Ross Road, London, SE25

A three double bedroom ground-floor flat with its own private entrance, direct access onto a south-facing stone patio, and a view across beautifully maintained gardens. At 1,458 sq ft, the size alone exceeds many local houses, and the garden access puts it in a different category to any of the other local flats. Offered with a long lease of 145 years and with a very reasonable service charge of £1260 per annum, with peppercorn ground rent, this stunning home is a truly remarkable package. Having been recently refurbished, it boasts new double-glazed sash windows, a new boiler system as well as flooring, kitchen & bathroom, and electrics.

Set across the ground floor of a detached Victorian villa on one of SE25's best roads, which borders Crystal Palace and is an easy walk to Triangle. It’s set back from the street behind a gravelled driveway with mature planting. The private entrance for the flat is down the right side of the building, and adds something that's easy to underestimate until you have it — a degree of privacy.

You enter into a proper hallway with a bespoke dark-painted fitted storage running the full length of one wall — hooks, cupboards, a bench seat, the works. It's the kind of entrance that solves the coat-and-shoes problem permanently and sets the tone for a flat that has been thought about properly throughout. Oak flooring runs the length of the hallway and continues through into the main living space.

The living and dining room is the heart of the flat at 21'3 x 17'2, and it really does deliver. Hardwood parquet flooring, a beautiful brick fireplace with a wood-burning stove, a full bay window with wooden shutters facing the garden, characterful period-style coving and ceiling rose, and a large Crittall-style door opening directly onto the south-facing patio — so on a good day, the access to the outside space really flows. A large dining table for eight sits naturally between the living area and the garden door; the current owners have a full corner sofa arrangement at the other end, and there is still floor space left. Notably. You can opt for a larger table if you really love entertaining a crowd, and there’s scope for a clutch of sofas to fit comfortably in this space. The built-in alcove shelving on either side of the fireplace is a lovely period detail that most buyers will appreciate. This is a room that works hard all year — in summer with the garden door open, in winter with the stove going, it's equally good.

The kitchen sits adjacent to the living room in its own dedicated space, with a separate utility room alongside, which means the washing machine noise ends up exactly where it should, not in your kitchen or your bedroom. The kitchen itself has been fitted in matte units with white quartz worktops, white metro tile splashback, and an island with a white quartz top and bar stools for four. It's a sociable layout — you can cook and still be part of the conversation, and the island means there's a casual place to eat as well as the formal dining space next door. The pendant lighting above the island and the recessed spots above the worktops are well-judged details.

The bathroom has been done properly — full-size bath with overhead shower, white herringbone tiles laid floor to ceiling, gold fittings throughout, a walnut vanity unit with a vessel basin, geometric patterned floor tiles, and a teal feature wall behind a hexagonal gold-framed mirror. It's a confident room and it looks great.

Bedroom one at 19'6 x 15'6 is, frankly, a spectacular principal bedroom for a flat at any price. There’s more beautiful parquet flooring, a full bay window with wooden shutters, original coving and a ceiling rose, a period fireplace, and room for a super king-size bed, a Peloton, a desk setup, and freestanding storage — simultaneously and comfortably. Bedroom two at 17'3 x 15'5 is equally impressive — another huge double with its own bay window, shutters, and the same period detail. Both rooms would dwarf most flats’ living spaces, such are the dimensions. Bedroom three at 11'0 x 9'9 is the smallest of the three but is still a small double, which works well as a guest room, or home office combined, which it handles easily.

Storage is a real asset here as well; there’s a super useful storage cupboard as the entrance hall opens up to the living space, and for those who love storage, they’ll be delighted to discover  another storage cupboard between the larger bedrooms that is akin to loft style storage space!

Outside, the south-facing stone patio is accessed directly from the living room and is large enough for a full outdoor dining set and a lounge area — the current owners have both. Beyond the patio, the gardens are beautifully maintained and extend generously; they feel more like private grounds than a shared afterthought. In the sun, this is one of the best outdoor spaces you'll find with a flat at this price in SE25.

Location-wise, Ross Road sits in the quieter residential part of SE25, within easy reach of both South Norwood and Crystal Palace. Norwood Junction station is close — with direct trains to London Bridge in around 13 minutes, with services to Victoria and connections across south London. The area has been steadily improving, and the restaurants, cafés, and independent businesses on the high street have grown noticeably in quality and number over recent years.

But it must be stressed Ross Road feels more like Crystal Palace, it’s a lovely residential road with Grangewood Park at one end and an easy route into The Triangle at the other. The walk to the Triangle takes in the region of 25 mins, it’s just over a mile away, or it’s a few minutes cycle  away, bringing the Triangle, the Food Market down Haynes Lane, and Crystal Palace Park's 200 grade II listed acres within comfortable reach for weekends. South Norwood lakes is nearby for dog walks, and alongside the revamped Grangewood Park with its new tennis sports and playground, offers much open green space closer to home.

For those looking to put down roots in the area, Cypress Primary is a very short walk away, literally at the end of Ross Road and just down Cypress Road.