Faraday House, High Street, Rochester, Medway

WHY ROCHESTER WON

Before Rochester, Godalming and St Albans were seriously considered.

Rochester won.

It brought together the things that mattered: history, a High Street with a life of its own and the freedom to remain connected with London. Faraday House offered a home at the centre of it all.

From its tall leaded windows, the High Street becomes part of the everyday view. Shopfronts open below, people pass between historic buildings and evening light settles across the rooftops. Step outside and Rochester is already around you. Step back in and the activity gives way to privacy and calm.

The living room is the first surprise.

Ten-foot ceilings and tall windows give the room presence, but its real appeal lies in how naturally it accommodates everyday life. The dining table does not need to become a desk each morning. Friends can gather without taking over. There is room to read, listen to music or sit beside the windows and watch Rochester go about its day.

Wall-length shelving makes space for books, pictures and the interests gathered through life. The room is spacious, not palatial, nor does it need to be. It simply works, allowing different parts of the day to coexist without everything being squeezed into one open-plan space.

The second bedroom is currently used for music and work. Its proportions are modest, but its separation from the living room gives it real purpose. It could provide a dedicated study, an occasional guest room or somewhere for an interest to remain set up rather than packed away each evening.

The principal bedroom sits apart from the main living space and is accompanied by a walk-in wardrobe and en suite bathroom, creating a comfortable and private arrangement.

The internal kitchen is a room where considerable thought has gone into making it work well.

Before the finished oak cabinetry was commissioned, the layout, working height and storage arrangement were lived with in temporary form for several months. The resulting kitchen is compact, warm and practical, with granite work surfaces, plentiful storage, a Belfast-style sink and gas hob. Botanical tiles introduce a smaller detail that is lovely to discover.

And then, just when the apartment appears to have revealed itself, there is the Hammam.

Inspired by our clients' travels in Morocco, the steam room is lined with softly iridescent mosaics and includes built-in seating and a rainfall shower. It is unexpected, personal and quietly transporting: somewhere to close the door, let the warmth gather and leave the rest of the day outside.

Faraday House began life as an early twentieth-century commercial building before its later conversion into homes. The high ceilings and distinctive windows belong to that earlier life and give the apartment qualities that would be difficult to reproduce in a modern development.

Behind the High Street, an allocated parking space within the gated development makes coming and going easier.

The station keeps London within reach. A call at five pm to meet friends there at six can easily be answered with 'yes!'.

Yet the value of living here is not measured only by how easily Rochester can be left.

Cafés, restaurants, independent shops, performances, riverside walks and centuries of history begin beyond the front door. Rochester is not somewhere saved for occasional weekends. It becomes part of ordinary life.

That is why Rochester won.

Faraday House offers the ease of apartment living without asking everything important to be given up along the way.

A life that can become easier without becoming smaller.