and independent shops. Enjoy the freshly baked goods at the Blackbird Bakery on Westow Street or linger over a craft beer at The White Hart on Church Road. Shop for vintage at Haynes Lane Market and find quirky gifts at Smash Bang Wallop on Westow Street.

SEATS OF LEARNING: There are a number of topperforming schools in the area, including Paxton and Kingswood primary schools, and secondary education options include Harris City Academy Crystal Palace, Harris Academy Upper Norwood and Sydenham High School.

COMMUTE: The Overground from Crystal Palace train station in Zone 3 takes you to Canada Water in 18 minutes.

London Bridge and Victoria take around 26 minutes.

WHAT’S THE PRICE TAG? The average price of a two bedroom flat ranges from £375,000 to £400,000; the average family home is between £500,000 and £600,000.

Properties within close proximity to Crystal Palace Park command a premium and are highly desirable.

‘The regeneration of Crystal Palace, as well as a thriving retail scene and good transport links, is attracting young professionals and families’ Tyrone Eneh, sales manager at KFH Crystal Palace 020 8766 5920, teneh@kfh.co.uk

COR BLIMEY! The NSC athletics track is where Michael Caine famously utters: ‘You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!’ in the 1969 film The Italian Job.

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Completely leafy

FULHAM, SW6 Once a village green, Eel Brook Common in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham has hosted everything from political rallies to football matches. Today, this recreational hub is home to an annual circus and fair GREEN CREDENTIALS: Steadfastly resisting any attempts at development over the years, the mini three acres of Eel Brook Common on the boundary of New Kings Road have an interesting history. It was once a picturesque green next to a brook brimming with fish, but in the mid 14th century its remote location led to it being used as a plague pit. From the end of the 18th century, it’s been utilised for everything from grazing cattle to public speaking. Today, you’ll find sports pitches, tennis courts, a playground and, in the summer, a circus and Carter’s Steam Fair.

SW6 IS BEST FOR: Smart, handsome Fulham is a magnet for cash-rich professionals, buy-to-let investors and affluent families looking for luxury. There’s also a thriving French community as there’s a popular lycée nearby.

BRICKS & MORTAR: Amazingly, considering its current highly desirable credentials, Fulham was a debauched playground for London’s rich in the 18th century. Now you’ll find stately tree-lined streets with imposing Victorian mansions and Edwardian terraces. Some of the most premium properties are in the Peterborough Estate, while those who want a river view invest in Imperial Wharf.

HIGH STREET HANGOUTS: There’s a huge variety of shops and restaurants, from commercial to high end.

Stop for a pint at The White Horse on Parsons Green (the

‘Sloaney Pony’ to locals), indulge in a Michelin-starred feast at The Harwood Arms on Waltham Grove, get your fruit and veg from North End Road Market, and buy Emma Bridgewater’s hand-painted pottery on Fulham Road.

SEATS OF LEARNING: Popular primary schools include All Saints, Melcombe and the Ecole Marie D’Orliac (lycée), while secondary schools include Lady Margaret School for girls, and Hurlingham and Chelsea.

COMMUTE: Fulham Broadway, Parsons Green and Putney Bridge are in Zone 2 on the District Line, with journey times of around 20 minutes to the West End. WHAT’S THE PRICE TAG? A two bedroom period conversion can be upwards of £500,000, while a four bedroom home will be in the region of £1.5m.

‘We’re seeing many young professionals interested in buy-to-let investments, and wealthy first-time buyers looking to purchase here’ Brett Walton, sales manager at KFH Fulham 020 7731 0051, bwalton@kfh.co.uk

IS THAT A FACT! In 1883 and 1891, a then local amateur football team, Fulham FC, played their home games on Eel Brook Common.

Completely leafy

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TOOTING, SW17 Two centuries back, Tooting was all rolling fields, woods and bubbling brooks. These might be long gone, but the impressive Tooting Bec Common still offers a bit of pastoral peace among the bustle of this part of Wandsworth GREEN CREDENTIALS: Tooting appeared in the Domesday Book as Tooting Bec and Tooting Graveney, and the two areas of common land that lie between Balham, Streatham and Tooting still bear these ancient names. The 200 acres feature tennis courts, fishing (in season), nature trails, ponds and woodland. The crowning glory though is Tooting Bec Lido, a freshwater open-air swimming pool.

SW17 IS BEST FOR: Those after the best of both worlds – the open spaces of quieter Tooting Bec as well as a lively social scene around multicultural Tooting Broadway (some are calling Tooting ‘the new Shoreditch’). Plus, young families are lured by good schools in the Furzedown area.

BRICKS & MORTAR: In the mix are well-proportioned Victorian and Edwardian terraces, plus the red-brick Arts and Crafts-style cottages in the Totterdown Fields Estate, built by the London County Council for workers in 1911.

HIGH STREET HANGOUTS: Tooting has recently captured the imagination of the fashionable set, so the area has a quirky mix of hip hangouts alongside the established traders of the indoor Tooting and Broadway markets, highstreet names like M&S and stores selling rainbow-bright saris. Foodies are spoilt for choice – eat rotisserie at The Soho House Group’s Chicken Shop on the High Street, head to Tooting Broadway for a curry to rival Brick Lane

or go traditional at Harrington’s Pie and Mash Shop.

SEATS OF LEARNING: Tooting has a good mix of soughtafter schools, including Furzedown, Hillbrook and St Boniface primary schools and Graveney secondary.

COMMUTE: Tooting train station and Tooting Broadway and Tooting Bec Tube stations are all in Zone 3, with journey times of 20 minutes to the City on the Northern Line and 30 minutes to Blackfriars by rail.

WHAT’S THE PRICE TAG? Period flats near the common range from £400,000 to £700,000, with houses from £850,000 to £1.2m. The Heritage Park development opposite the common has modern flats and townhouses ranging from £300,000 to £850,000.

‘Many buyers migrate to Tooting from surrounding areas, driven by value for money and the arrival of trendy restaurants like Honest Burger’ Noel Lawrence, sales manager at KFH Tooting 020 8767 1400, nlawrence@kfh.co.uk

WELL I NEVER! There’s a blue plaque on a house in Trinity Road where the author Thomas Hardy lived with his wife Emma from 1878 to 1881.

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BELSIZE PARK, NW3 It’s fitting that this picturesque haunt of the rich and famous in the borough of Camden boasts one of the most impressive areas of parkland in London. Just 10 minutes away lies the ancient and impressive Hampstead Heath GREEN CREDENTIALS: Wild and untamed, the 790 acres of Hampstead Heath were one of Henry VIII’s hunting grounds and once the haunt of highwayman Dick Turpin.

The daddy of the Capital’s parks, the Heath contains the largest area of green space in Greater London, yet is just 6km from Trafalgar Square. The lofty Parliament Hill is a draw for kite fliers, while hardy swimmers enjoy the three open-air ponds. Alongside meadows, woodlands and wildlife, you’ll find an athletics track, zoo, lido and stately home Kenwood House.

NW3 IS BEST FOR: Seriously moneyed investors and wellheeled families who can afford the exceptional property in this prime postcode. It’s been home to many famous faces over the years, including Agatha Christie, Sigmund Freud and, more recently, Kate Moss and Liam Gallagher.

BRICKS & MORTAR: The wide, stately avenues are lined with imposing, stucco-fronted houses, many of which are converted into flats. There’s a happy mix of Victorian terraces, Arts & Crafts mansions, Art Deco blocks, Queen Anne-style buildings and Regency and Georgian villas.

HIGH STREET HANGOUTS: It’s a treat merely to browse the picture-perfect independent bistros and boutiques of Belsize Park. On Haverstock Hill, pick up a classic at Daunt Books, sup in the handsome panelled rooms of the Sir Richard Steele pub and take in an arty film at the Everyman Cinema. And on England’s Lane, order your fine cuts at Barrett’s Butchers, tuck into brunch at Chamomile Café and purchase a bottle of fizz at Spirited Wines.

SEATS OF LEARNING: The Rosary RC Primary School is popular, as are state secondary Haverstock and privates Sarum Hall, St Christopher’s School, Phoenix School and South Hampstead High.

COMMUTE: Belsize Park Tube station is on the Northern Line in Zone 2. It takes 13 minutes to reach the West End. WHAT’S THE PRICE TAG? Two bedroom flats in the area sell for around £1m while four bedroom family houses, if you can find one, are priced around the £2m mark.

‘Many of the large stucco-fronted houses have been converted into flats. Whole houses are rare and sell incredibly quickly, at a premium’ Jamie Gawthrop, sales manager at KFH Belsize Park 020 7483 4302, jgawthrop@kfh.co.uk

YOU DON’T SAY! Legend has it that a Bronze Age barrow on the Heath is the burial mound of Queen Boudica, interred here after being defeated by the Romans.

Completely leafy

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CONCRETE JUNGLE

Completely inviting

Among the asphalt, tower blocks and terraces of our Capital, five London growers have greened up the grey in the most glorious of ways Words Veronica Peerless Photography Chris Terry

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Completely blooming

William Howard BALCONY GARDENER BARBICAN, EC2

It’s not difficult to spot William Howard’s flat in the Barbican. Many of the balconies have luminously coloured potted plants that brighten the Brutalist architecture, but William’s drips with foliage that hangs down by several feet. ‘The Hanging Gardens of Barbican’, he calls it.

His flat’s floor-to-ceiling windows look out on to a 15m x 1m sea of green, studded with colour from dipladenias, pelargoniums, primulas and more. A cup-and-saucer vine, winter jasmine and clematis frame the view of the flats and St Giles Cripplegate church beyond. The panorama is so mesmerising that William admits he often gazes at it when he should be working.

William moved into the Barbican 21 years ago, having sold several acres of land in Kent. A civil engineer, he’s a fan of concrete, but believes you have to soften it with plants. ‘Of course, some purists say you should leave it.’

He is chair of the Barbican Horticultural Society, formed in 1980 to improve the look of the Barbican. It has around 80 members who swap plants and advice, go on walks, visit gardens and go on garden-themed tours of art galleries.

‘On a balcony, you’ve got to keep the area covered,’ says William. ‘The place is more brutal in winter, so evergreens are important. Go for a bang of colour, not a splash.’

He buys plants at Columbia Road Flower Market and collects compost that is delivered for residents ‘by Her Majesty’ in the wildlife garden next door. Apart from that, he feeds, waters and deadheads, takes cuttings to replace plants when they run out of steam, and enjoys watching the wren that nests on the balcony most years. His friend, ‘Norah-with-an-h’, takes care of things while he’s away.

‘She’s coming to Provence with me soon. Unfortunately she’s going to have to come back every day to water.’

kfh.co.uk

Completely blooming

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Joel Bird

SHED ALLOTMENTEER TOTTENHAM, N17

These days, many sheds have green roofs of sedums or wildflowers, but Joel Bird’s is probably the only one with an allotment on top. Clamber up the stairs to the side of his shed-cum-studio in Tottenham and you’ll find 15sq m of grass paths and raised beds, filled with everything from rhubarb and strawberries to chillies and broccoli.

An artist and musician, Joel originally built the quirky, irregularly shaped shed as a workspace – the front half is an artist’s studio and the back is a soundproofed music studio. He made it mostly from recycled materials, using old windows from his own house; the lights are powered by a solar panel and a stove provides heat on chilly days.

He wanted an allotment, but knew there would be a long waiting list. As there was no room left in the garden, Joel decided to plant on the shed roof. ‘I knew it had to support soil and grass, so I made the joists tight, to take a lot of weight, and put the roof on a gradient so that water could run off. It’s worked better than I ever imagined.’ So well, in fact, that Joel won the Shed of the Year award in 2014.

Joel didn’t know much about vegetable cultivation when he started. ‘You just have to start growing and see what works. Then each year, try a new crop.’ Joel hardly ever waters his crops, explaining that water runs off to irrigate the green wall (an old pallet filled with plants) below.

He now makes bespoke sheds for a living and has furnished Londoners with music studios, offices and carpenter’s workshops. At the end of the day, he comes back to his own workspace and rooftop haven, which overlooks the allotments he was unable to get a plot on.

Sometimes he has a soak up there, in his tin bath. ‘I fill it with warm water, and read a book. I keep my undies on!’

AS THERE WAS NO ROOM LEFT IN THE GARDEN, JOEL DECIDED TO PLANT ON THE SHED ROOF Discover London’s wild side...

NATURE CALLS! • The London Wetland Centre is an urban oasis of birds and wildlife just 10 minutes from Hammersmith. Try your hand at twitching and meet the otters at feeding time. wwt.org.uk • Alongside St Pancras you’ll find the Camley Street Natural Park, a haven of birds, butterflies and amphibians.

• A British Waterways survey has revealed that Britain’s most brilliant bird, the kingfisher, is thriving beside London’s canals.

A PLOT OF YOUR OWN

Up on the roof, Joel grows potatoes, blackcurrants and more, sheltered by the canopy of a huge pear tree

There may be a waiting list, but contact your local council to apply for an allotment at gov.uk/apply-allotment

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Completely blooming

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Naomi Schillinger STREET VEG GROWER FINSBURY PARK, N4

Walk down Ambler Road and its neighbouring streets in Finsbury Park and it’s immediately obvious that there are some green-fingered types about. The tree pits are bursting with hollyhocks and cranesbills, window boxes spill over with plants, and large bags are home to burgeoning crops. The whole area feels cared for and loved.

One garden in particular is bursting with edible produce and flowers, and it belongs to Naomi Schillinger, the trained gardener behind this green revolution. Six years ago, she knocked on her neighbour Nicolette’s door to ask if she could use a window in her front garden for a cold frame and a meeting of minds was forged.

Nicolette had heard that Islington Council was giving away free wildflower seeds to residents and the pair set about getting their neighbours to sow them. Soon they were planting bulbs and supplying seeds and compost to grow veg in bags, applying for grants and winning awards along the way. Nowadays, over 100 households are involved in the street growing project.

On the back of her blog, Out of My Shed, Naomi has written a book on street growing, and another on growing veg in small spaces. Nicolette describes Naomi as ‘fearless’ as she’s not afraid to knock on doors to spread her message. ‘But what’s scary about meeting your neighbours?

I’m a born-again veg grower!’

O VER 100 HOUSEHOLDS A RE INVOLVED IN THE S TREET GROWING PROJECT FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Capital Growth gives support to Londoners and community groups who want to grow food, capitalgrowth.org

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Completely blooming

Thierry Suzanne WILDLIFE PROPAGATOR FOREST GATE, E7

The first thing you notice about Thierry Suzanne’s garden in Forest Gate is how pretty it is. The second thing you notice is the noise – the steady hum of bees and chirping of birds. This stylish urban garden has been created with wildlife in mind, and there is clearly wildlife here in spades.

Initially, Thierry and his wife’s aim for their 4m x 15m garden was similar to that of many Londoners: ‘We wanted a low-maintenance space to relax, drink and eat.’ He soon realised that a lawn is actually rather high maintenance, so he turned part of the garden into a perennial wildflower meadow. In 2012, when meadows were wowing visitors at the Olympic Park, Thierry won a Wildlife Trusts award for his own meadowy space.

Thierry says the meadow looked great for two years, but then started to look a bit messy. He was hooked on the wildlife the meadow had attracted, though, so he designed a wildlife garden.

The garden now has a cunning layout that incorporates different habitats for wildlife – several small flowering trees, a native hedge, a green roof on top of the pergola, bird feeders and boxes, and a log pile tucked next to the compost bin. The central feature is a flower-edged pond that’s incredibly rich in wildlife, including frogs, damselflies and water invertebrates.

The garden is filled with single-flowered plants that are valuable to bees and other pollinators, and the fences are clothed in climbers like honeysuckle and jasmine that provide food and shelter.

What Thierry enjoys most is observing the minutiae of life in his garden – he’s seen a damselfly metamorphose before his eyes, and observed a weary bumblebee recover after a drink of sugar solution. ‘A garden can be for wildlife, yes, but it’s for you as well.’

First impressions count...

GIVE YOUR HOME KERB APPEAL There’s no doubt that with space at a premium, a London property with a garden, or even a roof terrace or balcony, commands a higher purchase price and rental price than one without. So if your property has the benefit of a little bit of green, make sure you keep the garden shipshape and maximise your home’s earning potential with our top 10 tips for kerb appeal at kfh.co.uk/kerbappeal SPACE TO BREATHE

Discover the conservation work of London Wildlife Trust and find a nature reserve near you at wildlondon.co.uk

kfh.co.uk

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Completely blooming

Tim Bushe

TOPIARY SCULPTOR FINSBURY PARK, N4

He may be an architect who designed the Belgo Bierodrome in Islington and Wagamama on Fleet Street but, if you search for Tim Bushe on Google, it’s his sideline in whimsical topiary that dominates. Tim has transformed boring privet hedges into everything from a hippo in Tufnell Park to a pair of gruffaloes in Clapton.

It all started four years ago when Tim cut the hedge in his own front garden. ‘My wife wanted a cat, but it ended up as a steam train! Then the chap opposite fell off his ladder while cutting his hedge, so I finished it off and turned it into a cat, which my wife can now enjoy from our house.’

Then fellow Finsbury Park resident Naomi Schillinger (p.30) spotted the cat and train. A dense privet hedge in her road was attracting anti-social behaviour, so she asked Tim to transform it. He turned it into a herd of elephants and, as he had to cut quite deep into the hedge, opening it up, the nefarious activities taking place behind it stopped.

The elephants and the cat soon went viral online, and Tim now gets a steady stream of topiary requests. Not that he earns money from it – instead he requests donations to the charity HfT, which supports his sister. He recently reached his target of £5,000.

Tim’s background in architecture and a spell studying sculpture at Hornsey School of Art means he can visualise a finished hedge. The initial cut (with a petrol hedgetrimmer) takes up to four hours; after that the hedges need to be cut three times a year.

Of all of Tim’s pieces, the elephants have caused the biggest stir. ‘I like that they’re recognisable parts of the community. I like how beneficial they seem to be – cheering people up generally. People’s reaction is to smile.’

Tim gives the majestic green elephants of Finsbury Park a trim

ANCIENT ART OF TOPIARY

Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward

Horticultural sculpture first featured in the villa gardens of the Romans some 2,000 years ago

33 Properties with

OUTD0OR SPACE

TWYFORD AVENUE, W3 This beautiful and expansive semi detached Edwardian property near Ealing Common Tube has seven bedrooms and a wonderful rear garden. £1,700,000 Contact Jason Scott at KFH Ealing 020 8799 3890, jscott@kfh.co.uk

ELMWOOD ROAD, SE24 This stunning five bedroom home is set on a quiet residential road close to Herne Hill and North Dulwich train stations. The property boasts a pretty and private garden. £1,225,000 Contact Anthony Shoring at KFH Dulwich Village, 020 8299 4499, ashoring@kfh.co.uk

RAVENSBURY ROAD, SW18 Set in Earlsfield and close to local stations and Wimbledon Common, this is a beautifully presented five bedroom house with an attractively landscaped garden. £1,150,000 Contact Rebecca May at KFH Earlsfield 020 8944 6464, rmay@kfh.co.uk

EVERGREEN CHOICES Box and yew are most commonly used, but privet or holly can also work

kfh.co.uk

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Completely out there

S PACE T O GROW Developers are increasingly making gardens and outside space a priority when planning new builds Words Ben West Illustration Emma Kelly/Handsome Frank

Outside space is clearly high on property buyers’ minds.

A 2011 report by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), The Case for Space: the Size of England’s New Homes*, found that the three main things people look for when moving are room size (42%), proximity to local services (42%) and, top of the list, outside space (49%).

Well-designed gardens, landscapes and communal space transform a good development into a great one. Creative and sustainable outdoor space injects a home with life and identity and, coupled with sustainable design, can greatly improve the ecological impact of the property as a whole.

The organisers of the New Homes Garden Awards, which started in 2004, have ‘seen the quality, innovation and sustainability in outdoor space transformed from an afterthought considered relatively unimportant by most housebuilders to an essential component of any worthy and desirable new property or development’.

Increasingly, architects are focusing on features such as garden squares, living walls, green roofs, sky gardens, communal allotments and glass-walled winter gardens that can be used for growing produce and year-round living.

Housebuilder Henley Homes has taken great care over the exterior spaces of its new development, Baylis Old School in Lambeth SE11. Housed within a Grade II-listed former school, the development comprises 89 new one to four bedroom homes ranging from £495,000 to £1.2m.

Designed by Conran and Partners, extensive themed landscaping will provide numerous private courtyards, urban oases and generous external amenity space.

‘With access to outside space now top of many of our buyers’ wishlists, we endeavour to ensure all our homes have either a private balcony or access to sociable

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communal grounds or raised terraces and sky gardens,’ says Tariq Usmani, CEO of Henley Homes. ’Having a garden or access to well-maintained communal gardens generates a great sense of wellbeing, giving individuals the opportunity to relax in the open air. Baylis Old School, for example, is a calm oasis in the heart of London, with water features and communal seating areas.’

Hill Residential is another housebuilder that is putting landscaping and garden design high on the agenda. The architects of its Park View development in Sidcup, South London have taken great care over the outside space.

‘Park View is surrounded by nature reserves and parks – in fact, the area benefits from over 100 public green spaces, so we wanted the development to reflect these exceptional surroundings,’ says Nick Parkinson, design director at Hill. ‘We designed the homes around mature tree-lined avenues and communal open spaces, ensuring each home has access to either a private garden, terrace or balcony.

Outdoor space is a place of refuge after a long day at the office or at weekends, when there is more time for relaxing.’

With these benefits, the trend for gardens and outdoor space isn’t going to disappear anytime soon.

Contact Land and New Homes on 020 3486 2250 or newhomesse@kfh.co.uk

of buyers have outside space topping their shopping list*

kfh.co.uk

Completely swell

36 Ahoy there! Bustling communities, outstanding views and a sense of being right at the heart of London – there’s so much to float your boat down by the riverside. Meet our trio of Londoners who love the Thames and who are making the most of their location

Go with the Words Peter Watts Photography Jamie Baker

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Duncan Scott A RIVERSIDE APARTMENT, SW11

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Before Duncan Scott moved into his Battersea apartment overlooking the Thames, he lived in Richmond and immediately became attracted to the dappled charms of the river. ‘The river was a short walk away, and that was great,’ he recalls. ‘But I wanted to be closer to work and that was the draw of moving to Battersea. It also gave me the chance to live right on the river itself.’

Four years ago, Duncan bought an apartment in a development called Riverside Plaza, a block adjoining the river. ‘From my balcony you could drop a stone into the river,’ says Duncan. ‘The only thing between me and the river is the Thames Path. The nearest building that you can see is all the way across the river. I’m on the bend and I can look up the Thames to the West End and down to Putney, and all the way across London to Wembley. It gives you real peace and quiet – you can’t hear cars and the only traffic is the boats. And it’s incredible for firework displays. From October until the end of the year, you can nip onto the balcony almost every evening and see a light show.’

Residents will soon be able to use the Thames more for travel rather than just look at it. A new stop for the Thames Clipper is being built nearby, allowing people to reach Greenwich by boat. Duncan, however, won’t benefit as he has quit his job in finance and put the apartment up for rent. ‘I’m starting a business called Supper, doing takeaways of home-cooked food, so we need more space,’ he says.

He adds that while he’s looking to buy further out of London, he still wants to be on the river. It’s hard to say goodbye to the Thames for long. supper.co.uk

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Alastair enjoys the community spirit at Tower Bridge Moorings

‘IF WE HAD THESE VIEWS IN A FLAT WE’D HAVE TO PAY A FORTUNE. WE’RE VERY LUCKY’ Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward

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Alastair Sava LIFE ON A HOUSEBOAT, SE1 Having grown up next to the sea in Brighton, water was always close to Alastair Sava’s heart. Most people who move to London in their 20s would never dream of living by the Thames, let alone in a pad with uninterrupted views of Tower Bridge. But Alastair has managed to do just this by moving into a houseboat, a lifestyle that has definite privileges – but also the occasional ‘challenge’.

‘The end of the boat nearest Tower Bridge has high ceilings and a big window, so we have stunning views from the living area,’ says Alastair. ‘Then as you move further along, the roof gets lower. When you get to the bathroom the roof is only 5ft high. It has a hatch you can open and pop your head out to watch the world go by while showering. It’s tough in the winter but it’s fun making eye contact with passers-by.’

Alastair shares the sailing barge, Lotus, with two friends and life on the mooring is very sociable. ‘There are families here, it’s all types,’ he says. ‘Everybody stops to chat and there’s always somebody to help if something goes wrong with the boat. We have a mooring book club and a rota of parties at Christmas.’

Then, of course, there’s the river. Being in a boat brings an even greater connection to the changing moods of the Thames. ‘You are part of it, you feel the movement,’ explains Alastair. ‘At first I got a bit seasick but I’m used to it now.’

At the moment, Alastair cannot envisage experiencing London in any other way. ‘On land in London you can get in a rut – commuting, working, eating, sleeping,’ he says.

‘The river gets you out of that. You are woken by ducks, you have breakfast looking at Tower Bridge. If we had these views in a flat you’d have to pay a fortune. We’re very lucky.’ towerbridgemoorings.co.uk

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RIVERSIDE MARKET JUST GETS MORE BUOYANT

By John East, KFH land and new homes director ‘There is a huge focus on riverside development at the moment because there’s so much regeneration happening along the Thames, and absolutely no doubt that buyers will pay a premium to live there. A riverside location and views over the Thames can add a premium of between 5 and 10% and buy-to-let investors favour them as there is always high demand among renters.

Outdoor space is also incredibly sought after, and developers are responding by building as many riverside properties with balconies as possible. We’ve seen a real surge in riverside development in the past two years, including Battersea Power Station and St George Wharf, but there are still undeveloped parts of the river, including Chambers Wharf and Convoys Wharf, so there’s definitely more to come.’

Call KFH Land and New Homes on 020 8222 7200 or email newhomes@kfh.co.uk

kfh.co.uk

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Henry Harrison EEL PIE ISLANDER, TW1 ‘People love it because it is like stepping into another world,’ says Henry Harrison, architect and musician in rock band the Mystery Jets. ‘Everything seems to slow down when you step across that footbridge.’

He’s talking about Eel Pie Island, one of the largest inhabited islands on the Thames, a small community of mismatched cottages and a haven for artists and creative types for decades. Eel Pie Island has been Henry’s home since 1997 when he bought half-an-acre of land after a boathouse burnt down.

In 2001, he began constructing Phoenix Wharf, a development that consists of a boatyard, Henry’s five bedroom apartment and studios for artists, musicians and designers. The complex now acts as a creative space for the Mystery Jets, who were formed by Henry and his son Blaine in the 1990s – partly inspired by the musical history of Eel Pie Island, which got its name from a delicacy prepared there. For centuries, the island was a place for Londoners to escape the city’s crowds, but in the 1960s it developed a reputation as one of London’s most important music venues, hosting artists like Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.

At first, the Mystery Jets attempted to rekindle the flame of this era by staging occasional gigs on the island, but they were soon asked by locals to stop. ‘They weren’t too happy – a lot of them had moved there to get away from noise. We now tend to write rather than perform here. There’s something about water that helps the creative process. It’s extraordinarily refreshing and clears your head.’ mysteryjets.com

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Musician Henry Harrison opposite Phoenix Wharf and Eel Pie Island

‘THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THE WATER THAT HELPS THE CREATIVE PROCESS. IT’S EXTRAORDINARILY REFRESHING’ Views of the Thames can command premiums of up to John East, KFH director of land and new homes

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Completely fluid

A riverside location or an apartment that overlooks the sweep of the Thames – we bring you a sample of properties available by the water

W HAT CAN I GET

b y the river?

KT1

SW13

SW15

MALTINGS CLOSE, SW13 With stunning views over the River Thames and Barnes Bridge from a 6m-long roof terrace, this simply stunning and immaculate home has four bedrooms, two reception rooms, three bathrooms, garage, and allocated parking. £1,750,000 Contact Laurie Kavanagh at KFH Hammersmith 020 8563 9633, lkavanagh@kfh.co.uk

HOGSMILL LANE, KINGSTON, KT1

KENILWORTH COURT, SW15

This is a magnificent Grade II-listed Georgian semi-detached four bedroom house built in 1746 on the Hogsmill River. The property retains unique charm and character and comes with the potential to expand further. £1,395,000

Occupying one of the most advantageous positions within the enduringly popular Kenilworth Court development, this spacious and versatile four bedroom flat has wonderful views of the river and Bishop’s Park. £1,400,000

Contact Alistair Kidner at KFH Kingston

Contact Judy Urmossy at KFH West Putney

020 8939 8191, akidner@kfh.co.uk

020 8785 2122, jurmossy@kfh.co.uk

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Completely fluid

‘The more central riverside areas will always command a premium, but further up the river are more affordable options’ Chris Early, sales manager at KFH Canada Water 020 7231 3800, cearly@kfh.co.uk

SW15

SE16

SE8

STAR AND GARTER, SW15

DEPTFORD WHARF, SE8

This is a rarely available two bedroom lateral apartment located within this prestigious period mansion block on the river at Putney Embankment. The property offers enormous scope to refurbish and/or reconfigure. £799,950

Close to transport links including the Thames Clipper service, this top floor one bedroom apartment has panoramic views across the Thames and Canary Wharf, which can be enjoyed from a private roof terrace. £350,000

Contact Judy Urmossy at KFH West Putney

Contact Chris Early at KFH Canada Water

020 8785 2122, jurmossy@kfh.co.uk

020 7231 3800, cearly@kfh.co.uk

KING AND QUEEN WHARF, SE16 With access to a pool, sauna and Jacuzzi, plus excellent transport links and proximity to riverside walks and jogways, this one bedroom apartment with a terrace overlooking the water provides a contemporary, luxury base. £450,000 Contact Chris Early at KFH Canada Water 020 7231 3800, cearly@kfh.co.uk

kfh.co.uk

Completely inspired

4

BE A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN CITY Words Janetta Willis Illustration Michelle Hird

This summer, save the airfare and use some of your holiday time to revel in what London has to offer. How many of our top 30 of the Capital’s most iconic sights, world-beating museums and celebrated curiosities can you tick off?

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ABBEY ROAD CROSSING

free

LITTLE VENICE, W9

Re-create the iconic cover of The Beatles’ 1969 album. abbeyroad.com/crossing BARBICAN CONSERVATORY

free

Lurking in the Barbican’s Brutalist concrete is a surprising green oasis. barbican.org.uk BRITISH LIBRARY

free

Shakespeare’s First Folio, Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook and handwritten Beatles’ lyrics are all on show in the Treasures gallery. bl.uk CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS £18 Enter the Map Room in this wartime bunker to find it exactly as it was as war ended in 1945. iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms CINEMA MUSEUM

free

This Kennington-based collection of artefacts celebrates the glamour of cinema before the multiplex. cinemamuseum.org.uk COLUMBIA ROAD FLOWER MARKET

free

Every Sunday morning offers a riot of colour, fragrance and noise. columbiaroad.info DENNIS SEVERS’ HOUSE £10-£15 Californian Dennis Severs lovingly restored a Georgian townhouse to create a unique time capsule. dennissevershouse.co.uk ELTHAM PALACE £14.40 The medieval Royal Hall was built for Edward IV, while an Art Deco extension was added in the 1930s. english-heritage.org.uk/eltham EMIRATES AIR LINE £10.70 Take the cable car for a stunning evening ride in summer. tfl.gov.uk/modes/emirates-air-line GOD’S OWN JUNKYARD

free

Dazzling neon art on show in a Walthamstow warehouse. godsownjunkyard.co.uk GROUNDLING TICKET FOR THE GLOBE £5 A standing ticket at Shakespeare’s Globe is only £5. shakespearesglobe.com HIGHGATE CEMETERY £4 The final resting place for an eclectic cast of characters, from George Eliot and Karl Marx to Malcolm McLaren. highgatecemetery.org HORNIMAN MUSEUM

free

This Forest Hill institution mixes Victorian curiosities with modern innovations and tranquil gardens. horniman.ac.uk HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT AND BIG BEN

Beat the queues and arrange a free tour of Parliament via your MP. parliament.uk/visiting IMAX CINEMA from £16.60 Be surrounded by sound and vision at the biggest screen in Britain. bfi.org.uk/bfi-imax KEATS HOUSE £5.50 The Hampstead home of the famous Romantic poet is atmospheric and revealing. cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/ attractions-around-london/keats-house KYOTO GARDEN, HOLLAND PARK

free

Built to celebrate the Japan Festival in London in 1992 and still flourishing today. rbkc.gov.uk

free

Visit this watery enclave for a tranquil stroll amid pretty houseboats and peaceful canals.

LONDON WETLANDS CENTRE £12.75 Wander in a nature reserve just 10 minutes from Hammersmith. wwt.org.uk MARITIME GREENWICH various

This World Heritage Site is made up of the historic town centre, plus the Royal Park and its venerable institutions. rmg.co.uk THE MONUMENT £4 This Doric column and viewing point was built

by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the Great Fire of London. themonument.info THE OLD OPERATING THEATRE £6.50 Witness the gory details of surgery before today’s medical advances. thegarret.org.uk PIE AND MASH various

How many Londoners can actually say they’ve sampled the city’s signature dish? Try familyrun Manze’s, which has branches in Borough, SE1, and in Peckham, SE15. manze.co.uk PORTOBELLO ROAD

free

Take in everything from the multi-coloured houses and antiques of Portobello Road to the bric-a-brac of Golborne Road, via vintage vinyl under the Westway. shopportobello.co.uk PRIMROSE HILL, NW1

free

Scale the hill to be rewarded with some of the Capital’s finest panoramic views.

ST JAMES’S PARK

free

The park’s pelicans (heirs of a gift from the Russian Ambassador in the 1600s) are fed at 14.30. royalparks.org.uk/parks/st-jamess-park SIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM

free

Architect and avid collector Sir John Soane left his house to the nation. soane.org ST PAUL’S WHISPERING GALLERY £18 Thanks to a quirk in Sir Christopher Wren’s design, sound can travel from one side of the iconic dome to the other. stpauls.co.uk TOWER OF LONDON £24.50 The Crown Jewels, ravens and over 1,000 years of British history. hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon WALLACE COLLECTION

free

Discover Old Master paintings and a worldclass armoury. wallacecollection.org given is standard adult including Gift Aid •or Price voluntary donation where applicable

For a spot of retail therapy...

101 SHOPS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS Written by Kirstin von Glasow, 101 Shops You Shouldn’t Miss is a comprehensive survey of all that is weird and wonderful in the world of London retail, featuring everything – including the kitchen sink – from the hallowed halls of Liberty to specialist stores devoted to cufflinks, ukuleles and magic tricks. Published by Emons at £11.95.

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SUMMER LOVIN’

Never mind going abroad, plenty of the quintessential pleasures of the season can be found right here in London.

Meet three Londoners serving up summer in the city Words Rupert Mellor Photography Martin Usborne

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Completely bright

M

y uncle borrowed 30 quid off my nan and bought his first icecream van the year I was born,’ says John Bonar, owner of Piccadilly Whip catering company. ‘Today, I’ve got 20 vans, from brand new models to beautiful old classics from the 1950s.

I’ve even got a horse-drawn one.’

Ice cream, John says, has been good to him over the years. Raised ‘with no money’ by a single mum in a flat in Hackney, he started selling ices for his uncles from barrows around central London aged 11. ‘Hyde Park, Houses of Parliament, Madame Tussauds… then my cousin and I would swim in the Serpentine or go to Oxford Street.

The West End was our playground.

‘It’s a different game today, of course.

It’s illegal now to do rounds on most of London’s streets. And nowadays everyone’s got cheap ice cream from the supermarkets in their freezers, although you can’t reproduce the fluffy, whipped ice cream that our machines make. But we’ve got fixed pitches at Westminster Bridge, the Tower of London and the London Eye and we do loads of the big events too like the London Marathon.’

John has also responded to the changing times with innovative new services like Ice Cream Express, which lets company bosses treat their staff to a frozen treat at the office. Private hire is popular too – John’s vintage vans are regularly seen at weddings and garden parties.

And the fleet is still growing. ‘I just bought a 1930s beauty I’ll have to spend tens of thousands restoring.’

Like all John’s vans, its chimes will play Piccadilly Whip’s signature tune Yankee Doodle. Those chimes are a sound John knows define the feeling of summer for generations of Brits. So what sums up summer for the man on the other side of the serving hatch? ‘Money!’ he replies, with a hearty laugh. piccadillywhip.com

Meet Regent’s Park’s pedalo purveyor

kfh.co.uk

Completely bright

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A

s a balmy breeze ruffles tall banks of reeds, sunshine sparkles on tranquil water and the air is alive with birdsong, it’s hard to believe you’re just steps from central London’s hectic streets. ‘It’s an amazing spot,’ says Ermias Tesfazghi, who as unit supervisor at The Regent’s Park’s Boathouse Café oversees the hire of the rowing boats and pedalos that the lake offers between March and November. ‘I love nature, and to be able to work in these surroundings in the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities… there’s something about it that lifts you up, especially in spring when nature starts to come to life again and there are beautiful sunrises.’

It was chance that brought Ermias here, 12 years ago. When his on-the-off-chance enquiry about a vacancy at one of the park’s other restaurants was unsuccessful, he was walking past the Boathouse on his way home when he decided to try his luck, and was taken on as jetty assistant.

And, although initially only seasonal work, he enjoyed it so much that he came back for three summers, before joining the team in a full-time role. ‘An hour on the water here is a fantastic experience,’ he says. ‘I enjoy seeing how it de-stresses and relaxes people. Everyone’s smiling when they bring the boats back.’

A major boating demographic is dating couples, and Ermias is happy to confirm that in his experience their chances are good for a happier outcome than that of Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard in David Lean’s 1945 doomed romance Brief Encounter, which featured the lovers rowing on the lake.

‘A lot of proposals happen in our boats,’ Ermias says. ‘Sometimes a rather nervous man will come and tell us first and ask us to take pictures, or hide a cake in the boat to – hopefully! – celebrate later. I’m always a little nervous until I see him bringing the boat back in, over the moon because the answer was yes.’ royalparks.org.uk

Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward

Left: Ermias oversees boat hire in Regent’s Park; Above: Karen surveys Tooting Bec Lido

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ucky was the Londoner, back in 1906, with a bathroom to call their own. And that’s why, along with the need to provide work for local men, Reverend John Hendry Anderson masterminded the building that year of Tooting Bathing Lake, a vast public outdoor pool close to Tooting Bec Common. More than a century later, Tooting Bec Lido, as it was later rechristened, remains a unique community asset, not to mention a star of small and silver screens, its rows of primary-coloured cubicle doors immortalised in the Guy Ritchie film Snatch and the Inspector Morse spin-off Endeavour. On the morning I visit, a new Weetabix ad has just wrapped.

‘The people who love it here, really love it,’ says operations manager and lifeguard Karen Wells. ‘The hardcore swimmers come every day, and on sunny summer days we can reach our 1,400 capacity. You have to pick your way between bodies like you’re on a packed beach.’

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The many fans of the lido are fortunate it’s still here.

Cutbacks in the early 1990s led Wandsworth Council to consider closing it – until the resident, volunteer-run South London Swimming Club (SLSC) waded in. ‘This place is in their blood, they have an absolute passion for it,’ says Karen. ‘They campaigned and saved the place. And now, when the summer season ends, they manage the pool for their members through the winter.’

In the heart of winter is when the SLSC puts on the Cold Water Championships. ‘I saw that for the first time last year, and it was quite a sight. Hundreds of swimmers in crazy outfits take part in races across a width of the pool – in temperatures down to zero, 31 metres is all most people can take. There are spectator stands, pop-up food stalls and music – it’s a real occasion that sums up the mad love the lido’s fans have for the place. Did I get in? No, I did not!’ placesforpeopleleisure.org

kfh.co.uk

Completely vibrant

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Completely vibrant

Through the keyhole

Four wonderful properties with kitchen spaces that let the sunshine in‌

SW6 EPIRUS ROAD

This beautiful six bedroom Victorian terraced home incorporates the best of contemporary living within a handsome period property, while still offering further potential to extend. Arranged over five floors, the property covers 2,363sq ft of stylish family accommodation, which is bright and spacious. Situated on a popular tree-lined street, the property is well placed for the shopping and leisure amenities of Fulham Broadway and its Tube stop. For nature-lovers, the delightful Eel Brook Common (see p23) is nearby, as well the historic Brompton Cemetery. ÂŁ2,375,000 Contact Brett Walton at KFH Fulham, 020 7731 0051, bwalton@kfh.co.uk Photography Christina Bull Stylist Holly Bruce

kfh.co.uk

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A house on a premier road in Brackenbury Village

W6 WINGATE ROAD

The beautiful light flooding through the skylights of the kitchen extension of this Victorian terraced family home is certain to catch the eye. The property also has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a 59ft garden, which has the added bonus of a summer house/home office. Brackenbury Village is well known for its independent shops, gastropubs, excellent schools and community spirit, and the property is also located near Hammersmith’s transport hub. £2,100,000 Contact Caspar Foote at KFH Hammersmith, 020 8563 9633, cfoote@kfh.co.uk Photography Paul Raeside Stylist Holly Bruce

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Completely sunlit

A light-filled eat-in kitchen and open-plan design allow the attractive garden to be enjoyed from inside as well as outside

kfh.co.uk

Completely chic

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Completely chic

An island unit creates a boundary within the open-plan kitchen/diner/living space of this contemporary apartment

This apartment is ideally located for trendy Bermondsey Street S E1 GREEN WALK

The epitome of loft living, this stunning two bedroom apartment is located in the highly desirable Jam Factory development. Full of character, the property’s open-plan design offers great opportunities for entertaining. It also benefits from ample storage including a generous walk-in closet, as well as a new boiler and a high-speed fibre optic connection.

A short walk away is Bermondsey Street with its wide choice of bars and restaurants. £1,300,000 Contact Paul Bent at KFH London Bridge, 020 3465 9230, pbent@kfh.co.uk Photography Paul Raeside Stylist Holly Bruce

kfh.co.uk

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NW8 ST JAMES TERRACE MEWS

Newly constructed over three floors and with a kitchen/diner on the second floor offering an unusual and convivial dining area, this delightful property is set on a quiet cobbled mews. As well as benefiting from great natural light and quality fittings, this three bedroom three bathroom house is only a few moments away from expansive green spaces of Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, and the buzzing cafés and boutiques of St John’s Wood High Street. £1,999,950 Contact Daniel Leigh at KFH St John’s Wood, 020 7586 8001, dleigh@kfh.co.uk

Photography Paul Raeside

Reached by a spiral wooden staircase, the kitchen/diner occupies the second floor of this contemporary mews house, offering a light and attractive space for entertaining

A house that offers contemporary living in the midst of a charming mews location Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward

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N10 MUSWELL HILL

High

ON A HILL…

O’Neill’s pub housed in an old church

Most people who move to Muswell Hill stay forever, says resident Chris Ostwald. ‘I was brought up in Highgate but moved here 25 years ago and I’m hooked,’ he says Words Oliver Bennett Photography Adrian Briscoe

The air. That’s one of the first things you notice in Muswell Hill. In the leafy Edwardian terraces of this northerly suburb – standing 105m above sea level, if you will – the air quality is noticeably better than in London’s lowlands. ‘You’ll also find the best views in London up here,’ says Chris Ostwald. The clue’s in the name, of course: Muswell Hill is one of London’s loftiest points.

Chris, 52, runs Crocodile Antiques and The Scullery Cookshop, and has been around ‘the Hill’ for decades. A former movie special effects expert, he has seen his adopted area move up in the world since Muswell Hill was cast as lovable lag Fletcher’s ancestral home in the 1970s TV sitcom Porridge. ‘It’s come a long way,’ he says. ‘When I moved here it was run-down, with an arty, alternative side. Now it’s becoming rather chi-chi.’

Indeed, Chris discerns a pattern whereby people move from more exclusive areas like St John’s Wood, gaining change from their equity and a quieter life. Families are also attracted to the area because of schools like feted comprehensive Fortismere, whose catchment area, reckons Chris, ‘can cause your house price to lift about 20%’.

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It’s a family-oriented place, but becoming more destinational. ‘We even have a few tourists on The Kinks’ trail,’ says Chris. Ray Davies’ famous combo, currently celebrated in West End musical Sunny Afternoon, is the area’s key claim to fame, made explicit in their 1971 album, Muswell Hillbillies. (If you’re a fan, head to The Clissold Arms where they used to play). Want a souvenir? Buy one of Chris’s Muswell Hill mugs. ‘I claim it’s the only such mug in circulation.’

RED BRICKS AND MORTAR One of the chief joys of Muswell Hill is its red-brick Edwardian architecture. ‘Most of the Hill was created by builders James Edmondson and William Jefferies Collins at the turn of the 20th century,’ says Chris, and they left some lovely housing in parades and curving streets. ‘Muswell Hill houses have good proportions,’ he adds. ‘They’re wider than Victorian properties, with details like tiles in the hall and stained glass in windows and doors.’

Connoisseurs flock to Collins’ Rookfield Garden Village, a sub-district that, he explains, ‘has an Arts and Crafts style’.

Newer Hillbillies tend to favour glassbox extensions with granite islands and

Leafy walks in Highgate Wood

Creative industries in Avenue Mews

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Completely W1

Sweeping view from Muswell Hill street

Artisan offerings at W Martyn

Vintage store in Avenue Mews

Baked goods on offer in Muswell Hill’s patisseries

Vintage stores and studios in Avenue Mews

Chris Ostwald outside his Muswell Hill business Crocodile Antiques

Completely N10

slatted blinds: a long way from when Chris first arrived. ‘Then, many houses were multi-occupied with 12 doorbells.’

HIVE OF ACTIVITY Muswell Hill’s main streets, radiating from the roundabout, offer a mix of high street chains and independent shops.

Alongside upmarket style stores like Oliver Bonas, you’ll find quirkier options like W Martyn’s tea and coffee shop, Walter Purkis’ fishmonger and a cheese shop called Cheeses. As Muswell Hill is so popular with families, the Children’s Bookshop is also a real draw. ‘There are queues up the street when there’s an author signing,’ says Chris. There’s an art materials shop and Sally Bourne Interiors helps residents freshen up their homes.

Along Avenue Mews there’s a collection of workshops and vintage stores.

Food-wise, Muswell Hill is about fun rather than fine dining, with a preponderance of family-oriented places like Carluccio’s, Pizza Express and Giraffe.

Weekends see queues for breakfast at Chris’s Crocodile Antiques café, while

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Friday night brings a line at the Toff’s fish and chip shop. Fasta is a ‘fresh pasta bar’ and the Chriskitch deli is raw, chic and ‘artisanal’. As for drinking, O’Neill’s is known as The Church Pub after its former incarnation. The John Baird, meanwhile, is named after the inventor of television (‘early TV broadcasts came from Alexandra Palace’, says Chris).

ALWAYS GREENER Muswell Hill’s central streets are busy, but you’ll find respite nearby. Within Alexandra Park there’s a boating lake and a Sunday farmers’ market. Highgate Wood skirts Muswell Hill’s western edges and, as well as glorious old oak and hornbeam trees, has a brilliant café. But Chris reveals that it’s the open gardens calendar that exercises the locals, who love to snoop and compare plantings. In the domestic wonderland that is Muswell Hill, it’s almost their right.

For more information on Muswell Hill, see the KFH area guide at kfh.co.uk/ area-guide/muswell-hill

‘Muswell Hill is an attractive area to live in with a mix of architecture, but predominately Edwardian properties, and we see many buyers moving here because of the schools and boutique-style shops’ Andrew Hunt, sales manager at KFH Muswell Hill, 020 8883 0123, ahunt@kfh.co.uk

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Local landmark Alexandra Palace

Workshops and vintage shopping in Avenue Mews

Property on offer in

MUSWELL HILL

MUSWELL HILL ROAD, N10 This splendid end of terrace double fronted property has five bedrooms and boasts many period features. Its excellent location is close to Highgate Wood. £1,650,000

Neighbourhood street art

Contact Andrew Hunt at KFH Muswell Hill 020 8883 0123, ahunt@kfh.co.uk

ROSEBERY ROAD, N10 Located close to Muswell Hill Broadway, this three bedroom conversion occupies the first and second floors of an attractive Edwardian property. £799,950 Contact Andrew Hunt at KFH Muswell Hill 020 8883 0123, ahunt@kfh.co.uk

Chris models his Muswell Hill mug

Highgate Wood

COLNEY HATCH LANE, N10 Handy for Muswell Hill Broadway, this stunning recently converted three/ four bedroom flat is set within a semi detached Edwardian property and is in excellent decorative order. £825,000 Contact Andrew Hunt at KFH Muswell Hill 020 8883 0123, ahunt@kfh.co.uk

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Completely changing

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ReLOCATION, ReLOCATION, ReLOCATION… We ask three freshly minted Londoners who have made their way to the metropolis from other corners of the world how they’ve settled in to their new home Words Jessie Hewitson Photography Pal Hansen

R

ebecca Driscoll is a 44-year-old practice manager for a firm of chartered accountants – in her spare time, she is a milliner. She spent the first three years of her life in Epsom, Surrey, then moved to British Columbia in Canada after her father got a job there. She stayed in Canada until the age of 18, then relocated to London. Initially for the first few weeks she lived with her grandparents in Kent, then moved to a flat in Leytonstone where she shared a small room with a friend. She now owns a flat in Exmouth Market.

‘Although I was from the UK I had only visited twice when living in Canada so it was still foreign to me. The cost of everything was hard to grasp – the amount I paid for a room in a shared flat was pretty much the same as my parents paid for their six bedroom rented house on a lake in Canada. It was also hard not being able to get the same products and adjusting to the TV – but eventually you find things you like here instead.

‘What was good about moving was that it was London! It was exciting to be in the big city – to be

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a part of everything. Canada and in particular the towns I lived in were so new by comparison. It was fabulous to be in this place steeped in history as well as being a hub of the modern world. My strongest memories of the first few months are the pubs, the dirty Underground, the gigs and the big BT bills (calling home was expensive).’

Rebecca bought a shared ownership flat with her partner, a key worker, in Exmouth Market in 2003. Later, she sold her share and bought her own flat in the same block after they split up.

‘Buying a shared ownership flat was quite difficult – a lot of paperwork had to be submitted. When I bought my own place – I purchased 50% of my flat for £240,000 and I also pay £360 in rent and charges for the half I don’t own – I was lucky it was available; it was nerve-racking as I so wanted this particular flat.’

What advice would she give others about making the transition easier? ‘Find out the things you love doing in London – and do them! There is absolutely no reason to be bored in London.’

Completely changing Rebecca in her adopted neighbourhood of Exmouth Market

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Completely changing

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From The Hague to Balham: Martijn and his family are enjoying their new life

artijn Proos is a 39-year-old executive director of a small fund management company. He moved to London from The Hague, in the Netherlands, seven years ago with his then girlfriend – and now wife – Babette, and daughter Charlotte, who is now seven. Their son Tijmen, who is five, was born in the UK. ‘Initially we moved for my work as part of a three-year secondment and we enjoyed living here so much, we decided to stay. Before we moved, I asked a colleague to advise on nice places to live and he recommended Fulham, Chiswick, Clapham and Balham. We then drove over for a long weekend to visit those neighbourhoods in person and decided to live in Clapham.

‘Back in The Hague we set up flat viewings.

We flew back to London and ended up taking the first one we saw in Clapham South, which had a large communal garden and off-street parking. We have since moved to a house in Balham. We love the area: the kids go to school on Northcote Road and it’s 20 minutes by Tube to the centre of town.

‘Settling in was easy. In London you never feel like a foreigner as almost everyone else is a foreigner. There’s a great buzz and always something to do; people are very friendly. Even public transport isn’t as bad as people say. Another upside for us is the children get to learn perfect English.

‘The first year felt like a long holiday – we didn’t have a lot of social plans yet, so instead we visited lots of places in the UK and acted as a B&B for visiting friends.

‘I miss a little bit the Dutch efficiency.

When you move abroad, you learn more about your own country than when you live there.’

‘SETTLING IN WAS EASY. IN LONDON YOU ALMOST NEVER FEEL LIKE A FOREIGNER AS ALMOST EVERYONE IS A FOREIGNER’

Tips for relocating…

• Set a budget and include everything from monthly

property costs (council tax, TV licence, bills etc.) to the cost of commuting.

• Identify what you want from your time in London and balance this with commuting times and local amenities.

Narrow your choice down to a maximum of three areas – it will make finding a new home all that much easier.

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• If you are struggling to find a property that fits your

criteria, compromise and make a list of your ‘must haves’.

• It’s important to find an agent that understands UK lettings legislation and the rental market. A dedicated KFH Corporate Relocation account manager can assess your exact requirements to find the right properties for you.

Contact homesearch@kfh.co.uk

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S

ally Bennet is a 52-year-old former marketing manager who relocated to London from Moscow with her husband Graham in 2010. The couple lived in Russia for four years and before then, Hong Kong and Singapore, moving each time with Graham’s work.

Moving is familiar to Sally: her father was a surgeon with the Royal Army Medical Corps. By the age of 11, she had lived in Tripoli, Belfast, Germany, Nepal and the UK. ‘It was bliss arriving back in London after the impracticalities of a Russian bureaucratic life,’ she says. ‘Renting a flat in Moscow is fraught with difficulties: you have to produce huge amounts of cash in large plastic bags as a deposit, which is nerve-racking.’

Working out where to live in London was the most difficult part of relocating.

Great properties available

‘We visited various parts of the city,’ she says. In the end, they decided to narrow the search to central London. ‘Once we chose Marylebone, we trawled the internet and contacted estate agents. You need to have a lot of time on your hands to visit endless flats, most of which are very disappointing.

‘Once we found the right flat to rent, settling in was easy. In Singapore we walked out of our sitting room straight into our pool in a tropical garden; in Moscow we lived next to the Moscow Conservatory for daily concerts. Our flat in Marylebone is very well located – we can get to most places easily and either walk home from the theatre or get the Tube. Now that we are established in London and we own a flat in Marylebone, it will be very hard to leave.’

FOR RENT

FIELDWAY CRESCENT, N5 This attractive three double bedroom garden flat is a short stroll from Highbury Fields and Highbury and Islington station, with trendy Upper Street also close to hand. £3,142pcm Contact Dan Saunders at KFH Islington 020 7359 3636, dsaunders@kfh.co.uk

Globetrotting Sally is happy to call Marylebone home

QUEENS MEWS, W2 Set in a great location in a quiet cobbled mews moments from Hyde Park, this stunning four bedroom house offers a bright modern living space with roof terrace. £9,750pcm Contact Jonathan McCormack at KFH Bayswater 020 7724 1222, jmccormack@kfh.co.uk

SOLON ROAD, SW2 Located on a popular Brixton Road, this beautiful two double bedroom garden flat features a stunning rear extension with a generous eat-in kitchen. £2,000pcm Contact Will Brindley at KFH Balham 020 8675 3639, wbrindley@kfh.co.uk

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Completely tuned

With bells on

The cast-iron chimes of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry have rung in the changes over London for centuries Words Peter Watts Photography Andrew Montgomery

T

he world is full of bells,’ says Alan Hughes and he should know. Bells are in his blood. Alan is the fourth generation of his family to be master bell founder at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the oldest manufacturing company in the United Kingdom. Operating since 1570, the foundry has cast some of the most famous bells in the world. Big Ben was one of theirs, as were the bells at Westminster Abbey, the cockney bells of St Mary-leBow and America’s Liberty Bell. ‘I feel more like a caretaker than the owner,’ says Alan. ‘It’s so old. It was started by somebody walking these streets when Shakespeare was alive and Elizabeth I was on the throne. The world was unrecognisable. Yet it’s the same business, doing the same thing, essentially the same way.’

In 1738, the Whitechapel Bell Foundry moved to its present site on Whitechapel Road, having been founded up the road at Aldgate. The shopfront is discreet and the Georgian offices modest. A display area shows artefacts from the past 445 years, such as cuttings of the Queen’s visit in 2009 and, hanging above the door, a gigantic moulding gauge, which looks like a pterodactyl’s wishbone and was used to create the mould for the 13.5-tonne Big Ben bell. But past a small internal courtyard comes a clanging reminder that this is a living enterprise. Here is the foundry’s workshop, filled with old bells, new bells, castings, moulds, metal dust, furnace bricks and the damp, thick smell of clay. In one corner, a tuner stands turning a bell on a lathe, shaving off the rough interior metal by millimetres until he gets the right tone. It’s a busy, dirty, noisy place, which is why the foundry’s tours don’t take in the factory floor.

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Completely tuned

68 Budd Stannard with a bell fresh from its mould

The foundry makes around 35 tonnes of bells each year, of varying sizes and for all occasions, and exporting as far as Australia. It makes church bells, hand bells, tiny bells for instruments and ornamental bells using methods unchanged for centuries. ‘The fundamentals haven’t changed in 4,000 years,’ says Alan. ‘You create a mould and you pour in liquid metal. That cools and the mould is then broken. Our moulding material – called the loam – is sand, bound with clay, hair and horse manure. What has changed is that we have far tighter control of technique and purity, and greater understanding of acoustics. We can produce bells that sound better, are better tuned, are better made and will last longer.’

That’s some claim given that even old bells are extraordinarily durable. ‘The demand for bells has been falling steadily since the 19th century and the fundamental problem is that once you have a well-made bell, you never need to replace it,’ says Alan. ‘There are two at Westminster Abbey that we cast in 1583. They are rung once a day, every day, and there’s nothing wrong with them. The oldest bells we’ve

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worked with are in north Kent and from the 1200s. Providing it is used sensibly, a bell will go on forever.’

Alan was introduced to the family business – his greatgrandfather purchased the company in 1904 – at a young age, going on tower inspections with his father during school holidays. ‘I’d sit at the top of the tower and write down measurements that he shouted out at me,’ he recalls. Alan ‘drifted’ into working at the foundry, starting in the workshop in 1966. Now office based, he still keeps his hand in. ‘I enjoy the physical work. You end the day thirsty, dirty and exhausted but can fix it with a beer, bath and bed.’

Running the bell foundry is, Alan suggests, tiring but satisfying. ‘I like the idea that I am involved in creating things that will still be operating for centuries,’ he muses. ‘Not many people are in such a fortunate position that they will leave something behind that will outlive them for so long.’ Back outside, the 21st century continues. Upon leaving the foundry, a tiny bell above the door chimes clearly and with pride. whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk

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Completely tuned

The foundry’s lathe for tuning larger bells

Fourth generation bell maker Alan Hughes

Steve McEwan tuning a hand bell

Finished and ready to ring‌

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Completely colourful

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Words Sarah Holmes Photography Julian Anderson

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Brixton’s murals not only bring a lively lift of colour to SW2, they also tell the story of a rich community heritage that one local resident has made it her mission to preserve

uth Miller had never been to the Bahamas, but when she first saw the swaying palms and sweeping golden sands of the Mauleverer Road mural in Brixton, SW2, she could imagine the islands vividly.

Commissioned in 1983, the mural was supposed to depict Brockwell Park.

But, at the request of residents, the artist added in a tropical scene. The bizarreness of the addition became iconic, so it was a blow when developers reduced the mural to rubble this spring.

As founder of the London Mural Preservation Society, Ruth had campaigned tirelessly to save it. But in a city prone to fast redevelopment, the task of preserving fading artworks and the stories behind them is a race against time. Of the original 300 similar murals listed in the 1980s, just 50 now remain.

The 1981 riots sparked a wave of regeneration in the Brixton area, which saw local authorities pouring money into community art projects. All at once, vibrant portrayals of windmills and fruit markets illuminated the end terraces and billboards of Brixton, highlighting the brighter side of life in the area. However, when Ruth organised a mural walk around Brixton in 2008, she discovered that the narratives surrounding these once-loved pieces had been all but lost.

‘It seemed odd that London had this prolific art movement and nobody was paying attention to it anymore,’ she says.

But for every loss like the Mauleverer Road mural, there’s a success story.

Just around the corner, the Big Splash (pictured), a riverbank scene depicting the story of London’s hidden River Effra, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

‘It’s such a great example of how the muralists put the local community at the heart of their commissions,’ she says.

‘Murals are an integral part of London’s social history and well worth saving.’ londonmuralpreservationsociety.com

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Completely everywhere

Where to find us CHISWICK 163-165 Chiswick High Road, W4 2DT Sales: 020 8987 0090 chiswick.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8987 0099 chiswick.lettings@kfh.co.uk CLAPHAM 44 Abbeville Road, SW4 9NF Sales: 020 8675 5436 clapham.sales@kfh.co.uk CLAPHAM COMMON 30 The Pavement, SW4 0JE Sales: 020 3700 8555 claphamcommon.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 3700 6300 claphamcommon.lettings@kfh.co.uk CROUCH END 36-37 Topsfield Parade, N8 8PT Sales: 020 8348 8181 crouchend.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8341 1110 crouchend.lettings@kfh.co.uk CRYSTAL PALACE 15-17 Westow Hill, SE19 1TQ Sales: 020 8766 5920 crystalpalace.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8766 5930 crystalpalace.lettings@kfh.co.uk DULWICH VILLAGE 39 Dulwich Village, SE21 7BN Sales: 020 8299 4499 dulwichvillage.sales@kfh.co.uk EALING 45 The Mall, W5 3TJ Sales : 020 8799 3890 ealing.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8799 3899 ealing.lettings@kfh.co.uk EARLSFIELD 517-519 Garratt Lane, SW18 4SW Sales: 020 8944 6464 earlsfield.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8875 2980 earlsfield.lettings@kfh.co.uk

KFH RESIDENTIAL SALES AND LETTINGS BALHAM 124 Balham High Road, SW12 9AA Sales: 020 8675 1123 balham.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8675 3639 balham.lettings@kfh.co.uk BATTERSEA 108 Northcote Road, SW11 6QP Sales: 020 7228 2666 battersea.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7228 8688 battersea.lettings@kfh.co.uk

BECKENHAM Albemarle Road, BR3 5HZ Sales: 020 8650 8268 beckenham.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8658 8443 beckenham.lettings@kfh.co.uk

BROMLEY 1 High Street, BR1 1LF Sales: 020 8460 6066 bromley.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8464 5353 bromley.lettings@kfh.co.uk

EAST DULWICH 107-109 Lordship Lane, SE22 8HU Sales: 020 8299 8800 eastdulwich.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8299 8980 eastdulwich.lettings@kfh.co.uk

BELSIZE PARK 38 England’s Lane, NW3 4UE Sales: 020 7483 4302 belsizepark.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7586 9006 belsizepark.lettings@kfh.co.uk

BROOK GREEN 134 Shepherd’s Bush Road, W6 7PB Sales: 020 3542 2020 brookgreen.sales@kfh.co.uk

FINCHLEY 767-769 High Road, N12 8JY Sales: 020 8970 7856 finchley.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8980 7858 finchley.lettings@kfh.co.uk

BATTERSEA PARK 242 Battersea Park Road, SW11 3AA Sales: 020 7924 1944 batterseapark.sales@kfh.co.uk

BLACKHEATH 25-27 Montpelier Vale, SE3 0TJ Sales: 020 8852 9451 blackheath.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8297 0181 blackheath.lettings@kfh.co.uk

BAYSWATER 23 Leinster Terrace, W2 3ET Sales: 020 7724 1222 bayswater.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7563 5090 bayswater.lettings@kfh.co.uk

BROCKLEY 322 Brockley Road, SE4 2BT Sales: 020 8469 0202 brockley.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8104 0101 brockley.lettings@kfh.co.uk

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CANADA WATER Montreal House, Surrey Quays Road, SE16 7AQ Sales: 020 7231 3800 canadawater.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7237 3222 canadawater.lettings@kfh.co.uk CHISLEHURST 57 High Street, BR7 5AG Sales: 020 8285 9900 chislehurst.sales@kfh.co.uk

FOREST HILL 7a Dartmouth Road, SE23 3HN Sales: 020 8699 1596 foresthill.sales@kfh.co.uk FULHAM 29 Effie Road, SW6 1EN Sales: 020 7731 0051 fulham.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7736 6737 fulham.lettings@kfh.co.uk

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HAMMERSMITH 180 King Street, W6 0RA Sales: 020 8563 9633 hammersmith.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8563 9889 hammersmith.lettings@kfh.co.uk HAYES 4 Station Buildings, BR2 7EN Sales: 020 8462 2246 hayes.sales@kfh.co.uk HIGHGATE 58 Highgate High Street, N6 5HX Sales: 020 8341 6666 highgate.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8342 7030 highgate.lettings@kfh.co.uk HOLLAND PARK 128 Holland Park Avenue, W11 4UE Sales: 020 3542 2111 hollandpark.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 3542 2120 hollandpark.lettings@kfh.co.uk ISLINGTON 298 Upper Street, N1 2TU Sales: 020 7226 2487 islington.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7359 3636 islington.lettings@kfh.co.uk KENNINGTON 292-294 Kennington Road, SE11 4LD Sales: 020 7582 7773 kennington.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7582 4040 kennington.lettings@kfh.co.uk KINGSTON 55-59 Fife Road, KT1 1SF Sales: 020 8939 8191 kingston.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8939 8181 kingston.lettings@kfh.co.uk LEE 1 Station Approach, SE12 0AB Sales: 020 8857 9494 lee.sales@kfh.co.uk LONDON BRIDGE 44-48 Borough High Street, SE1 1XW Sales: 020 3465 9230 londonbridge.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 3465 9240 londonbridge.lettings@kfh.co.uk MARYLEBONE 136 Baker Street, W1U 6UD Sales: 020 7486 5551 marylebone.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 3040 6270 marylebone.lettings@kfh.co.uk MUSWELL HILL 206 Muswell Hill Broadway, N10 3SA Sales: 020 8883 0123 muswellhill.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8883 2340 muswellhill.lettings@kfh.co.uk PECKHAM 48 Peckham Rye, SE15 4JR Sales: 020 7639 2029 peckham.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7635 0034 peckham.lettings@kfh.co.uk

PUTNEY 1 Putney Hill, SW15 6BA Sales: 020 8780 0033 putneyhill.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8785 3433 putneyhill.lettings@kfh.co.uk RAYNES PARK Station Buildings, Coombe Lane, SW20 0JY Sales: 020 3542 2000 raynespark.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 3542 2010 raynespark.lettings@kfh.co.uk SOUTHFIELDS 251-251B Wimbledon Park Road, SW19 6NW Sales: 020 8871 9655 southfields.sales@kfh.co.uk SOUTHGATE 83 Chase Side, N14 5BU Sales: 020 8882 3333 southgate.sales@kfh.co.uk

Completely everywhere

RESIDENTIAL LETTINGS AND MANAGEMENT Lettings Management KFH House, 5 Compton Road, SW19 7QA 020 8739 2100 llm@kfh.co.uk Lettings Client Accounts KFH House, 5 Compton Road, SW19 7QA 020 8739 2110 lca@kfh.co.uk Lettings Renewals KFH House, 5 Compton Road, SW19 7QA 020 8739 2190 lrd@kfh.co.uk

CHARTERED SURVEYORS Greater London KFH House, 5 Compton Road, SW19 7QA 020 8739 2040 surveyors@kfh.co.uk SURVEYORS ALSO COVERING: Bedfordshire, Birmingham, Cambridge, Essex, Gloucester, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Oxford, South Wales, Suffolk, Surrey 0800 328 8898 surveyors@kfh.co.uk

Behind the scenes EDITORIAL Creative director Jules Rogers Editorial director Sarah Bravo Group editor Kitty Finstad Editor Donna Hardie Art director Richard Murray Chief sub editor Janetta Willis Picture editor Clare Limpus Staff writer Sarah Holmes Production manager David Sharman Thanks to Imogen Beecroft

PUBLISHING

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Managing director Mark Lonergan

SOUTH KENSINGTON 29 Harrington Road, SW7 3HQ Sales: 020 3040 6370 southkensington.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 3040 6380 southkensington.lettings@kfh.co.uk

Greater London Nelson House, 58 Wimbledon Hill Road, SW19 7PA 020 8739 2068 financial.services@kfh.co.uk

Account manager Stephanie King

CORPORATE AND RELOCATION SERVICES

Published by August Media Ltd, Zetland

ST JOHN’S WOOD 41-47 Barrow Hill Road, NW8 7AH Sales: 020 7586 8001 stjohnswood.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7586 8817 stjohnswood.lettings@kfh.co.uk

Greater London KFH House, 5 Compton Road, SW19 7QA 020 8739 2175 homesearch@kfh.co.uk

020 7749 3300. info@augustmedia.com

STREATHAM 1 Leigham Court Road, SW16 2ND Sales: 020 8769 8744 streatham.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8769 3337 streatham.lettings@kfh.co.uk TOOTING 58-60 Tooting High Street, SW17 0RN Sales: 020 8767 1400 tooting.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8767 2666 tooting.lettings@kfh.co.uk WEST DULWICH 113 Rosendale Road, SE21 8EZ Sales: 020 8761 0900 westdulwich.sales@kfh.co.uk WEST HAMPSTEAD 199a West End Lane, NW6 2LJ Sales: 020 7328 2238 westhampstead.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 7604 5150 westhampstead.lettings@kfh.co.uk WEST PUTNEY 81-83 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1EU Sales: 020 8785 2122 westputney.sales@kfh.co.uk WEST WICKHAM 76 High Street, BR4 0NH Sales: 020 8777 2381 westwickham.sales@kfh.co.uk WIMBLEDON 49 Wimbledon Hill Road, SW19 7QW Sales: 020 8944 4000 wimbledon.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 8944 4040 wimbledon.lettings@kfh.co.uk

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Completely rooted

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My London Founder of fashionable London florist McQueens, Kally Ellis talks street food, sipping champagne and summer in the city…

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P HOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY, GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK

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I have lived in Tufnell Park my whole life – I live a street away from where I grew up! There’s a vibrant community here: we have fantastic local shops, a great choice of restaurants, great friends and neighbours and tree-lined roads.

My favourite al fresco spot has to be the Q Grill on the rooftop of Selfridges. It’s a pop-up and we’ve been involved with the styling and planting. Last summer it was a beautiful rustic English garden, with pots of herbs, trailing ivy and hydrangeas; this summer it will be called Vintage Salt – a taste of the British seaside.

An excellent start to a good night out is a glass of champagne at the glamorous Fumoir Bar in Claridge’s. I’d follow that up with a film at the Barbican – my husband and I are mad about movies. Or, for a livelier time, I’ll go to Shoreditch House with friends.

One of my favourite London haunts is Sir John Soane’s Museum, which is in a beautiful part of London that is often

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overlooked. But I also love Tate Modern and the V&A; both are incredible buildings with exceptional art.

Highgate Cemetery is one of the loveliest corners of London. It is totally untamed in places and has this wonderful connection with history. A peace and tranquillity pervades it.

Half of my wardrobe comes from Susy Harper on Upper Street, Islington, which is a little gem of a shop. I love her clothes and her design sensibility.

A perfect Sunday starts with a visit to Columbia Road Flower Market. And everyone should go to The RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Kew Gardens at least once.

My favourite summer flower is the peony – for its beauty and its majesty. It’s a romantic throwback and reminds me of my mother’s garden. Its season is short and that makes it even more special.

Kally Ellis is founder and MD of McQueens florist in Clerkenwell. mcqueens.co.uk

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: 1 Highgate Cemetery; 2 McQueens spray bouquet; 3 Tate Modern; 4 Susy Harper on Upper Street; 5 Columbia Road; 6 Victoria and Albert Museum; 7 McQueens roses; 8 Champagne at Claridge’s Fumoir Bar; 9 Tufnell Park; 10 McQueens peonies

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