I am OBSESSED with this house.

[Nancy66]

I've looked at it on streetview and area looks a bit rundown. Anyone know more - is it complete Shitsville?


www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-39199298.html

[Narked]

I love the idea of random Swedish opera singers presenting you with architectural salvage.

[Hassled]

Nancy I keep thinking about that bloody house now - if you don't buy it, I'm going to have to uproot kids, abandon inlaws, jack in my job, say au revoir to friends and move to St Leonards. I don't even know where St Leonards is. For the love of God, save me and buy the thing.

[Nancy66]

Be funny if we end up in a bidding war!

[RedHelenB]

looks gorgeous!!

[Rhubarbgarden]

Oh wow, what a beautiful house. A shame the garden is so small; that would be the deal breaker for me. It would be amazingly rewarding seeing all those features renovated and preserved for future generations. You'd have to get some real specialists in, but it would all be do-able as long as you had money to flush down the loo throw at it.

[heylottie]

There's a lot of, I think, unjustified fear about St Leonards. I grew up in Hastings and my mum lives about 5 minutes from that house. So - I am biased!
There is no doubt that there are really shabby areas, but genuinely there are some streets which wouldn't look out of place in the sharper parts of West London.
Big houses, wide streets, garden squares, two minutes from the beach. St Leonards has a bit of a trendy enclave (Norman Road), funky cafes, over priced antique shops. (also tramps, drug addicts, peeling paint but there you go)
I visited mum a couple of weeks ago and went to a 'Jumble Sale' in a school hall. Dahling you couldn't move for lovely trendy mummies and their vintage wares, all very friendly and warm (and selling overpriced vintage but there you go).
Go on and see it on a crisp sunny winter morning. Ramble around and then have tea in the Old Town. So much for your money and as someone who once lived on the dodgiest estate in south London, the crime and shabbiness isn't any concern.
Let me know if you want more pointers as to where to go!

[cabbageandbeans]

It is a lovely house. Can't comment on area, sorry, but yes. You must spend a day and if it needs it, more! We moved out of london and I did zero research. It has turned out ok but I made a BIG mistake with the schools! I think the area is more important than the beautiful house, so check it out.

[ogredownstairs]

I think that particular house has been on for ages. I had a patch a couple of years ago of thinking we should move out of London and buy a fab house on the coast for much less, and I'm pretty sure it was on then. It is lovely though.

[Nancy66]

ogre - yes it has. I check every month or so to see if it's still there and it always is.

[Rhubarbgarden]

Cabbageandbeans makes a good point. Our previous house was a beautiful house in a shitty area. I'd fallen head over heels in love with that house and thought I could tolerate the location for it. I was wrong. After six years we moved, and made location the priority this time. I still miss that house, a bit, but I'm SO relieved not to live in that area any more.

[Nancy66]

Where was it Rhubarb? Not Hastings?!

[Rhubarbgarden]

No! South east London.

[Nancy66]

I lived in Catford for a while. I'm working on the basis that nothing could EVER be as bad as that again....

[StickEmWithThePointyEnd]

Is that a microwave in the alley next to the house in the first picture?

[Feckbox]

go for it Nance

[ATourchOfInsanity]

You've got me looking at properties with towers now! Just found this one in Scotland, bit bigger but needs a lot of work no idea why I am posting this for you as doubt you'll be off to Bonnyland!
www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/garrion-tower/wishaw/ml2-0rr/21680291
It's on the at risk register for Scotland and no internal pics, which is a shame.

[ATourchOfInsanity]

www.s1homes.com/Houses-for-sale/2012101003260059.shtml
Oooh internal pics!

[Nancy66]

Stick - looks it. Well spotted. Wonder if that's thrown in.

That's a beautiful house ATourch - how come it's two vastly different prices in the two links?

[ATourchOfInsanity]

It has been 'made fit mortgage purposes' apparently so looks like all major works done. It has a wine cellar, snug, library and turret room too.

[Nancy66]

we could wave to each other from our towers.

Any house without a tower now looks wrong to me

[BettySuarez]

How peculiar - I have also been obsessing about this house even though we are not planning on moving and if we did, it wouldn't be to that neck of the woods.

Tis a fab house though

I saw it listed for sale last year so I reckon there's some room for negotiation?

[Rhubarbgarden]

Oooh that Scottish one! I'm a total sucker for turrets. Why didn't I buy a house with a turret? Why? Why?

[digerd]

That last house looks like it appeared in a horror film - and those tiny windows and darkness from the huge trees - scary!!

[jakesmith]

st leonards is not great tbh, pretty run down, to get a picture of it, stay there on a saturday night & go out in the town for a meal, walk up to the house, see if there are people making a racket, loitering etc, or if it feels homely. A roperty that size will be expensive to do up, and then run (heat etc) but it does have huge potential to make a lovely home

[Rudolphstolemycarrots]

have you put the post code into upmystreet.com ? will give you all the crime stats, schools etc ..