Prime Central London villages come to life at Christmas

Christmas is the time of year across Prime Central London when retailers transform their shop exteriors with wonderful lighting and sophisticated decorations and tempt passers-by and shoppers inside with evocative seasonal smells and treats. There is a mood of festive cheer with shop owners and shoppers taking time to stop, chat and savour the time of year.

Marylebone in Prime Central London decorated for Christmas | Image AdobeStock

Where are the villages of Prime Central London?

Across Prime Central London, you will find areas that have evolved into relaxed village settings. This did not happen by accident but from strategic design on the part of innovative landlords recognising that their biggest asset was on their doorstep via the shop front. Howard de Walden provided the template for a ‘destination street’ with the transformation of Marylebone High Street. Since then, we have seen the same process unravel across some of London’s key post codes. Mount Street and Elizabeth Street under the guidance of The Grosvenor Estate, Chiltern Street with The Portman Estate and most recently, Pavilion Road with Cadogan Estates.

Marylebone in Prime Central London decorated for Christmas — Marylebone decorated for Christmas, London | Image AdobeStock

Eat, shop and drink – and enjoy Christmas

In each case, a careful strategy has been implemented which has seen independent retailers opening specialist shops, cafes, bars etc and as a result, these streets have become increasingly desirable with both a domestic and international crowd. And as they have become more appealing as places to go to eat, shop and drink…so too have they become more popular as places in which to live and that has led to steady price increases in each of the local areas. These carefully crafted areas really come into their own during the Christmas period.

Scott's in Mayfair, prime Central London — Christmas at Scott’s in Mayfair, Prime Central London | Image DBPR

Mayfair now a characterful London ‘village’

Mayfair has undergone and continues to undergo a radical transformation creating a unique characterful ‘independent village’ backed by the major landlord – the Grosvenor Estate, which is committed to creating a bespoke shopping and social hub with a distinctive character. As you walk around Mayfair you will often see the front façade of a listed building being propped up by scaffolding, yet behind everything has been knocked down only to be reconfigured and inside everything is brand new creating a perfect layout designed to entice and appeal to the discerning shopper, the happy ‘moocher’ or the fortunate resident.

A Mayfair Christmas in Prime London | Image AdobeStock

Green spaces – public and private

At this time of year hidden gardens and private green spaces come into their own in Prime Central London. Mayfair and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea are particularly good for secluded garden squares and private communal gardens, many are decorated with attractive Christmas lights and a meeting place for carol singers and yuletide gatherings. These tucked away pockets of relaxing outdoor green space within a busy cosmopolitan area bring a certain village charm and calm. However, houses and apartments that overlook a communal garden can enjoy a pretty wintery view at this time of year.

Memories of summer in Mount Street Gardens, Mayfair

by Simon Barnes

London property – Should I sell or buy now?

London property expert Simon Barnes, owner of H.Barnes & Co, looks at the prime central London property market and asks if October and November is a good time to buy or sell your London property; what issues will affect your decision to act now and whether or not you are best to wait until next year.

“In Prime Central London, October and November is a good time to sell London property because, after this, stock becomes limited. Sellers who have not sold by mid-November will inevitably sit tight until the spring. Current market conditions mean that price is key for buyers looking in London.

London property in Montpelier Walk, Knightsbridge — H. Barnes & Co is joint selling agent with Knight Frank’s Knightsbridge office for this £22.5m penthouse in Montpelier Walk, Knightsbridge, London SW7

If a London property which came on the market in September has still not sold, it’s more than likely to be too expensive and this creates a degree of ‘wiggle room’ for determined buyers.

Serious buyers are educated buyers and will have a keen eye for which properties are overpriced and which are priced to sell. They will have a good grasp of their market place. However, the flip side of waiting too long for prices to come down is that anything could happen by the end of the year and that may work against them as well as for them.

London Property in January

Come January, new properties will make their way onto the market and those which were available before Christmas but did not sell, will be jostling with competition from fresh stock and more likely to increase their asking prices to reflect the prices of new to market instructions. So a word of caution is that by leaving it until 2019 buyers may risk losing their window of negotiation with a seller who is desperate to agree a sale before this year ends.

Savvy buying agents know that estate agents have the ability to dig deep and reach for a second file at this time of year. In real terms, serious buyers having looked and rejected everything on the market now will be a reason for agents to pick up the phone, delve into their property bank and potentially uncover a few ‘not officially on the market’ properties.

We are always busy from now until Christmas trying to negotiate property deals before the New Year for clients who want to enjoy Christmas knowing that they have their new home all wrapped up. Like a lot of business in London, it comes down to who you know as much as what you know and on that note, I’d say that if you are determined to buy before Christmas there’s no time like the present.”

London Property: H. Barnes & Co is joint selling agent with Knight Frank’s Knightsbridge office for this £22.5m penthouse in Montpelier Walk, Knightsbridge, London SW7

by Simon Barnes

How lateral space in London adds up

“In Prime Central London (PCL) one thing is a fact; lateral space is rare, sought after and expensive.” says Simon Barnes of H. Barnes and Co. “Around Hyde Park Corner one can expect to pay around £5000 per square foot, as you move further out the land becomes cheaper and that is reflected in the asking price.

Traditionally London is full of tall narrow townhouses, deemed by overseas buyers to be quintessentially English and desirable; in reality everyday life is better lived over two floors than five. Asian buyers prefer new build, Eastern Europeans prefer the imposing stucco-fronted grand townhouses found in Belgravia and Knightsbridge. Space here is at a premium and finding a good lateral house is extremely hard.

Buyers in search of a more practical lateral floorplate find it hard to secure anything suitable in the heart of Prime Central London, so they start to widen their search and compromise on location. Hampstead and Highgate offer a better choice for those wanting detached family houses laid out over two or three floors, which can easily accommodate Middle Eastern and Indian families, with maybe three generation or several families under one generous roof.

The problem across PCL is that invariably many substantial properties are listed and therefore works and reconfiguration of the living space is restricted, meaning that rooms look out of proportion when carved up, partition walls don’t work and you end up spending vast sums of money for a second rate layout. The truth is that narrow buildings do not convert well. Today, Grosvenor Square in Mayfair is a rare example of a reconfigured building converted into great lateral space.

This is where mansion blocks tick the right box; purpose built, practical, well built and designed, with efficient heating, plumbing, good sound proofing and insulation. Eaton Square and Eaton Place offer some good flats for those in search of a premier postcode.

Years ago, I recall the best flat in London at the time in Eaton Square being sold – it was a first floor apartment spread out across four buildings. Recently, a flat in Knightsbridge comprising around 7,000 square feet sold for around £10,000 per square feet, double the going rate, because it offered exceptional rare lateral space in such a prestigious location.”

by Simon Barnes

Stuck on stucco in prime central London

Simon Barnes explains why the stucco fronted house in Prime Central London is seen as a status symbol by international buyers

“Regent’s Park offers some of London’s most desirable and iconic stucco-fronted houses; crescents of period Nash built properties looking out across the vast green space of Regent’s Park. For international buyers London’s stucco fronted homes represent a status symbol with their imposing grand facades, pillars and ornate front doors.

The Royal Parks and Crown Estate who manage the buildings are most diligent about the upkeep and external appearance, so the properties are immaculately presented with paint in a uniform shade and all kept in tip top condition.

The quiet streets of Belgravia with Eaton Square and Chester Square boast grand stucco facades, long favoured by the aristocracy and the great and the good, including the Late Baroness Thatcher, who was a long term resident of a stucco townhouse in Chester Square.

Over the centuries, these traditional period townhouses have remained largely unchanged in layout. They tend to be tall and narrow with similar floorplates – staircases leading off a narrow deep hallway and a main L-shaped reception room; neither particularly inspiring or practical and because they are usually listed, alterations and reconfiguration is very restricted.

Stucco fronted ‘trophy homes”

Buyers from overseas are seduced by the symmetry and grandeur of the stucco facades, which they consider typical of London’s finest residential offering. They overlook the impractical design, lack of lateral space and listed status and perhaps because many of them do not use the property as a main home, but own several homes around the world, they are able to accept the imperfections safe in the knowledge that they are happily stuck with one of London’s trophy homes.”

About Stucco – from Wikipedia

Stucco is a material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture.

Read more here

by Simon Barnes

The most desirable streets in Prime Central London

Property expert Simon Barnes gives a low down on some of the most desirable streets in Prime Central London

“Property in prime central London is a two-tier market:

The first tier is made up of a limited number of properties in most price ranges which can be found in the right condition and perfect location and which, are offered at the proper price.
The second tier consists of a large number properties located ‘on the fringe’, perhaps on the wrong side of the street, lacking key amenities or not presented in absolutely the best condition.”

ON MAYFAIR

Charles Street - London's most desirable streets — Charles Street, Mayfair

Simon Barnes says: “There are really only ten most desirable streets in Mayfair.” Here are Simon’s top four:

Charles Street – Simon Barnes says: “A street with houses that contrast in style and architectural features, with some narrower than others. At the rear, you will see that others back closely onto houses in Hay’s Mews to the north and Clarges Mews to the south.”

Upper Grosvenor Street – “Refined elegance with some fine houses, this is old Mayfair as we know it.”

Mount Street – “Now rivalling Bond Street as a chic shopping destination with stylish flagship boutiques and heritage brands – Mount Street has a vibrant village feel.”

Green Street – Simon Barnes says: “In reality, even in the prestigious location Green Street, Mayfair there are perhaps only four or five houses that I would recommend buyers view.”

ON KENSINGTON

Simon Barnes says: “It’s the same story in Kensington.

Holland Villas Road – houses on one side of Holland Villas Road back on to the noisy Holland Road, while houses on the other side back onto the very much quieter large houses of Addison Road.”

ON BELGRAVIA

Simon Barnes says: “At first glance the houses lining the smart streets in Belgravia appear identical.

Cadogan Place – “One of Belgravia’s most desirable and prestigious streets. At the eastern end houses are white stucco fronted buildings, yet at the southerly end they are plainer with brick facades. While the white facades may seem attractive, all these houses back closely onto their mews houses. The brick fronted houses are much better; more space at the rear, quieter and altogether a better location.”