New Property In Westminster’s Historic Ashley Gardens

Some property buyers are looking for a home with more than a little wow factor. Our new instruction, at London’s stunning Ashley Gardens, more than fits that bill. Based in the heart of London’s exclusive and historic Westminster, this home is distinctive, to say the least. Located within a short walk of Westminster Cathedral, the building shares the same design cues and brickwork as its illustrious and iconic neighbour. Ashley Gardens is situated next to Morpeth Mansions, the former home of illustrious characters such as Lloyd George and, most famously, Winston Churchill.

The Property

We are delighted to offer for sale this contemporary architect designed two double bedrooms, two-bathroom apartment located in the prestigious Ashley Gardens.

The property benefits from – high ceilings and sash windows – and the modern needs of a home. The design makes optimal use of the provided space, with neat design features and a vast array of built-in cupboards.

The property has been created with little expense spared, with hardwood flooring throughout (apart from the tiled bathroom) and neutral décor.

There is an open plan kitchen/living room with a modern, well thought out kitchen, which provides ample storage options, and everything that an amateur chef could need. The room benefits from well-placed sash windows which provide welcome natural light.

There is a master bedroom with ensuite and a smaller bedroom that will easily accommodate additional guests. As well as the ensuite in the master bedroom, there is also a separate bathroom complete with shower and WC.

All in all, this is a well thought out apartment that optimally uses its space. The modern feel is complemented by the apartment’s period features, and the amazing location means that this home will not be around for long!
Amenities
Located in Westminster, the property is surrounded by numerous travel and entertainment options. The property has several underground and overground stations within walking distance, not to mention the bus links. There are also historic monuments galore, many of which will be on your doorstep, including Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. There is easy access to other fantastic local amenities such as amazing schools (the property is a short walk to Westminster School) and an array of gyms, there are also a surprising number of supermarkets located close by, including a large Sainsbury’s that is 10 minutes away. Like to eat out? There are numerous highly regarded restaurants located close by, including Michelin starred A. Wong and the ever-popular pizzeria Franco Manca. The area’s amenities mean it is incredibly vibrant while still managing to maintain a sense of historic importance as the focal point of Britain, as it has been for centuries.

While the local amenities are great, what about the amenities that come with the property itself? Well, for starters, there is a 24-hour porter, a modern video-phone entry system, a lift and even an estate manager to help to deal with problems quickly and efficiently. There is also a communal hot water system, the cost of which is included within the annual service charge for the property. As well as benefiting from this communal hot water supply, you will also benefit from some of the lowest council tax rates in the country.

If you wish to find out more about this distinguished apartment, call AW Childs today.

American Icon To Play The Barbican

Cult American rocker Iggy Pop is set to play an exclusive show at local events hub, The Barbican Centre, on the 21st of November. The show, which is part of EFG London Jazz Festival 2019, is set to feature the singer’s newest album, Free, in its entirety. The album, Iggy’s 18th solo effort, has received critical press acclaim with NME noting “Free is a liberating collection that unshackles the star from his past and his insecurities, and slowly cracks open a door to version (sic) of the future that will inevitably arrive when he’s ready.”

The choice of venue is not really a surprise, The Barbican Centre has played host to many top names over the years and houses the world-renowned London Symphony Orchestra. It has also been renovated over the years to ensure that it provides one of the best acoustic backdrops in the capital. The centre is also famous for its art exhibitions and has featured such highlights as Jean-Michel Basquiat’s first-ever large scale exhibition in the UK. The show was so culturally important that elusive artist Banksy even created a mural close to the centre in order to pay homage to the late artist’s work. Basquiat’s distinct style certainly seems to have been a factor in the way that Banksy creates his work, and his mural is a fitting tribute to the tragic rise and fall of an American icon.

While this specific one-off gig is to be played at The Barbican Centre, the rest of the EFG London Jazz Festival is based at another thriving local arts hub, King’s Place. The North London centre will be home to nine days of music featuring artists from across the globe. Starting on the 15th of November and ending on the 24th, the festival offers a fantastic opportunity to enjoy live music from various acts across the jazz spectrum. As well as live music, there are also stunning audiovisual experiences and even shows aimed at getting kids into music from as young as three years old. 

Whatever your age group, there is something to see at EFG London Jazz Festival and it is a great opportunity for jazz lovers to explore the edges of the genre with performances from legends such as Courtney Pine and Omar Puente. 

The exhibition location really shows that our corner of London really is very culturally rich. As well as these venues, much of what is great about London’s art scene is right here on our doorstep. For culture vultures, this little corner of London is paradise.

Tickets

While tickets for Iggy Pop’s concert are now sold out, tickets for the EFG London Jazz Festival are available from King’s Place’s website here. There are a huge number of shows over the nine-day festival and there really is something to suit every age and every taste. So for more information, visit the King’s Place website and check out some of the amazing options that are available to see over festival period.

The Barbican Estate At 50

2019 marks a very special birthday for one of London’s truly iconic, if underappreciated, works of architecture. We are, of course, talking about the stunning Barbican Estate. While Britain had been victorious in the Second World War, in the capital, London, you would have struggled to tell. Much of the original City of London had been razed to the ground during repeated aerial bombardments and was desperately in need of reconstruction.

In 1957 the decision to build a brand new estate on the former ward of Cripplegate was taken. 35 acres (the eventual project would actually use 40) were given to the project which took 11 years (1965 to 1976) to complete. The architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon were tasked with creating the estate after their groundbreaking work on the nearby Golden Lane Estate. Their utopian, brutalist design was not without criticism; the design was ahead of its time and divides opinion to this day. The estate officially opened in 1969, though building work and improvements continued for years.

As well as being aesthetically pleasing with its wide-open spaces, stunning water features and intriguing architecture, the estate was also designed with its inhabitants in mind. Features such as a launderette, a nursery, one of London’s largest libraries and even a supermarket meant that the estate’s inhabitants had a great range of amenities on their doorstep which allowed them to have a better quality of life than was available in much of the rest of the city. Indeed the addition of a nursery encouraged the possibility of both parents going out to work, which was the dawn of a new world indeed, and somewhat rare before this point.

Fast Forward To Today

Due to its relatively high cost of rent (set by the City of London), the estate had always been inhabited by the city’s high earners. Today, the estate features many privately owned properties (the Right To Buy Act of 1980 meant that many former council-owned properties were sold) and is no longer under rent controls. This means that the Barbican Estate, as one of London’s iconic pieces of architecture, is priced at the higher end of the capital’s property market, but there are added benefits such as built-in heating that is free for the residents. There is also its location – being so close to the City of London means that many of its residents have very short commutes, saving them money.

The estate has been home to many who work in the city’s financial district and even some MPs. Today, the diverse nature of London is reflected in the estate’s inhabitants. Though priced at the upper end of the market, the estate is home to inhabitants from across the globe and has families of all shapes and sizes living there due to the close proximity of nurseries and schools. Also, somewhat out of keeping with the rest of London, there is a palpable sense of community that can only be fostered by people living in such close proximity and in such a beautiful setting.

The amazing thing about the Barbican Estate is that as the world changes around it, it has kept its appeal. This really is a testament to the quality and ingenuity of the original design. With the design being so far ahead of its time, it has taken the rest of London 50 years to catch up! The estate now sits within one of London’s most desirable areas, this certainly wasn’t the case when it was built. This, you have to say, is an incredible testament, as the development of the estate certainly appears to have positively affected the development of the area around it. 

The estate still has some fantastic amenities to this day including its own school, a church, a launderette, a nursery and the iconic Barbican cultural centre. All of this, as well as the incredibly well-kept gardens, a children’s playground and of course the iconic lake, means that to this day, the Barbican Estate is still one of London’s best places to live.

So, here at AW Childs, we salute the Barbican Estate on its half-century. With the estate based on our doorstep, we have years of experience helping people to move into this iconic piece of London’s architectural heritage, and hope that it will continue to grow in popularity as more and more people appreciate the quality and unique living experience that the Barbican Estate provides, 50 years after its groundbreaking inception.

Willoughby House, Barbican

Sometimes a very rare property comes onto the market. A place that has a real wow factor, and could have only been completed by someone who had the vision to create something totally different. Here at AW Childs, we have been tasked with selling a property that fits this description perfectly. Based on our doorstep here in the Barbican, this extremely rare and very unique two bedroom penthouse apartment is the ideal home for those who want space, views and an ideal location in the City of London.

Based over three floors (the fifth, sixth and seventh) of Willoughby House, part of the brutalist masterpiece which is the Barbican Estate, the property benefits from not only amazing amounts of internal space (1,023 sq ft) but also benefits from a rooftop terrace that affords a stunning vista of the City of London – including many of its architectural masterpieces such as The Gherkin. Of course, you do not have to look outside of the Barbican Estate for amazing views, the estate itself is a stunning piece of architecture that you can enjoy from the property.

The home really is stunning and is an ideal example of what can be achieved when there is a spirit to create perfection. This home is not only stunning because of what it is, but it is also stunning because of the high specification of the finish.

The home is ideal for professionals, couples, growing families or even as an investment property. We have previously facilitated the letting on this property so know it, and the vendor, well. Get in touch if you wish to talk about the investment possibility that comes with this property and we can give you a detailed breakdown of rental costs and potential yields.

The Property

While the location is ideal, the finish of the property is even better. While it could be easy to lose the feel of a home when it is based over three floors, the care and attention that has been paid here help to ensure a seamless transition from one floor to the next. So, where do we start? Well, you enter the property on the fifth floor and are greeted by the entrance hall which has a coat cupboard and a set of stairs leading you to the main living area. The main living area consists of a west-facing, spacious living room (plenty of room to entertain) with stunning views of the Barbican Estate and its stunning lake (the view is directly above the lake), and also a modern, spacious kitchen featuring gloss worktops and cupboards. The kitchen also features integrated appliances to keep visual clutter to a minimum and maintain the sleek, modern look. A Bosch oven and separate microwave are integrated into the kitchen to ensure maximal usage of space. There is also an electric hob that ensures efficient and easy to clean cooking for the chef of the household.

Between the fifth and sixth floor is a half-landing that houses the large, updated bathroom. The room has been tastefully updated and provides a shower, bath and separate WC. The room is easily big enough to cater to the needs of a growing family if required.

Moving to the sixth floor, there is the second of the double bedrooms, which is spacious and comfortable. Ideal for a growing family, the second bedroom offers plenty of options for guests and family members.

Now onto arguably the best feature of the property: the seventh floor. On this floor are the master bedroom and the rooftop terrace. The master bedroom is extremely spacious and features huge windows that allow in huge amounts of natural light. Being behind the terrace, the room is also well hidden for those who love natural light but also value privacy. The bedroom leads directly out onto the terrace which, due to its size, will comfortably allow several adults to sit outside and enjoy those summer evenings spent just enjoying the amazing views of the cityscape around them.

The Area

One of the major attractions of this property is the area in which it is based: the Barbican. Housed inside the Grade II listed Barbican Estate, this home benefits from not only the amazing architecture of the Chamberlin, Powell & Bon designed estate that features a lake and gardens, but also the wider attractions of this most vibrant area of the City of London. There are amazing bars, cafes, shops and even world-renowned cultural hubs such as the Barbican Centre on your doorstep. You are also walking distance from the buzzing neighbourhood of Clerkenwell and the incredible Smithfield Market. For those who love city living, this property really is second to none.

For those who live in the city, transport is vital. This property is also ideal for those who need to travel into the city for work or perhaps even further afield. The following stations are all within easy reach of the property: Barbican (Hammersmith & City, Circle and Metropolitan Lines) and Moorgate (Northern, Hammersmith & City, Circle and Metropolitan Lines). Crossrail will also be connected to Farringdon once completed and will allow for quick fuss-free travel across London. There will be excellent links to both Berkshire and Essex, and there will also be direct trains to Heathrow, allowing an easy way to jet off for business or leisure. Due to its location, getting around the city could not be easier.

Get In Touch

Properties such as these do not come onto the market very often. This property, in particular, is an incredibly rare gem in an ideal location. If you wish to know more then call AW Childs estate agents today on 0203 693 9444 for more information. We have looked after this home as a rental property for many years and are very well placed to help. So call today or email us at [email protected] and a member of our team will be happy to help you with your query.