Ferndale Road, Leytonstone, London, E11

Beautifully updated, this stylish, spacious five-bedroom Victorian house is set on a tree-lined friendly residential street in a sought-after location, right next door to the green expanse of Wanstead Flats and within minutes of good schools and amenities and both Tube and Overground services.

In recent years, the current owners have lovingly renovated the house from top to bottom, reconfiguring the downstairs rooms for better flow, extending to the side and up into the loft. The home is decorated in Little Greene paint shades throughout and every detail has been carefully considered, right down to the floor-standing column-style radiators, designer tiling, and new four-panelled oak interiors doors with tactile ebonised reeded doorknobs to each room.

The house occupies a quiet spot towards the end of the street, right by the entrance to the leafy Flats. Set behind a low wall with cast-iron railings, the elegant frontage has plenty of kerb appeal, with a red brick exterior complemented by white-painted stone lintels and columns to the bay windows. A monochrome checkered path leads to a recessed four-panelled timber front door painted in the cheerful yellow Babouche by Farrow & Ball. It features brass furniture, including a doctor’s knocker, and a numbered transom window.

STEP INSIDE

Step inside a welcoming hallway with inky blue colour-blocked walls below picture rail level, stunning Trellis Lattice floor tiles by Fired Earth, a pair of Scandi-style cement pendants and a lovely black cast-iron floor-standing radiator with bespoke oak shelf. 

On your left, a door opens to the large double reception room, flooded with light from a large front-facing bay window that has been fitted with white café-style louvred shutters. Walls in a subtle stone Linen Wash rise to a coved ceiling featuring ornate roses and a pair of pendant lights. Fabulous richly toned chevron oak engineered wood with a 6mm solid top flooring runs underfoot. The rendered chimney breast with exposed brick fireplace and poured concrete hearth is home to a log burner, while a pair of black cast-iron column radiators — to the front and rear — provide further, cosy warmth. 

An arch leads through to the extended dining kitchen, which drinks in the light from four skylights, a rear picture window, and anthracite aluminium bifold doors that open to the garden. With clean lines and a contemporary crafted feel, the beautiful Notting Hill limed oak cabinetry with J-groove handleless doors is by Naked Kitchens. It’s topped with a white quartz worktop and upstand, toning nicely with the light green walls and polished cement flooring. The flooring is warmed by underfloor heating.

There’s a ceramic sink with white mixer tap to the four-seater island, while bespoke ply shelves with brass brackets line one wall. A pair of Pooky espere prismatic glass pendants grace the island. There’s a copper wire pendant over the dining area, and brass and glass reeded wall lights to create a gentle evening glow. 

Integrated appliances include a full-height Bosch fridge and separate freezer, Bosch dishwasher and washer dryer. Plus there’s a steel Stoves gas range.

Returning to the hallway, pass a bank of useful understairs storage cupboards including a laundry cupboard with plumbing (ideal for a future WC) before taking the staircase — with its white spindles, polished oak banister and neutral carpet — to the first floor. The landing here is lit by a pair of original antique brass fisherman-style pendant ship lights. 

At the front of the house, the sunny ochre-hued walls of the primary bedroom are painted Farrow and Ball India Yellow, complementing the warm tones of the sanded original floorboards. The room is bathed in light from a wide bay and separate window, fitted with tier-on-tier louvred shutters. Bespoke full-height double wardrobes with Matilda Goad cherry knobs fill the alcoves either side of a restored feature fireplace with zellige-style white tiling. There’s also a central ceiling rose with pendant fitting and a cast-iron radiator.

The second double bedroom is adjacent and looks out to the garden through a tall UPVC sash window, which has a custom-sprayed pink column-style radiator beneath it. The blush walls are colour-capped with a deeper dusky pink ceiling, featuring a rose with pineapple crystal pendant light, while neutral carpet runs underfoot. 

The carpet repeats in the third double bedroom to the rear, lit by a garden-facing modern sash. The white walls are capped with a charcoal-painted ceiling featuring a yellow Muuto Unfold pendant. The column-style radiator here is a lighter grey.

You’ll find the family bathroom, lit by a frosted sash, to the centre of the plan. Charcoal hexagonal floor tiles (warmed with underfloor heating) are paired with glossy white metro tiles laid in grid formation to the stone-painted walls. The bath features a black rainfall shower with frameless glass screen. There’s a pale wood vanity with terracotta countertop sink and black wall-mounted taps alongside a concealed cistern loo and chunky bespoke plywood shelves for storage and display. 

Take a second, neutrally carpeted staircase to the loft. This space drinks in light from a central skylight. 

To the front, with white walls and neutral carpet, the fourth double bedroom is lit by a pair of Velux windows. It has a black column-style floor-standing radiator and access to useful storage under the eaves. 

The large, fifth double bedroom is positioned at the rear of the house and has treetop views. The current owners use this as a guest bedroom but it would work equally well as a quiet home office, nursery or child’s bedroom. Carpeted, with white walls, it features a black vertical column-style radiator and a flush-fitting triple arm cupola chandelier.

Between the two bedrooms, the stylish second bathroom has a luxe feel — with terracotta microcement to the walls and Bert and May Old Iron Split Shift porcelain floor tiles. A walk-in rainfall shower with separate shampoo attachment and a frameless glass screen adds to the spa-like vibe, while there’s also a wall-hung loo beneath a frosted window, and a black countertop basin with brass wall-mounted taps. 

OUTDOORS

Recently landscaped, the garden extends to 24 feet and feels nicely private thanks to attractive slatted timber fencing festooned with clematis. A patterned tiled patio (with electric socket and outdoor lighting) leads to a low-maintenance artificial lawn, while a sleeper-edged planter contains an impressive palm-like Cordyline. To the rear, a slate-paved patio with bespoke timber-slatted bench seating is the perfect spot to entertain and includes further planters and a small storage shed. 

A NOTE FROM THE OWNERS

‘Our kids have both grown up here, and we love living on the doorstep of the woods and Wanstead Flats, and to be able to take them to the V&A and the Olympic Park in the other direction. The neighbourhood and community here are really special, and we will be very sad to leave.’

GETTING AROUND

Leytonstone High Road (Suffragette line — Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside) is just a seven-minute walk. Central line services run from Leytonstone Tube (12 minutes). The Elizabeth line from Forest Gate, which is reachable by foot in 27 minutes, will take you to Stratford in four minutes, Bond Street in 21 minutes, and London Paddington in 25 minutes.

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Set on the edge of Leytonstone and Bushwood, and within striking distance of Forest Gate, Ferndale Road offers the best of both neighbourhoods.   

Enjoy exploring the area’s thriving food and drink scene, including sampling excellent food and wine at Le Regret, and Joyau, and coffee at Tamping Grounds. The Holly Tree and Wanstead Tap are lively and friendly local pubs.

The current owners particularly recommend the Leytonstone Tavern for burgers - voted the best in London, Stone Mini Market for drinks, Forno bakery, Calamity Tank for Craft Beer and Back to Ours for coffee and brunch. Other local sellers often recommend Wild Goose Bakery for treats, The Red Lion or The Birds for a great pub dinner and Good Shepherd Studios – a community cultural space with creative arts, yoga, and children’s events. They also mention the local reformer pilates studio Studio M, and blueprint fitness at the end of the road. Plus, the Pastures Youth Centre for sports and The Can Club, a lovely café for children and parents.

Alternatively, pick up lunch from Yard Sale Pizza to fuel a ramble around Jubilee Pond and Wanstead Flats (seconds away at the end of the road) – wonderful, wild outdoor spaces, whatever the season. Wanstead Flats is a popular spot for local games and recreational sports, especially during weekends, and hosts a park run every Saturday. With the Olympic Park and East Bank, canals, and Hackney Marshes a short distance away, there’s plenty more to explore on your doorstep.

SCHOOLS

Local schools rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted include Davies Lane Primary (one minutes’ walk around the corner) and Acacia Nursery School (nine minutes). Connaught School for Girls and Buxton Secondary are rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, and both are around 15 minutes on foot.