Greenway Close, London N4Sold

Clissold Court

Composed of light-filled rooms with reclaimed parquet floors that bounce honeyed-toned light around

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Set in a lovely spot on the crest of popular Clissold Park, this bright, three-bedroom apartment is perfectly poised to take in the delights of Stoke Newington and nearby Highbury and Newington Green. Found within Clissold Park’s conservation area, it forms part of a striking art deco estate, built c.1935, with a south-facing balcony surrounded by mature communal gardens. Finsbury Park and the Parkland Walk are also close, while the variety of shops, bars and restaurants of Stoke Newington’s Church Street are within easy reach.

Setting the Scene

Clissold Court forms an integral component of Clissold Park’s conservation area within the London Borough of Hackney. The flat still retains its striking external features and well-conceived internal layout as conceived by architects Howes and Jackson in the 1930s. There are five detached three-storey blocks on the estate, some rendered and others red brick, all with mansard roofs and original steel-framed windows; the individual blocks and surrounding communal gardens are regularly tended to and well-maintained. There is also a welcome sense of community among residents who have a host of social events, including an annual summer party, within the grounds. For more information, see the History section.

The Grand Tour

Entry is on the second floor, via an impressive curved communal staircase. Accommodation is set over one level, composed of well-proportioned and light-filled rooms with beautiful reclaimed parquet floors that bounce honeyed-toned light throughout. The original steel-framed Crittall-style windows remain in each room, with a particularly impressive curved length of glazing in the living room opening onto a pretty balcony overlooking the communal front gardens, the park beyond and the soaring steeple of St Mary’s Church in the distance.

Entering through an arched internal door, the front room forms an open-plan living and dining space, easily housing a sprawling sofa and a large dining table. A marble fireplace with a bullseye motif adorns the original breast and provides a focal point for the room. Washed in neutral tones of Portland Stone by Little Greene, inbuilt storage is fitted in the opposing alcove spaces. The sweet galley kitchen has a Carrara marble worktop with cabinetry painted in moody tones of dark blue.

Along the hallway (which is papered in Antoinette Poisson’s ‘Jaipur’), there are three bedrooms and a family bathroom. The quiet principal bedroom is situated at the back of the plan and has views over the rear tree-lined communal garden, where residents tend to dry laundry. Here, a row of bespoke fitted cupboards line one wall. One of the two further double rooms is used as a cosy bedroom, while the other is currently configured as a bright study. There is a large bathroom along the corridor, equipped with a luxurious clawfoot cast iron bath, mosaic-tiled floor and steel windows.

The Great Outdoors

The flat and surrounding estate is ensconced in manicured communal garden, where roses planted in knot garden formations sit alongside water features and herbaceous borders. Criss-crossed with paved paths, the space is dotted with benches that create seating areas in the pretty space. To the rear of the building is a communal green space bordered by established trees, providing a wonderful space for children to play and adults to chat.

Out and About

The house is wonderfully positioned just off historic Clissold Park, a short walk from Stoke Newington’s much-loved Church Street, home to The Spence Bakery, Escocesa, Rubedo, AUN and The Good Egg among others; Whole Foods Market and Newington Green Fruit and Vegetables are also close by for a variety of fresh produce within easy reach. The house is near the numerous independent shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs around Newington Green; neighbourhood favourites include The Clarence Tavern, Esters, Mangal 1, Jolene, Perilla and Cadet. A short walk away, on Petherton Road, is Primeur; recently described as “the perfect neighbourhood restaurant,” it serves modern European cuisine and natural wine. On Saturday mornings, a farmers’ market takes place in St Paul’s churchyard on Stoke Newington High Street.

We recently wrote about some of our top spots in Stoke Newington and Newington Green in more depth.

The house is also near several popular green spaces. Clissold Park – a compact park that packs a punch – is just off the house’s doorstep. It’s home to an aviary, beautiful lakes, a café, tennis courts, a skate park, a children’s playground and paddling pool, as well as a few resident deer. Within the park is the Grade II-listed colonnaded Clissold Mansion, built in the 1790s for a local Quaker. Abney Park & Cemetery is about a 20-minute walk, and is one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’, an unofficial designation given to 19th-century private cemeteries in London. It is also a private nature reserve, with more than 2,500 varieties of plants. Also nearby is the Parkland Walk, a disused railway line which has been transformed into a verdant pedestrian thoroughfare which runs from Finsbury Park to Highgate.

For further adventures in nature, visit the Woodberry Wetlands, a 12-hectare conservation site, formerly a working reservoir, which is now a thriving habitat for migratory birds. Opened by Sir David Attenborough in 2016, you can see waterfowl, grey heron, tufted duck and kingfisher, among others, from the boardwalk around the East Reservoir, and enjoy spectacular views from the Coal House Café’s roof terrace. The West Reservoir of the wetlands has been converted into an outdoor swimming spot and sports centre, with year-round open-water swimming, sailing and kayaking.

Transport connections are excellent. Canonbury’s station, a 15-minute walk away, runs Overground trains to Highbury & Islington, Shoreditch High Street, Stratford, Camden and Hampstead. Dalston Kingsland and Dalston Junction Overground are also within easy reach, while nearby stations in Stoke Newington and Rectory Road run Overground services to Liverpool Street in around 10 minutes or to Seven Sisters, for connections to the Victoria Line (Underground), in around four minutes. There are plenty of good bus connections to the centre of the city, including to London Bridge, Victoria, Waterloo and King’s Cross.

Tenure: Leasehold
Lease length: approx. 140 years remaining
Service charge: approx. £2489 per annum
Council Tax Band: D

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. Inigo has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.

History

Stoke Newington (affectionately referred to as ‘Stokey’ by its residents) and Newington Green occupy the north-west corner of Hackney. Both neighbourhoods are veritably steeped in history – with Stoke Newington long belonging to St Paul’s diocese and the west side of Newington Green home to London’s oldest brick terrace (numbers 52-55), dating back to 1658.

Artefacts discovered in Stoke Newington Common and Abney Park & Cemetery date the earliest habitation in the area to the Neolithic period. Stoke Newington is believed to mean “new town in the wood” and was lightly settled for several centuries, close to larger neighbouring Saxon settlements along the River Lea. In the Middle Ages and Tudor times, it was a very small village a few miles from the city of London, frequently visited by travellers journeying north. The Manor of Stoke Newington is recorded as ‘Neutone’ in the Domesday Book of 1086, and is described as belonging to St Paul’s diocese both before and after the Norman Conquest, with the Manor providing an income for the work of the cathedral.

During the 18th century the manor passed to Lady Mary Abney, of the eponymous park and cemetery, who first drew up detailed plans of the area and began laying out designated parkland. During this period, a number of Quaker and nonconformist families settled in the area, laying the groundwork for the area’s reputation as being antiestablishment. By the end of the 19th century, however, much of the land had been sold off in parcels and gradually, the village was absorbed into the city.

In the 1960s, Stoke Newington became the stomping ground for political radicals and bohemians; while Newington Green’s Unitarian Church was a centre for revolutionary thinking and social reform. Notably, the church is where early feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft had her political awakening. Today, both areas retain a village-like feel – especially around Stoke Newington’s Church Street and Newington Green itself – in part because they are not on the tube map (they are instead serviced by the Overground network).