This charming two-bedroom Victorian house offers bright, airy rooms with high ceilings and a lovely open flow from front to rear. Fresh neutral décor with pops of colour provides a welcoming canvas, combining with period features throughout for character and charm.

Inside, an open-plan double reception room flows through to a stylish modern kitchen extension, which in turn opens onto a low-maintenance rear garden complete with a studio –ideal for working from home or as a creative retreat. Upstairs, two bedrooms are served by a modern family bathroom.

The location is equally appealing: Kingsdown Road lies just a short walk from local foodie hotspots and the town centre, with Wanstead Flats and Wanstead Park within easy reach. Excellent transport links are close by, with both the Tube and the Elizabeth line within a 20-minute walk, offering swift connections across London.

Set on a peaceful street lined with Victorian homes, the property presents an attractive façade of light London stock brickwork with white-painted lintels, mouldings and foliage capitals to the bay window and recessed entrance. Wrought iron-style fencing and a low brick wall frame the front patio, with a traditional panelled front door and transom window leading into the hallway.

STEP INSIDE – CLASSIC ARCHITECTURE, FRESH INTERIORS

To the right of the hallway, a generous double reception room runs from front to rear. The living area at the front is filled with natural light from a canted bay window dressed with Venetian blinds. Period details abound – high ceilings with elegant coving and an ornate ceiling rose, from which a striking black pendant light hangs, whilst dado rails add further character. 

The walls are painted white above the dado and a soft light grey below, creating a crisp, contemporary feel that respects the Victorian architecture. A feature fireplace with a black mantelpiece provides a handsome focal point, and in one alcove, chunky built-in shelving and a storage unit offer both display space and practicality.

The relaxed décor and wooden floorboards extend into the dining area, where a tall window with a fitted Venetian blind overlooks the garden, and a ceiling rose and pendant light – with a coordinating shade to match the living room – brightens a space for a table below.

Continue through to discover the extended kitchen at the rear, a bright and practical space lit by contemporary linear spotlights. Glossy white cabinetry pairs with warm wooden worktops and a white metro-tiled splashback, whilst dark format floor tiles ground the scheme with a modern edge. A double butler-style sink sits beneath a side window dressed with a Venetian blind, and French doors open directly onto the garden, flooding the space with natural light and creating an easy connection to the outdoors.

The kitchen is well-equipped with integrated appliances, including a range cooker with an extractor hood, alongside space for both a laundry appliance and an American-style fridge-freezer. A useful under-stairs storage cupboard brings additional functionality.

A white-painted staircase fitted with a natural-fibre cream carpet rises to the split-level landing, where the same carpet continues underfoot. The landing has crisp white walls, a pendant light and useful built-in storage. A hatch provides access to the loft, offering generous storage, with the current owners advising that the space could be converted into a third bedroom, subject to the necessary consents.

To the front, the primary double bedroom features stained wooden floorboards and white coved walls with bold blue accent paintwork, lending a fresh, contemporary feel. A stylish black pendant light with a shade hangs from the ceiling, and built-in alcove shelving provides handy storage and display space. Double windows to the front, dressed with Venetian blinds, draw in the sunshine, lifting the mood.

The second bedroom is a good-sized double overlooking the rear, with warm orange coved walls and the same natural-fibre carpet as the landing. A broad rear window with a Venetian blind offers a pleasant outlook, and an ornate ceiling rose with a gold three-way light and white shades adds a touch of elegance.

Lit by a modern light and dual-aspect windows for ventilation, the family bathroom is beautifully finished, blending period style with modern comfort. Warm peach walls complement a white metro-tiled splashback with contrasting grout, echoing the charming beehive floor tiles. A wide walk-in rainfall shower enclosure offers everyday convenience, with luxury provided by a stunning roll-top, claw-footed monochrome bathtub – complete with central freestanding Victorian taps and a shower attachment.

Period details continue with a chrome heated towel rail, a pedestal basin with traditional tapware, and a black-and-white close-coupled toilet. You’ll also find a handy cupboard with sliding doors for storing away toiletries.

OUTDOORS – COURTYARD CALM WITH CREATIVE STUDIO

The low-maintenance rear garden has a smart courtyard feel, laid with dark paving slabs and enclosed by painted timber fencing. Built-in seating offers a ready-made spot for relaxing, while flower borders planted with fragrant rosemary bushes bring scent and greenery. A useful side passage provides additional storage space or could serve as a small herb garden.

At the rear of the garden sits a versatile garden room with black sliding doors. Inside this light-filled space, white walls and laminate flooring keep things fresh and practical, with electricity already connected – ideal for use as a home office, creative studio or gym.

A NOTE FROM THE OWNERS 

We moved into this house one week before the first lockdown. For those long summer months of 2020, it went from becoming another place to live to our whole world. Now I’m leaving it behind, I feel like I owe it a decent send-off in the form of this note. 

I love how generous the space of this house feels. I bought it primarily for this reason – it’s unusual in houses with this footprint to have so many different spaces in which to spend time: the second bedroom/office, the living room, dining area, the back of the kitchen, the garden and of course the garden studio. It was set up as a bar when I moved in, which was hard to argue with. Since then it’s been an office, a music studio, a shed and now it’s back to being a bar.

Once things opened up again, we got to know the area properly. This house is surrounded by great pubs and restaurants – shout-out to the Leytonstone Tavern’s outstanding burgers, the sandwiches and coffee at Earl’s Cafe, music bingo at the Northcote Arms, the pool table and suntrap garden at the Birkbeck Tavern, and the Holly Tree’s wingback chairs and fireplace. Jubilee ponds and Wanstead Park are great for running/walking/picnics, and for countryside walks and bacon sandwiches I recommend driving up to the Tea Hut in Epping Forest.

It’s a great place to be and to live. I’ll miss it, but hope you enjoy it even more.

GETTING AROUND

Leyton Underground for the Central line is just a short walk away (20 minutes), with the Elizabeth line available in the other direction at Maryland rail station – also reachable by foot or the 257 bus, which stops round the corner on the High Road. From here, it’s just a short journey to Liverpool Street and one stop from Stratford’s major interchange with the DLR, Central and Jubilee lines, along with shopping, cinema and food at Westfield and East Village. Various local bus stops run regular services to Stratford, too. Leytonstone High Road (Overground) is also nearby. Stratford International is also a short bus ride away, from where the high-speed Javelin train takes you to St Pancras International in seven minutes.

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Kingsdown Road is part of a quiet pocket of Victorian streets between the lower end of High Road, Leytonstone and the wonderful Wanstead Flats – a walking, jogging and mountain-biking paradise that acts as a gateway to Epping Forest. Nearby Chalet Wood also provides a beautiful carpet of bluebells every spring.

Alternatively, run through Hollow Pond and beyond, exploring the forest trails, or head to Langthorne Park for pools, wildlife, basketball courts, a play park and an outdoor gym. You are also just 1.5 miles from the Olympic Park with all it has to offer.

Within a 10-minute walk is the lovely Leytonstone Tavern (check out the fantastic burgers and roasts), Tamping Grounds for coffee, Kotch for pizza, and The Rookwood Village pub with its stylish interior, deck and electronic darts. Stroll a few minutes further to explore Winchelsea Road’s artisanal food and drink scene, including The Wanstead Tap, Rambles Café, and Wild Goose Bakery for custard tarts.

The High Road is only a few minutes’ walk away and has many cafés and convenience stores at its southern end. If you like traditional Neapolitan pizza, check out Bocca Bocca or Yard Sale. Other local favourites include Sunday roasts at the Holly Tree pub, after-work drinks at Mammoth taproom, the Leytonstone arts trail, and the weekly local farmers’ market beside Cann Hall Park, with its coffee shop, play areas and skatepark.

SCHOOLS

The popular Jenny Hammond Primary School is just five minutes on foot and rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. Davies Lane Primary School is a short walk away and is rated ‘Outstanding’. You’ll also find Buxton School within a nine-minute stroll and a few nurseries nearby.