Seven Kings, Ilford, is in the north-east London borough of Redbridge
(Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)The name probably isn’t familiar, and in many ways Seven Kings is the land Crossrail forgot.
No big bang housing developments, no trendy artisanal cafes, no new arts venues. Perhaps because — unlike other stops along the line — there weren’t acres of unloved industrial land to build on, and nothing terribly wrong with this pleasant and family friendly suburb to start off with.
The reason buyers should get to know Seven Kings is its prices.
Sukhbir Basra, office manager at Edward Chase estate agents, estimates that you could buy one of the area’s 1970s three bedroom semis for around £500,000 to £550,000. A two bedroom converted flat would cost around £350,000, while you could get a (slightly smaller) purpose built flat from around £325,000.
Average house prices since work on Crossrail started
2012: £262,910
2022: £441,350
Growth: 68 per cent
Source: Hamptons
There are also a few streets of Victorian houses, around Meads Lane, although these come up rarely and are snapped up.
Overall, prices have increased by just over five per cent in the past two years.
For renters, a two bedroom flat would cost around £1,200pcm.
“The market now is in a boom, because of Covid-19,” said Basra. “The typical buyer is swapping a flat somewhere like Mile End or East Ham for a whole house. They can get more for their money and in a quieter area.”
Basra concedes that Crossrail hasn’t brought any major developments to the area — “there isn’t really any land for it” — or upped the ante in terms of shops and cafes. “The only thing that has really changed is the station,” he said.
But there are benefits to Seven Kings, value for money aside.
Green space is plentiful, what with South Park and Seven Kings Park, and you can feast at some of the outstanding neighbourhood restaurants like the Asian fusion Wok Wala Street Kitchen and Colony Restaurant, which serves Indian-inspired street food – both are on the High Road.
Crossrail journey times
Seven Kings to Tottenham Court Road: 34 minutes
Seven Kings to Paddington: 39 minutes
Seven Kings to Heathrow: from 75 minutes
Timings include ten minutes for interchange at Liverpool Street, eight minutes for interchange at Paddington, in force until 2023
For shopping or nightlife, you’re looking at Stratford or an uber to Wanstead, four miles away.
The future for Seven Kings
Business as usual, we suspect. The planning pipeline for the area is pretty threadbare although Redbridge Council is backing plans to redevelop a council owned car park on the high road into just over 200 flats plus some form of health centre. There is, as yet, no start date for the work.
