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As the summer months approach with long evenings and sunshine, there becomes something ever more appealing about living on a houseboat or canal barge in London, surrounded by the natural world but still in the heart of the action.
It's a bohemian lifestyle that has long been romanticised on the silver screen, from Anchor and Hope and Tides to Finding Your Feet and Miss You Already. More recently Tom Hardy’s character stashes his family away in a canal barge to keep them safe from mobsters in Guy Ritchie’s latest London-based series, MobLand.
And in practical terms it can seem like a very cost-effective solution to the capital's ongoing housing crisis, not least because you don’t have to pay stamp duty to buy a boat.
But, unless you want to move every fortnight, then you will have to pay for a permanent mooring, which can cost tens of thousands of pounds a year in central London.
Tim Vooght, director at lifestyle and interiors PR company Maison, jumped at the chance to live on a houseboat when he first moved to London. “I thought of it as a quirky take on couch-surfing thanks to a friend who floated hers up and down the Regent’s Canal,” he explains.
“I was incredibly grateful to have a place to stay and it felt wonderfully bohemian at first. The sense of community along the canal was genuinely special, too.”
The downsides? “When the temperature dropped – during what turned out to be one of the coldest winters on record – the romance began to fade. Every item of clothing ended up smelling like the log-burner and the mornings were bitterly cold.
"The real trick to houseboat living is securing a permanent mooring, which, from what I can gather, is both rare and expensive. On paper, it sounds idyllic, but the reality can be tough.
"That said, people do manage to create beautiful, characterful homes on the water, often in areas where property on land is far less attainable.”
Here are some of the most beautiful and characterful houseboats and canal barges currently for sale in the capital – but you’ll need to get your flippers on and move quick if you want to be in for the summer.
Wanderland, Imperial Wharf, Battersea
Talk about extra. This £1.5m houseboat in Imperial Wharf, Battersea, features a striking polyhedron mirrored exterior sculpted by artist Cyril de Commargue that has completely transformed a 1950s Dutch grain barge.
Rather impressively, there’s 1,688-square-foot of living space with 3.69-metre-high ceilings in some places, while the architectural masterpiece lays claim to two bedrooms, two bathrooms – one with a freestanding brass tub – and an extravagant reception room complete with dazzling chandeliers.
It’s no wonder the artist has lived on-board himself for the past seven years.
Lambhay, Lightermans Walk, Putney
Listed with Savills for £1.35m, Lambhay is a four-bedroom houseboat that lays claim to a rare freehold mooring at Prospect Quay – adjacent to Wandsworth Park – and access to underground parking.
It comes with a large open-plan kitchen and dining area with charming wooden floors, a kitchen with generous storage and built-in appliances – not a given – and a spacious reception room featuring skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows with views over the River Thames.
From here, double-doors open onto a rear terrace on which to enjoy al fresco dinners.
Below deck, accessed via a striking oak staircase, you’ll find a cosy sitting room for movie nights, three bedrooms, bathroom and the principal ensuite bedroom.
Remarkably, there’s a separate utility room to keep ugly appliances conveniently out of sight (and mind, perhaps?), but the crowning glory has to be the 65-square-foot roof terrace for entertaining and sunbathing.
Better still, you’ll get access to the gym and pool at the nearby Prospect Quay Development, while the houseboat is connected to the mains.
Parkgate, Lightermans Walk, Putney
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You wait ages for a boat… and then two come along at once. Also on Lightermans Walk, this three-bedroom houseboat has a slightly punchier asking price at £1.65m, but you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck with 1,977-square-foot including an open-plan living room that seamlessly blends a lounge, a modern kitchen with all the bells and whistles and a dining room to make for one hell of a floating party pad.
The principal suite is on the lower deck with its own private bathroom and walk-in wardrobe, two additional bedrooms, a family bathroom, a study for WFR (working from River) and a dedicated utility space.
But, really, it’s all about the dual decks at the bow and the stern – plus the roof terrace – with views out over the Thames and Wandsworth Park.
Better still, the houseboat comes with an automatic boat launcher, making it easy to indulge in watersports, while the mooring is gated for security, you’ll get a share of the freehold and the utilities are connected to the mains. Tick, tick, tick.
Caracoli, Prospect Quay, Wandsworth
Not all house boats are rickety old vessels that are clearly showing the signs of riverside wear and tear. Take, for example, Caracoli: she’s been beautifully-designed, as she should be for the asking price of £2m, with windows on all aspects, plenty of natural light and 2,605-square-foot of glamorous living space.
There’s a feature fireplace in the living room with direct access to one of the sun decks, a whopping dining area with a table for 10 of your nearest and dearest, and a kitchen with built-in fridge/freezer, wine fridge for all the bottles you’ll be popping and large central island around which everyone can gather.
The staircase leads to a 55-foot-long sun deck up-top while there are six bedrooms on the lower deck, plus a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite shower room for the principal, together with a study and utility room.
1946 Tug Boat, Kensington Wharf, Chelsea
Alternatively, for those after a piece of maritime history, this beautifully-converted Thames Tug from 1946 is a real conversation-starter.
The waterborne equivalent of a character property, the boat comes with a 23-year renewable lease and a private residential mooring at Kensington Wharf that’s accessed via a secure private pier.
It’s the perfect blend of heritage – retaining features like its riveted steel hull – and comfort, complete with living room, three bedrooms, sun deck and mains electricity, water and sewerage.
It’s been meticulously-designed inside with crisp white paintwork and plenty of wood – the perfect bachelor pad and yours for £625,000.
Ferry Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey
More floating home than houseboat, this £200,000 vessel was custom-built 10 years ago on the water in Thames Ditton.
Its distinctive modern façade is characterised by clean lines, black surfaces and floor-to-ceiling windows that seamlessly blend inside and out, while it offers 1,250-square-foot of cleverly-designed living space.
The open-plan living area is positively huge, comprising lounge area and fully-fitted kitchen, together with three double bedrooms, two of which come with en-suites, and lots of integrated storage that mean it really can be used as a primary residence rather than a holiday home.
