2 bed Flat For Sale £1,400,000
Located on Vicarage Gate, a quiet street a short walk from Kensington Gardens, is this beautiful two-bedroom mid-century apartment. Built in 1951, the building named Festival House and drew its overarching aesthetic, as well as its name, from the hugely influential Festival of Britain, held on London’s Southbank in the summer of 1951. This apartment is located on the fourth floor and has been sensitively modernised by the current owner with the help of architect Tom Rowland; together they have preserved the original mid-century details to emphasise a sense of calm throughout. ‘Marmoreal’ terrazzo fittings by Max Lamb have been introduced to add splashes of colour against the more traditional materials and fixtures, which include oak parquet floorboards and Crittall windows.
The Tour
The building is ideally positioned on a quiet residential street between Kensington Church Street and Kensington Palace Gardens. The area is characterised by Georgian and Victorian terraces, largely formed of white stucco and brick. As such, Vicarage Gate presents a welcome contrast to the rest of the street with its wonderfully understated façade of simple teal brickwork, Crittall windows and jutting balconies.
A recessed entrance foyer at raised ground level leads to the lobby, which remains in its carefully maintained, largely original condition. A beautiful reconditioned lift with a manual sliding door rises up to the apartment. Immediately opposite the front door lies a contemporary kitchen with solid oak units and worktops, a raised breakfast bar and smart terrazzo casing by Max Lamb around the extraction fan. A glazed Crittall door invites light in from the rear of the building, and cork tiles run underfoot.
The hallway leads through to the living and dining rooms which are partitioned by a large set of internal aluminium-framed windows and glazed doors. In the living room, original herringbone parquet flooring runs underfoot and there is a unique terrazzo hearth. The room is incredibly bright, thanks to the glazed doors leading out to the east-facing balcony. The current owners nurture a small garden of potted plants here and cite it as the perfect spot for a morning coffee. The dining room adjoins the living room and is a flexible space, ideal for everything from entertaining to working from home. There are fitted oak cupboards along one aspect and a fitted oak desk along the other.
At the opposite end of the hallway, there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. The main bedroom is generously sized and has west-facing windows, fitted wardrobes and a solid oak headboard with integrated lighting and terrazzo side tables. The second bedroom has a slightly pitched roof and a further set of fitted wardrobes. Both spaces have cork floors. The bathroom is home to an iroko bath and a sink of Max Lamb terrazzo, illuminated by a skylight directly above.
The Area
Vicarage Gate is a quiet residential street tucked between Holland Park and Kensington Gardens, two of London’s finest green spaces. Swimming at the nearby Serpentine is possible year-round. The neighbourhood is excellently located for numerous galleries, museums, restaurants and cafes. Of particular note are the Design Museum, recently refurbished to a design by John Pawson; Japan House, the home of Japanese craft and design with a changing programme of exhibitions and performances; the Serpentine Gallery and the V&A. The Gate Picturehouse is a beautiful Edwardian cinema nearby which has been running since 1911, while the Gate, Tabernacle and Coronet theatres are all close by.
Farmers’ markets run weekly at Notting Hill on Saturdays and Kensington on Sundays, while the renowned daily Portobello Market is home to fruit and vegetable stands and flowers traders. There is a Whole Foods at the bottom of the road, as well as many other supermarkets including Sainsbury’s Local. A fantastic array of restaurants are nearby, including da Maria, Sally Clarke, Maggie Jones’s, Taqueria, Ottolenghi, Dishoom, The Churchill Arms and Mandarin Kitchen. Another local favourite is Books for Cooks, a bookshop that runs a popular menu based on cookbooks they sell.
The closest stations are High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate, running District and Circle, and Central Line services respectively.
Tenure: Leasehold with Share of Freehold
Lease: Approx. 66 years remaining (the lease on the apartment is about to be extended to 999 years)
Service charge: Approx. £2,500 per annum
Council Tax Band: D
The Tour
The building is ideally positioned on a quiet residential street between Kensington Church Street and Kensington Palace Gardens. The area is characterised by Georgian and Victorian terraces, largely formed of white stucco and brick. As such, Vicarage Gate presents a welcome contrast to the rest of the street with its wonderfully understated façade of simple teal brickwork, Crittall windows and jutting balconies.
A recessed entrance foyer at raised ground level leads to the lobby, which remains in its carefully maintained, largely original condition. A beautiful reconditioned lift with a manual sliding door rises up to the apartment. Immediately opposite the front door lies a contemporary kitchen with solid oak units and worktops, a raised breakfast bar and smart terrazzo casing by Max Lamb around the extraction fan. A glazed Crittall door invites light in from the rear of the building, and cork tiles run underfoot.
The hallway leads through to the living and dining rooms which are partitioned by a large set of internal aluminium-framed windows and glazed doors. In the living room, original herringbone parquet flooring runs underfoot and there is a unique terrazzo hearth. The room is incredibly bright, thanks to the glazed doors leading out to the east-facing balcony. The current owners nurture a small garden of potted plants here and cite it as the perfect spot for a morning coffee. The dining room adjoins the living room and is a flexible space, ideal for everything from entertaining to working from home. There are fitted oak cupboards along one aspect and a fitted oak desk along the other.
At the opposite end of the hallway, there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. The main bedroom is generously sized and has west-facing windows, fitted wardrobes and a solid oak headboard with integrated lighting and terrazzo side tables. The second bedroom has a slightly pitched roof and a further set of fitted wardrobes. Both spaces have cork floors. The bathroom is home to an iroko bath and a sink of Max Lamb terrazzo, illuminated by a skylight directly above.
The Area
Vicarage Gate is a quiet residential street tucked between Holland Park and Kensington Gardens, two of London’s finest green spaces. Swimming at the nearby Serpentine is possible year-round. The neighbourhood is excellently located for numerous galleries, museums, restaurants and cafes. Of particular note are the Design Museum, recently refurbished to a design by John Pawson; Japan House, the home of Japanese craft and design with a changing programme of exhibitions and performances; the Serpentine Gallery and the V&A. The Gate Picturehouse is a beautiful Edwardian cinema nearby which has been running since 1911, while the Gate, Tabernacle and Coronet theatres are all close by.
Farmers’ markets run weekly at Notting Hill on Saturdays and Kensington on Sundays, while the renowned daily Portobello Market is home to fruit and vegetable stands and flowers traders. There is a Whole Foods at the bottom of the road, as well as many other supermarkets including Sainsbury’s Local. A fantastic array of restaurants are nearby, including da Maria, Sally Clarke, Maggie Jones’s, Taqueria, Ottolenghi, Dishoom, The Churchill Arms and Mandarin Kitchen. Another local favourite is Books for Cooks, a bookshop that runs a popular menu based on cookbooks they sell.
The closest stations are High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate, running District and Circle, and Central Line services respectively.
Tenure: Leasehold with Share of Freehold
Lease: Approx. 66 years remaining (the lease on the apartment is about to be extended to 999 years)
Service charge: Approx. £2,500 per annum
Council Tax Band: D
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