“A perfect pairing of period elegance with modern interventions”
This beautifully appointed three-bedroom maisonette is within a Grade II-listed Victorian villa in north Maida Vale. Originally built in 1860, the space has been comprehensively and sensitively refurbished by the current owners, resulting in a seamless mix of original features and contemporary additions. The maisonette is characterised by soaring ceilings and unfolds over raised and lower ground floors. A large and private walled garden extends from the rear. Little Venice, Paddington Recreation Ground, and Queen’s Park are all within reach.
The Tour
The building is set back from the street behind a brick parapet wall and a garden. A front path with steps laid in diamond-shaped checkerboard tiles leads to the communal front door, complete with fleur de lis frosting. Beyond a shared lobby and the private front door is a welcoming hallway, laid with engineered oak that extends underfoot from the entrance. Ornate cornicing and handmade iron radiators speak to the building’s history and are seen throughout the plan.
At the front of the plan is the reception room. The walls, painted in warm ‘Setting Plaster’ by Farrow & Ball, are illuminated by the light that tumbles through a towering bay window. Original wooden shutters sit alongside picture rails and cornicing, complementing the recently added ornate tiling which surrounds the fireplace. An elegant, sweeping stairway with wrought iron spindles and a tactile natural oak handrail leads from the adjacent hallway to the lower floor.
Downstairs, the main room is arranged in an open plan with separate kitchen and dining areas. On entering the space, the eye is immediately drawn to the garden through a large oriel window with slender black frames that pop out of the rear façade; here, a deep window seat is ideal for a morning coffee with a garden view. A dining space is currently configured in front of the window, making the most of the wonderful outlook.
The kitchen lies opposite, defined by an impressive island with a waterfall quartz countertop. Matt black cabinetry creates a sophisticated yet understated look, enlivened by brass fixtures and fittings. A wonderful larder cupboard sits alongside an AEG oven and integrated appliances. Black-framed double doors open invitingly from here into the garden.
Also on this floor is the main bedroom, with timber-effect three-band parquet flooring and two sash windows that look out to the front garden. A wall of wardrobes finished with brass pull handles provides a copious amount of storage. An en suite is decorated with square porcelain tiles and has a walk-in shower set behind silver-framed glass screens. There is also a separate bathroom on this level, along with a well-finished utility room that opens to the front garden, where a useful storeroom is located.
There are two further bedrooms back upstairs. The double bedroom has high ceilings and built-in wardrobes on either side of the fluorescent yellow-painted stone fire surround. The neighbouring single bedroom is currently used as a home office and has a wall of open shelving along with floor-level cabinetry. An expansive sash window with original shutters looks out over the rear garden. Sitting just off the hallway is a useful WC, completing the upper level plan.
Outdoor Space
A large and private walled garden extends beyond the kitchen and dining room, surrounded by aged bricks and filled with established planting. The garden is set within the wider boundaries of a communal garden that runs between Oxford Road and Cambridge Avenue. Hydrangea, ferns, rosemary, black grasses, cherry blossom and bay provide year-round colour and interest. Ivy climbs along the rear wall while mature eucalyptus and beech trees cast shade across a quiet corner. The secluded garden offers plenty of space for al fresco dining and there is scope for additional planting. The owners have received planning consent to install a single storey outbuilding to one corner of the garden.
The private garden is enviably situated within a substantial communal garden for sole use by the residents of Oxford Road and Cambridge Avenue. This communal area is secluded and flows between the space to the rear of both terraces.
The Area
Oxford Road is positioned a 20 minute walk from the open spaces, lawns and tree-lined boulevards of Queen’s Park. The park spans over 30 acres and has tennis courts, an ornamental garden and a children’s playground. The ever popular Salusbury Road lies just east of Queen’s Park, and is home to a wide range of shops, cafés and restaurants, including independent Queens Park Books, Planet Organic, Provenance Butchers, Queen’s Park Books and both the Salusbury Wine Shop and The Salusbury Deli. A weekly farmers’ market is located at the primary school on the same road, while the popular Alice House and Salusbury Pub are recommended for food and drinks. Elgin Avenue in Maida Vale is less than a 10 minute walk from Oxford Road, and is home to a Gail’s bakery, The Elgin Gastro Pub, and a wide array of shops and cafés. Just off Salusbury Road is Lonsdale Street; laid with cobbles and lined with converted stables, it’s home to Milk Beach, a restaurant and bar, and Wolfpack, a taproom. There is also a farmers’ market held here each Sunday. Lonsdale Road is a popular destination with locals who frequent its bars, cafés and restaurants that often spill out to the street in warmer weather.
Paddington Recreation Ground is a five minute walk south of Oxford Road; spanning 27 acres, it is the largest area of parkland in the City of Westminster, and is centred by a 19th Century Pavilion that overlooks a green and a cricket pitch. There are tennis courts, a nature trail, children’s play areas, and a health and fitness centre. There is a running track where Roger Bannister trained for his record breaking four minute mile, and a café that sells ice creams for more languid pursuits.
Little Venice is a 25 minute walk south, or alternatively two stops south on the Bakerloo Line from Kilburn Park to Warwick Avenue. Situated close to Paddington Central, Little Venice is where the Regent’s Canal and Grand Union Canal meet – an afternoon can be well-spent meandering the canal paths, or visiting the Puppet Barge Theatre, before stopping for lunch or a coffee in one of the cafés, bars or restaurants set around the basin of the Grand Union Canal.
Oxford Road is well placed for access to the public transport network: Kilburn Park (Bakerloo Line) is less than five minutes walk south, while Kilburn High Road (Overground) lies around three minutes walk north. Numerous bus routes serve the area.
Tenure: Share of Freehold
Lease Length: approx 900 years remaining
Service Charge: approx £1,600 per annum
Council Tax Band: E
Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.