The Client

A previous client with a family of four “older” children.

The Brief

A home and a UK base in Central London. Whilst the client wanted a bedroom for each child and herself, as the children were not always going to be there it was important that the house didn’t feel too big when she was there alone.  The client also wanted a good-sized garden.  The layout of the house was also important. All five bedrooms were to be upstairs, a formal drawing room on the first floor was unwanted.  Condition was irrelevant

The Challenge

The house had to have the five bedrooms upstairs but was not to be too big.

The Search

The search took about six months.  With the family travelling regularly to and from the UK Kensington was chosen mainly for its proximity to Heathrow airport. We searched across the Borough and included South Kensington, Chelsea and Knightsbridge in the search area. As well as houses we previewed lateral flats with outdoor space.  We saw as many as 50 properties on behalf of the client, many of which were off-market.

The Outcome

Eventually we found a house just behind Kensington High Street that had not been touched in a generation.  It was very much below budget and needed a huge amount of work to it.  The layout and garden size was perfect and most importantly it had a good “feel” about it. We were the first agents to preview the house and offered on it quickly.  We were delighted to secure the house below the asking price, very much below the client’s budget and achieve an exchange within two weeks.

Kensington as an area

Kensington, located within the wider Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, sits primarily to the west of Kensington Park Gardens, north to where it meets Notting Hill and south towards Earls Court with its most westerly boundaries being Olympia and West Kensington.  Home to Kensington Palace, the National History Museum, Science Museum, the V&A and more, it is known and loved across the world.

It seems the price of property within Kensington ranks higher than virtually anywhere within the UK and around the globe, with current values being normally well over £3 million pounds for an average family home.  Land Registry expects 40% of homes in the UK, of £2million pounds or more, to be purchased within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Transportation links in Kensington

Excellent transportation links include District and Circle underground stations with Central and Piccadilly stations a short walk away.  Regular buses and quick access to the M4 and M40 provide routes out of town towards Heathrow Airport, Oxford and the west of the country. The huge benefit of living in Kensington is of course that you will be eligible for the Kensington and Chelsea car parking permit which is worth its weight in gold.  Unlike other boroughs, where permits only allow you to park in a few streets immediately surrounding your home, this permit covers the entire borough.

Schools in Kensington

There are both excellent state and private schools at the primary and secondary level and include the Ashbourne, Fox Primary, Hawkesdown, Holland Park, the French Lycee and St Mary Abbots. Schools are within a short and safe walk from home along with virtually every amenity for which you could wish.

 Green Spaces

Kensington is loved for its green spaces; Holland Park and Kensington Park Gardens as well as many properties benefiting from access to wonderful garden squares notably: Edwardes Square, Airlie Gardens, Cornwall and Lexham Gardens as well as a surprising amount of demised gardens, albeit sometimes small, throughout the area.

Amenities

Many of the UK’s best restaurants are located in and around Kensington, shops too need no introduction. Kensington High Street hosts Whole Foods and most other major chain clothes shops. Designer-wear is only a short walk East into Knightsbridge. The Royal Albert Hall and the New Design Museum need no introduction with what they offer entertainment wise.  Holland Park often hosts Summer opera outside as an aside.

If one can afford to live in Kensington, investment-wise it is about as good as you can get.  There are some glorious streets and buildings and  with  what it has to  offer it is understandable why  prices are what they are.