Grassmount, Forest Hill SE23
Midcentury town house
Architect: Unknown to me
Year built: 1960s

The fact that this house was in a development called “Grassmount” accessed by a road called “Taymount Rise” coupled with its listing which boasted of “views across London” should have prepared me for the very steep hill that it was necessary to climb in order to reach the front door. Unfortunately, there are few activities that I dislike more than climbing steep hills or staircases so I’d pretty much decided that this house was a no before we’d even been inside.

This was a shame because the house was beautiful. For a 1960s mid century townhouse, it was unusually wide and substantial with an open plan kitchen/diner and small living room on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom on each of the first and second floors.

The front garden and at the rear were beautifully landscaped and kept and the decor was as exactly I’d have had it if I had the confidence to go for such a rich, dark colour palette. Appliances and things like the windows and patio doors looked expensive and satisfyingly chunky.

The only change I’d have made would be to convert one of the first floor bedrooms back into the main living room by removing a partition wall and use the small living room on the ground floor as a study. But that would literally have been it – everything down to the cork flooring to the colour of the front door was perfect.

The perfection of the house was reflected in the relatively high price, which seemed fair enough for a substantial house with a decent amount of space that had undergone a great renovation job. I had to remind myself of that steep hill to stop myself from being tempted.