This charming two-bedroom apartment occupies the first floor of an imposing Victorian house in Hackney. Set back from the road, the building is made from London stock brick and has a balanced, classical façade with large sash windows. Decorated in soft pastel colours, the palette throughout the apartment is warm and playful, creating an inviting atmosphere, which is a judicious blend of old and new. Amhurst Road is peaceful yet minutes from the shops, restaurants and bars of vibrant of East London.
Setting the Scene
Amhurst Road is a wide, tree-lined residential street running alongside Hackney Downs Park. The street is characterised by its gradually bending terraces of Victorian townhouses, starting to the north, near Stoke Newington and culminating in the centre of Hackney. The 19th-century street-facing façade of the house is formed of a protruding bay at raised and lower-ground levels. There are elegant white stucco embellishments among the London brick stock above the bays, windows and the front porch. For more information, please see the History section.
The Grand Tour
Access to the apartment is gained via a shared front garden with a mature lime tree and steps leading to the front door. The entrance to the building is to a communal hallway, where an internal flight of stairs leads to the apartment, as well as to a small independent space located directly outside the apartment with separate access. Currently used as storage, this neat space could also be used as a cosy office.
The apartment opens into an airy central hallway with mint green walls and playful pink dado rails. To the right, a spacious living room overlooks the front garden through large sash windows; original floorboards run underfoot adding warmth and texture. Painted in mellow neutral tones with the picture rail and crown moulding accented in bright white, the room has a restful feel. The kitchen is tucked away at the rear of the plan. Here, the floorboards have been painted in a striking black-and-white chevron pattern. Built-in cabinetry is painted in creamy tones, and a chunky wooden worktop adds a rustic charm. French doors with a Juliet balcony allow evening light to flood the room.
A large bathroom, painted in the striking green hues is at the front of the plan. Here, a bath sits underneath a large sash window, which overlooks the shared garden below and illuminates the room. White subway tiles reflect light and contrast with the moody wall colour. Chrome bath fittings lend a traditional feel to the charming room.
Further down the hall are two bedrooms. The bedroom at the front of the plan, painted in peaceful warm shades, has an internal fan light and a large original sash window meaning it has an exceptional quality of light. Built-in shelves run the length of the room, perfect for storing books. The welcoming main bedroom lies to the rear of the plan and is painted in soothing rosy tones. With built-in bookshelves, this room also has a Juliet balcony, which flanks a large sash window.
The Great Outdoors
A small communal garden lies at the front and is the perfect place to enjoy an evening drink in fine weather. A large lime tree with white blossom in summer frames the façade and several other mature shrubs, giving the building a private, secluded feel.
Out and About
The house is located in central Hackney, just east of Dalston, west of bustling Mare Street, and close to the green spaces of Victoria Park and the Regent’s Canal path. There are many fantastic restaurants locally, notably Lardo on Richmond Road, the recently opened Angelina’s on Dalston Lane, and Pidgin and Violet on Wilton Way. Weekly markets take place at Victoria Park and Well Street, and Broadway Market has a reputation for excellent places to eat and drink and hosts a food market on Saturdays. The E5 Bakehouse, on the edge of London Fields, is excellent for freshly baked artisan bread and grains.
Amhurst Road is a short walk from Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Downs and Hackney Central stations. Hackney Central runs direct services to Stratford and, Highbury & Islington on the London Overground, whilst London Fields also offers direct trains to Liverpool Street. Bethnal Green Underground station, easily accessible by bus, has excellent links to central London via the Central Line.
Tenure: Share of Freehold
Lease Length: approx. 98 years remaining
Service Charge: approx. £1,442 pa
Council Tax Band: C
History
Hackney village originally lay along what is now the Northern end of Mare Street, the course still slightly bending where it crossed the historic location of Hackney brook. The 14th-century medieval village of Hackney included the church, the vicar’s house and cottages on Mare Street. Only the church tower survives today, perhaps rebuilt by the rector Christopher Urswick in the early 16th century. By the 17th century, other large buildings included the so-called Templars’ House at the top of Mare Street. Still in existence in the 1820s, the house’s earlier history is much debated. Still, it was the site of a wine merchant’s shop and later a tenement for 20 families in the 19th century before being dismantled for modern shops.
The other prominent house in the village was the Black and White House, the historic home of the Vyner family. Later a free school, the building is thought to dates from 1578. The house and land were divided in 1683 between the Vyner heirs, with the house demolished in the 18th century to make way for Bohemia Place.
By the early 19th century, the village blended further into London sprawl and expanded outward along the newly developed Amhurst Road East. By 1865, Amhurst Road East had semidetached villas along part of its northern side while land on the south was dug for bricks. By the 1880s, shops sprung up along the eastern end of the road.
The further development of the railway in the 1890s as well as the refurbishment of the Hackney Empire Theatre, completed the area’s transformation into the metropolitan centre we are familiar with today.
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