BRICKWORKS SAYS

This distinguished two-bedroom apartment occupies the entire ground floor of an impressive Victorian villa dating to the mid-1800s on one of Finsbury Park’s smartest streets. With its large bay window at the front of the property and bi-fold doors leading to a private decked garden at the rear, each room is bathed in natural light.

The flat has undergone a full and sympathetic renovation within the last decade but the current owner has tinkered with colour and texture in clever ways to offset the otherwise pared-back finish: rich caramel cork flooring in the bathroom, for example, and minty green terrazzo tiles in the kitchen. The end result is a bright, modern home befitting its stately neighbours on lovely Wilberforce Road.

With two expansive parks equidistant from the property, and a plethora of leafy streets surrounding it, this corner of bustling Finsbury Park operates at a slower pace. That doesn’t mean it is disconnected from the action though, with several neighbourhood pubs nearby and two stations offering Overground, mainline and Tube services no more than 10-minute walk away.

POINTS TO CONSIDER

Energy Performance Certificate:

The EPC gives a current Energy Efficiency Rating: C.

Council Tax:

In the Borough of Hackney, the property falls into Council Tax Band D (£1,602 in 2021/22).

Tenure:

One of four in the building, the flat comes with share of freehold (118 years remain on the lease) and no service charge. Any repairs, if and when required, are split equally.

Utilities:

Currently monthly utility costs run at gas £60, electricity £60 and water £8.

Recent work:

The current owners moved into the newly renovated apartment seven years ago, but since then have replaced the tile floor in the bathroom with warm, soft ecologically-friendly cork, replaced the bath/shower tiles, laid new terrazzo tiles as the kitchen splash-back, installed extra thick soundproof glass in the bedroom bay window and laid decking in the garden, as well as building a raised bed and side beds and planted it from scratch.

THE OWNER SAYS

I honestly think Wilberforce Road is the loveliest street in London! It’s a broad, tree-lined street with barely any traffic, so much so that children can safely play in the road in summer time, and it’s very peaceful. Every time I turn onto the street, my shoulders drop, which is amazing given how close it is to the bustle of shops on Blackstock Road, and the buses and tube at Finsbury Park.

It’s also the most friendly street I’ve ever lived on. There’s a great sense of community, with people stopping to chat and looking out for their neighbours, but also a respect for privacy. The flat itself is just wonderful. It gets the morning sun streaming through the bay window in the master bedroom, and from about 10am until sunset, the living room and garden get loads of light.

Every room is incredibly spacious, and it’s been thoughtfully designed so it feels more like a bespoke apartment than a conversion. The bi-folds and doors from the back bedroom and living room onto the garden open up in good weather, and give a real feeling of flow through the space. Everyone else in the building is super friendly too. It’s been an absolute dream living here and starting a family in this flat, and I’ll be really sad to leave.