Rommany Road, London, SE27

A stunningly refurbished, two-bedroom Victorian terrace behind a classic London stock façade, thoughtfully extended, and beautifully finished, it measures 1,176 sq ft across two floors, offering a cool and quirky interior with a large reception, an eat-in kitchen, two bathrooms and an impressive garden that gets eastern and southern sun.  

There’s no denying this one has a quirky layout, but it offers more space and width than your average Victorian terrace; there’s quite literally oodles of living and dining space, and if you like hosting, you can probably stop your search right here, as this home has the sort of downstairs living space that punches well above its price point.  

There’s a welcoming entrance hall with space for boots, coats, handbags et al, understairs storage and a larger storage cupboard just beyond, that quietly answers the eternal terraced-house question of where on earth everything goes. At the end of the hall is a downstairs shower/cloak (ideal for mucky dogs and lazy guests!). Back at the start of the hall, it gives access to the front reception, which you’ll appreciate so much more than you thought you might when you looked at the floor plan. There’s space for a clutch of large sofas, or a ridiculously large L-shaped one; it’s a great place to sprawl out and catch up on your favourite boxset, and a lovely retreat from the buzz of the kitchen/dining space it flows into.

What the layout does brilliantly is give you two quite different places to live, and the light-drenched kitchen/living/dining room at the back that is, frankly, built for having people over. The two are connected but distinct, so the house slides effortlessly between a quiet night in and a full house on a Saturday without ever feeling stretched. The back of the house is the headline, and deservedly so. The kitchen opens up beneath a vast flat rooflight that pours daylight straight into the middle of the space, with sliding glass doors that fold the garden into the room whenever the weather allows.

The kitchen itself is handsome and restrained — white gloss handleless units, pale stone worktops, a hidden dish drainer above the sink (keeping the dishes out of view in an open plan kitchen, just genius!), a gas hob and oven, underfloor heating, and space to add a kitchen island if desired. An island would double up as prep space and become the spot everyone gravitates to with a drink in hand (you could add this and still have space for a formal dining space). Or, keep as it is, and there's easy room for a generous dining table at one end, and a sofa at the other, and the whole thing reads as a single, sociable space: somewhere a midweek supper and a long, loud lunch feel equally at home.

Upstairs, the principal bedroom (14'8 x 9'4) is a calm, bright double with a leafy outlook over the gardens and a gently pitched ceiling that only adds to the charm. It's lined with a full wall of smart grey fitted wardrobes, without enough storage for even the most committed fashionistas. The second bedroom (13'0 x 9'2) is another double, and currently working as a nursery and study at once, which tells you everything about how easily it flexes between guest room, child's room and home office. It also has a walk-in wardrobe hidden behind doors, giving plentiful useful storage and allowing the rest of the room to house the furniture you really want, not just wardrobes.

Then the family bathroom, which is a real moment. Honeyed stone-effect tiling runs floor to ceiling, twin basins sit on a dark timber vanity, and there's a bath with a rainfall shower over behind a glass screen, hexagonal stone floor tiles with underfloor heating and a softly backlit mirror — the considered, spa-like calm of a very good boutique hotel, with a window keeping it light and properly aired.

Outside is where the house truly sings. The garden is large — around 41' x 26' — and beautifully established: a wide paved terrace directly off the rear for long lunches and lazy evenings, a central lawn beyond, mature trees (cherries among them, which more than earn their place come summer), a shed, and a little fruit-and-veg corner for anyone who likes to get their hands dirty. It's a rare thing this close to town — a garden you actually live in rather than admire through glass — and on a warm day, doors slid back and the table out, the boundary between inside and out simply dissolves. For anyone with half an eye on the future, there’s scope to add a decent-sized garden studio here, or sauna, or studio and sauna! Notably, there’s a gate giving access to the alley behind, on Hamilton Road, which serves two amazing purposes; it allows for a very quick shortcut into the brewery and also provides an easy access point for the delivery of stuff into the garden (i.e. said sauna/studio), or just allows you to return home from mucky dog walks or bike rides without traipsing through the house.

Other notable features in the house include the bespoke carpentry on the stairs, which adds a touch of quality, an air-con unit upstairs, a Nest heating control system and a video entry phone system with screens on both floors.

Location-wise, Rommany Road is one of those quiet, leafy streets that feels comfortably removed from the fray while being, in practice, a short stroll from a great deal. The headline for many will be Gipsy Hill Brewery, one of London's most-loved independent breweries and a bona fide SE27 institution, just around the corner: its taproom pours the freshest beer going, screens the big matches, hosts live music and rotates a roster of excellent street-food traders — less a brewery, really, than a neighbourhood living room.

West Norwood itself has quietly become one of South London's most likeable high streets, where the independents have multiplied, and the Great North Wood, the Otter and Knowles of Norwood handle the pub-and-brunch brief from every angle — a pint in the garden, a flat white done properly, a Sunday roast worth lingering over. The Picturehouse cinema is around 0.6 miles off (a 13-minute walk), there's a proper library, and West Norwood Feast — the much-loved street-food and makers' market — takes over the first Sunday of every month.

A mile away sits the Crystal Palace Triangle, one of the capital's most characterful pockets: independent restaurants, wine bars, vintage and furniture shops, an Everyman cinema, and the Saturday food market down Haynes Lane, bringing small, sustainable producers to the neighbourhood every weekend. A Sainsbury's covers the unromantic essentials. Green space is never far — Norwood Park and the 200 acres of Crystal Palace Park, dinosaurs and all, are both within easy reach for the weekend walk.

For the commute, Gipsy Hill is 0.5 miles (about a 12-minute walk), adding direct services to Victoria and London Bridge, and also Beckenham Junction. You can also easily access West Croydon from here, too, ideal for those escapes to Gatwick airport! For those who aren’t currently local, you won’t have met Fanny, the resident station cat; she isn’t great with offering advice on train times, but she’ll likely add some cheer to your morning routine.

In short, a beautifully finished, quietly characterful house with two reception rooms, a garden you'll genuinely use and a level of craft that lifts it clear of the everyday — all on a peaceful street moments from one of the best little corners of South London. Wedge-shaped it might be,  but we think it’s all the better for it!

Parking - On street

Unrestricted on-street parking