Sherrard Road, Forest Gate, London, E7

Set in the heart of popular Forest Gate, this welcoming Victorian house ticks all the boxes for location, being close to good transport links, green spaces, and outstanding schools. There’s a lot to offer on the inside, too, from a bright open plan double reception, sanded floorboards and well-crafted bespoke storage, to a sunny, professionally landscaped garden.

From the friendly, tree-lined street, you’re met by a white-painted rendered Victorian frontage, with stone lintels, sills and columns to the bay windows. Shielded by a low wall with metal railings, the paved front garden leads you to a recessed porch and the dove-grey-painted front door, with glass panels and a transom.

STEP INSIDE – OPEN OUTLOOK

Clad with white-painted shiplap panelling, an anteroom leads to the open-plan double reception. Flooded with south-facing sunshine from the tall front bay, it offers a fantastic sightline all the way out to the garden, through almost full-height French doors at the rear.

The layout is zoned for relaxing and dining, with a bespoke media unit and shelving in the living area. There’s also an understairs cupboard and space for coats and shoes. Other details include attractive grey patterned Nikea Sephia tiles around a central pillar, a pair of radiators, and a trio of pendant lights.

Walk through to the kitchen, where white modern cabinetry with stylish cut-away handles pairs with a solid wood worktop and further grey Nikea Sephia tiles to the splashback, echoing the grey painted concrete floor.

Enjoy a view out to the garden through a side-facing window above a one-and-a-half-bowl ceramic sink with chrome mixer tap and flexi hose. There’s open shelving for extra storage and display, and integrated appliances include a Zanussi double oven and a [BRAND?] four-ring gas hob with concealed extractor, along with space for a freestanding American-style fridge-freezer.

Continue past a separate useful storage cupboard that also houses the boiler, to reach the family bathroom.

Fully tiled with glossy white dappled wall tiling and stone-toned floor tiles, the room is lit by a rear-facing window with obscured glass. There’s a bath with a rainfall shower and a wood-effect panel, while a pedestal basin with a chrome mixer tap, and a traditional-style loo with a timber seat complete the suite.

Head to the first floor via a staircase with grey-painted treads, spindles and a bannister. Sanded floorboards begin on the landing here and flow into all three double bedrooms, while the doors have brass handles and have been stripped to highlight the characterful grain.

In the serene primary bedroom, a beautiful wall of bespoke cabinetry with birch-ply internal drawers, shelves, and rails has been painted a soft pale neutral shade to match the walls. The understated scheme also includes a radiator and a central pendant fitting.

The second bedroom lies adjacent and features sunny, muted-ochre walls and a view of the side-return courtyard through a wide casement window, with a bespoke red ticking fabric Roman blind and a long radiator beneath.

To the rear, the third bedroom has an equally cheerful décor scheme, with walls in a soft sky-blue and a bespoke Roman blind in Dino Multi fabric by Cath Kidston to the garden-facing window. You’ll also find a radiator and central pendant fitting here.

STEP OUTSIDE – PROFFESSIONALLY DESIGNED

The 32-foot garden was landscaped three years ago, with planting specifically chosen by a garden designer to ensure year-long interest. Standout species include a lovely cherry tree (which provides a huge amount of fruit in the summer), a long-flowering rose, plus various grasses, lavender, Pittosporum, Euphorbia, oakleaf hydrangea, and hellebores for little pops of joy in the colder months.

The living room doors open to a brick-laid patio, before segueing to a grassy lawn. There’s a further, large brick-laid patio area to the rear, with space for seating, dining and barbecues, scented by a star jasmine climbing the slatted timber fencing. We’re told the sun works its way across the garden during the day, finishing close to the house for drinks at sunset.

A NOTE FROM THE OWNERS

‘We love the openness of our living area, and having the French doors open in the summer, looking out onto the garden. We also love the high ceilings and how generous the rooms all feel in size. Our favourite room, though, is our bedroom; the wardrobes are amazing.

This is the home we moved to in 2020, and by 2022 our daughter came into the world, it’s been the perfect place to raise her. The house is surrounded by families in a really community-oriented area, and it’s been a truly special place to start our own family.’

GETTING AROUND

Forest Gate (Elizabeth line) is just a 19-minute walk away for quick links to Heathrow, Paddington and Tottenham Court Road. Additionally, Woodgrange Park station (Overground) is an 11-minute walk, or reach Upton Park Tube (District line, Hammersmith & City) in just 21 minutes.

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Forest Gate is home to a growing mix of brunch spots, coffee shops and family-run eateries. The current owners particularly love Ramble Café for great coffee and toasties, Joyau (for excellent food and wine), and Cups & Jars, an eco-friendly grocery and café, for ‘the best croissants’. Other local sellers also recommend Fiore in the arches off Avenue Road, as well as Giovanni’s, Tipi Coffee Co, Tamping Grounds for coffee, and friendly pubs such as The Holly Tree and Leytonstone Tavern, a short walk away.

Nearby, the beautiful Wanstead Flats and Jubilee Pond provide a delightful environment for picnicking, jogging, or enjoying nature and wildlife.

The house is just over ten minutes’ walk from Plashet Park with its beautiful mature tree-lined walks, spring blossom, crocuses and daffodils, as well as ample sports facilities, including tennis and basketball courts, cricket nets, outdoor exercise machines, summer water fountains, a large playground and East London’s oldest bowls club.

In the corner of the park, you’ll find a local gem, Applecart Arts – a theatre, arts centre and licensed café hosting everything from comedy nights and yoga to music, pottery classes and children’s activities. Local sellers often recommend it for lunch or an evening drink.

Central Park Café is just over a 30-minute walk away and sells excellent homemade bread and pastries. The Denmark Arms, Red Lion and Boleyn Tavern pubs (the latter recently named one of ‘Britain's prettiest’ after a £1.5m refurb) can be reached by a similar length stroll.

SCHOOLS

The area is home to several schools rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, including Shaftesbury Primary School (12 minutes) and Essex Primary (17 minutes). St Stephen's School (which also offers a great day-care and nursery) is a 16-minute walk away and was named The Times State Primary School of the Year 2018.

Well-regarded secondaries nearby include Stratford School Academy, just 20 minutes on foot (rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted), and Plashet School for girls (‘Outstanding’), 19 minutes away. St Angela's Ursuline School – an ‘Outstanding’ Catholic school – and its equally well-rated counterpart, St Bonaventure's, are a 13 and 23-minute walk away.