Unless you’re prepared to have a specialist heritage consultant on speed dial, buying a listed home may not be worth the bother.
There are more than 18,000 such buildings in London, many of them handsome family homes dating back to the 17th and 18th century or flats in cherished modernist blocks.
Leaseholders will have little control either way, but a buyer with grand plans for a Georgian townhouse may come a cropper of planning departments minded to insist that original floorplans be retained and repairs carried out by a dwindling number of specialist outfits.
And if the previous owner has made illegal alterations, you might be on the hook for that too.
If you can’t resist the romance of it all, consider an early Victorian home, which will have echoes of Georgian heritage but is far less likely to be listed. Also consider properties within conservation areas, which aim to retain the character of a street without the rigid stipulations for what happens within.
Then there are the real gems — distinctive period homes which don’t quite make the grade or have thus far escaped focus. We’ve found 10 of the best on the market now, from an old Georgian pub to a former shop with original frontage intact.
Camberwell, SE5
£1.75 million
This six-bedroom Georgian townhouse is a stone’s throw from Denmark Hill station with its Thameslink connections. There’s a sun trap roof terrace on the second floor, a self-contained flat on the lower ground and Farrow & Ball-friendly interiors throughout.
Wooster & Stock, 020 7952 0595
East Dulwich, SE22
£1.1 million
A Victorian watch repair shop turned three-bedroom house, this unique home features a charming restored frontage and original plaster walls, plus an unusual layout that places the kitchen in the old store itself. Peckham Rye Park is under ten minutes away.
Inigo, 020 3687 3071
Chelsea, SW3
£4.95 million
This pretty double fronted period home is tucked away at the rear of a quiet cul-de-sac close to Hyde Park and the South Kensington museums. Requiring some modernisation, it comes with four bedrooms, three receptions and a secluded walled garden.
Knight Frank, 020 3869 4758
Southgate, N14
£1 million
A distinctive Art Deco family home within walking distance of Arnos Grove tube station. The 1930s details are happily intact and all four bedrooms are all doubles. There’s also a separate study, a large mature garden and a roof terrace.
Havilands, 020 3906 1458
Greenwich, SE10
£1.65 million
Sited 100 yards from Greenwich Park, this unusual double fronted house was built as a pub in the early 19th century and only converted into a family home in the 1950s. Modernisation is needed, but seven bedrooms offer bags of potential.
Conran Estates, 020 3879 5171
Finchley, N3
£1.225 million
Sold only once in its 120-year history, this four-bedroom Arts and Crafts home is set in an angled wraparound plot. The current owners have added an attractive garden room with Shou Sugi Ban burnt larch cladding, composting toilet and woodburning stove.
Inigo, 020 3687 3071
Streatham, SW16
£2.95 million
This unique detached home is thought to date back to the 18th century, and while its neighbour is Grade II listed no such status applies here. Period features are plentiful, as are bedrooms – there are five – and quiet corners among the beautifully landscaped gardens.
Knight Frank, 020 3869 4758
Soho, W1F
£3.495 million
Here is something seriously rare – a freehold Georgian townhouse in the centre of Soho. Located on a walkway between Dean Street and Wardour Street, its 2,700 square foot interior was remodelled a decade ago and includes four bedrooms, two roof terraces and an atrium.
The Modern House, 020 3834 8558
Crystal Palace, SE19
£1.5 million
This picture-perfect period home was build on the cusp of the Georgian and Victorian eras and retains plenty of period charm. There’s a self-contained two-bedroom apartment on the lower floor with its own private entrace.
Knight Frank, 020 3869 4758
Covent Garden, WC2H
£3.25 million
A second freehold Georgian townhouse in a prime position, this three-bedroom home just off Drury Lane has been radically reconfigured internally. At the heart of the plan is a double height ceiling spare with exposed original brickwork.
