Gunnersbury Avenue, Ealing, London, W5

What the owner loves:

I have always loved living in Ealing, often called the “Queen of the Suburbs”, with its leafy streets, open green spaces and straightforward links into central London. The flat is perfectly placed near Gunnersbury Avenue and the historic Gunnersbury Park, an area shaped by a strong Rothschild heritage.

This wonderful flat, one of five in the building, has been in my family since 1995. I bought it from my family in 2002, which was my first real step into independence and the place where I built my career. Over the years I have invested a great deal of time and care into it, including stripping back the floors and taking inspiration from the stained glass windows to link them beautifully with the internal doors.

The transport links are excellent, both into central London and further afield, yet what I have always loved most about living here is how green it feels. There is a real sense of space, from the breadth of the gardens to stepping straight out onto Ealing Common or walking over to nearby Gunnersbury Park for walks, music festivals and local events. You will often see horses being ridden by the riding school opposite, which gives the area a lovely and rather unexpected charm.

Do not be put off by the A406. The flat feels remarkably peaceful. More often than not the only thing you hear is birdsong, especially as the flat looks onto an expansive garden that is hardly used, so it almost feels like your own private space.

If you are looking for a shiny new building, this probably will not be the place for you. This is a building with real character, cared for by the owners. The freeholders recently bought the freehold so that we could have full control over how the building is managed, keep costs down where possible, and avoid relying on a faceless managing agent increasing charges whenever something needs doing.

As the only leaseholder, I invested in extending the lease to 173 years. The freeholders are not just names on paper, they are a genuine community. You have complete visibility over how maintenance is handled, full involvement in decisions, and real autonomy in how money is spent on the building. The freeholders will be open to selling a share of the freehold.

The freeholders have owned their flats for more than 50 years, and the building has seen marriages, babies and many important life milestones. One flat has also been tenanted for over 12 years. People look out for each other here, but never in an intrusive way, and no one seems to want to leave.

One of the things any buyer understandably wants to know is what expenses are planned. I will be paying for some maintenance works myself before the sale, so you will not inherit those costs. Beyond that, anything further needed to care for this beautiful building is always discussed properly and approached sensibly when affordable to do so, so there are no nasty shocks.

When choosing an estate agent I took time to find someone who would represent the flat in the right way, and chose Paul Leslie because his approach aligned with my values about passing this home on thoughtfully and honestly, rather than treating it as just another property in a large agency focused on volume and just making deals.

The ‘mother’ of the house said ‘We really do want the property to be a happy, calm, and lovely place so anyone buying your flat should be pleased with their purchase’.

- Please note that the seller may offer a Reservation Agreement to demonstrate their commitment and to provide buyers with greater security during the transaction. Please ask the agent for further information -