Commuting into London is a delicate art. There’s the train journey itself, and the inevitable jostle for a seat. But before that, there’s getting to the station and the careful weighing up of exactly how much time to arrive in advance.
What if there’s traffic? What if the bus is late?
These are fine margins, and, if miscalculated, can mean the difference between being on time and being very, very late.
If you were to live at 1 Box Hill Station House, though, these problems would no longer be a consideration. Located inside Box Hill and Westhumble Station itself — with the tracks right outside the window — commuters would be able to leave the house as the train pulls in.
Best of all, the Surrey station is served by two trains an hour to London, with direct trains to Waterloo and Victoria. The journey takes just under an hour.
The four-bedroom property, listed for £850,000 with Ralph James, occupies most of the Grade II-listed former station house.
Built in 1867 by the Victorian architect Charles Henry Driver — famous for utilitarian projects such as the Thames Embankment and pumping houses at Abbey Mills and Crossness — it was realised in the Gothic style, with pitched roofs, patterned red brickwork and roof tiles and an ornamental tower topped with a weathervane.
In the early 1990s, after it was sold by British Rail, the station was converted into two cottages. Number 1, which subsequently gained a loft extension, is the larger of the two.
The station’s booking hall, meanwhile, was turned into a tearoom, with planning permission approved in 2000. More recently, until 2022, it was home to a bike shop.
Today, the four-bedroom house covers 1,718 square feet over three floors. Overlooking the large, private garden at the back of the station, the kitchen has been designed in a cosy, cottage style, with a range cooker, farmhouse sink and wooden worktops.
There is a living room downstairs, with wooden floorboards, high, corniced ceilings and a feature fireplace. The property’s four bedrooms and study are on the two floors above.
Although you might not need it with a railway on your doorstep, the house also comes with private parking.
The current owners have lived in the property since 2006. They bought it when they were commuting into London and, they told The Times: “It was even handier coming home, because when you’re home you’re really home, you haven’t got to jump in a cab or walk ten minutes. And it’s been great for our two sons growing up here. It gives them the freedom to jump on the train to go into London with their friends.”
And as for the noise of passing trains? “Monday to Friday it’s mostly very quiet. I used to live in Finchley Road in London and the cars whizzing past were more of an issue than the trains here.”
Like the sellers, the agents believe that the house would suit another commuter looking to streamline their journey into London. “Imagine the convenience of being able to easily travel to London while still enjoying the tranquillity of village life,” they say. “There is no excuse to miss your train here.”
