Pevensey Road, Forest Gate, London, E7

Blending reinstated period features with modern details, this beautifully presented four-bedroom Victorian terraced house is brimming with character. Located just moments from the green expanse of Wanstead Flats, it’s also walkable to the Elizabeth line and a host of independent shops and eateries.

Just six years ago, the previous owner renovated the house from top to bottom to an incredibly high standard. The house now features solid wood flooring, three well-appointed bathrooms, a huge modern dining kitchen extension, plenty of storage, elegant lighting, and rooms decorated in a Farrow & Ball and Lick heritage colour palette.

Set on a friendly tree-lined street, the house greets you with a traditional London Stock brick frontage, white-painted stone sills, lintels and foliage-topped columns, uPVC sash windows and a tall bay. Like the terracotta and black checkerboard path tiles and iron railings in the rose-filled front garden, the front door is reclaimed and painted dark green with brass furniture, pretty stained-glass panels and an overhead transom.

INSIDE – VICTORIAN CHARM MEETS CONTEMPORARY LIVING

In the hallway, dove-grey walls with a dado rail rise to a high ceiling with nicely detailed original coving and corbels and a pair of glass globe pendant lights. Underfoot, in a nod to those outside, terracotta and black hexagon tiles begin and flow through to the kitchen at the rear.

Enter the quiet and cosy living room through a door to your left. The bay window provides soft light, and stone-toned walls with panelling and picture rails meet a white coved ceiling for an elegant feel. A grand cast-iron fireplace with an original tiled surround and terracotta tiled hearth creates a focal point, while solid wood floorboards run underfoot. Other details include a tall column-style radiator, a ceiling pendant, and brass and glass wall lights for evening mood lighting.

Back in the hallway, you’ll pass handy bespoke understairs storage and a useful Tardis-like cloakroom with shelves to find the downstairs bathroom (one of three in the house) behind a reclaimed timber door with decorative stained-glass panel.

Glazed white elongated tiles in herringbone formation on the walls and blue-and-white patterned floor tiles provide the backdrop to a freestanding bath with claw feet, a basin with navy vanity, and a traditional-style loo. Currently used as a children’s bathroom, it could easily be reconfigured to serve as a utility, as the necessary plumbing is already in place.

From the hall, double-glazed French doors lead down tiled steps to the stunning 33-foot dining kitchen, which was extended in 2020. Five skylights and aluminium-framed triple bifold doors to the garden bathe this fabulous room in light (even in the winter). Spanning the entire width of the house, it has been cleverly zoned for cooking, dining, and relaxing – ideal for parties.

Natural materials, including exposed brick feature walls, solid wood flooring, and Spanish-style rustic tiles in the kitchen area, add visual warmth. The lighting has also been carefully considered and includes black cone-shaped wall lights, movable spots, and a trio of Industville Brooklyn glass funnel pendants over the island – all connected by stylish copper pipe conduit with brass sockets and switches.

Navy-blue modern shaker-style cabinetry with chrome cup handles and under-mounted lighting complement the solid wood worktop, a stone-topped island (which seats three), and white Zellige-style splashback tiles.

Integrated appliances (all less than six years old) include a fridge-freezer, dishwasher, double oven, washing machine and five-ring gas hob with black overhead extractor. There’s also a butler-style sink with a brass mixer tap and a pair of tall, white triple-column radiators. The boiler is also discreetly housed here.

Take the stairs with beautiful decorative polished wooden spindles to the first floor, where the neutral boucle hallway carpet segues into sanded floorboards in the primary front-facing bedroom.

Large enough for a super-king bed, it has room for integrated wardrobes if you wish to add them in the future, and is lit by a pair of new uPVC sash windows with bespoke Roman blinds, which frame a column-style radiator. The calming décor scheme includes off-white paintwork and a smoky-green feature wall, rising to a coved ceiling with a central pendant and an antique brass wall light.

Adjacent, you’ll find the grown-ups bathroom lit by a side-facing, part-frosted sash window with a stacked bespoke Roman blind and column-style radiator beneath. Newly fitted by the current owners, it features glazed off-white wall tiles paired with Emperador marble to the floor and neutral paintwork for a classic, tasteful look. The suite includes a bath with rainfall shower, shampoo attachment and frameless glass screen, a wide basin with storage vanity and chrome Burlington taps, and a traditional-style Burlington close-coupled loo.

The second double bedroom lies to the rear. With a whitewashed exposed brick wall and wooden floorboards, it enjoys views of the garden through a sash window with bespoke roller blinds. There’s also a central flush-mounted light and a column-style radiator. Take a second carpeted staircase to the second floor, which is filled with light from an overhead central skylight.

To the front, you’ll find the quiet and peaceful third bedroom, lit by a front-facing Velux and rear-facing casement window with treetop views. The walls and ceiling have been wonderfully colour-drenched in forest green for a cosy vibe, paired with the same wooden floorboards seen elsewhere. Other details include a panel-style modern radiator and glass wall light.

The third bathroom is next door, lit by another front-facing Velux. The décor scheme here includes geometric floor tiles Blue Vigo by Bert & May and sky-blue wall tiles, offsetting a shower with a glass screen, a sink with grey storage vanity, and a close-coupled loo. You’ll also find access to a deceptively roomy eaves storage space.

The fourth double bedroom overlooks the garden through a casement window with a fitted roller blind. It features neutral paintwork, wooden floors and a column-style radiator.

OUTSIDE – A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN ESCAPE MADE FOR ENTERTAINING

Extending 39 feet, the southeast-facing garden is enclosed by timber fencing and has areas for entertaining, relaxing and playing areas. The kitchen bi-folds open seamlessly to a sandstone paved patio, which leads to a lawn laid with good-quality artificial grass and a raised timber deck at the rear.

A NOTE FROM THE OWNERS

‘We immediately fell in love with Forest Gate – the house couldn’t be more perfectly located. Nestled between Wanstead Flats and Stratford, we have the best of both worlds. We love how not everything in the house feels modern and brand new, and we particularly like the kitchen space. We’ve had so many parties here where we’ve pushed back the dining table and opened the bi-fold doors to create a huge space for hosting. We are not moving far, and if we could put our new house in this exact location we would!’

GETTING AROUND

Forest Gate station is a 12-minute walk away, with Elizabeth line services whisking you to Liverpool Street in 13 minutes, Tottenham Court Road for Soho in 19 minutes, and Heathrow Airport in 55 minutes. Just two stops away, Stratford offers connections to the DLR, Central and Jubilee lines, alongside shopping at Westfield and the cafés and restaurants of the East Village.

Meanwhile, 10 minutes on foot, Wanstead Park Overground station connects Barking to Gospel Oak via Walthamstow, with a handy change to the Victoria line at Blackhorse Road.

It’s also easy to explore further afield, cycling to Leytonstone in around 10 minutes before catching the Central line to Loughton, Theydon or Epping – you can also walk through the forest to Epping and get the Tube back. Alternatively, take a break to the Kent coast from Stratford International and out to Whitstable, Margate, Deal, or Rye.

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Just down the road, the beautiful Wanstead Flats and Jubilee Pond provide a delightful environment to picnic, jog, visit the playground or simply surround yourself with nature and wildlife. Cann Hall Park, with its coffee shop, play areas, and skatepark, is also just a five-minute stroll. On the weekend, you can always head to the nearby Queen Elizabeth Park at Stratford.

Forest Gate's recent renaissance has created a thriving community of independent local businesses. The current sellers highly recommend Joyau wine bar under Forest Gate Arches (there’s also a wellness and workout space here – E7 Movement); The Holly Tree (serving great food, a fantastic range of beers, adults-only or family areas, and a miniature railway); the Leytonstone Tavern (for burgers, great roasts and amazing tequila cocktails); the Rookwood pub; Wild Goose Bakery for bread, brunch and ‘divine’ cakes; Tamping Grounds for coffee; and Caner Supermarket, ‘probably the best corner shop in London’.

Other local favourites are Wanstead Kitchen for curry at the end of the road; Ramble (famed for its cinnamon buns); Pretty Decent and Wanstead Tap for local beers; Giovanna’s Deli & Wine Bar for exceptional pizza and wine; and Fiore Truck for more excellent Italian cuisine. On Saturdays, Woodgrange Market near Forest Gate station brings together treats from Dusty Knuckle and Milk Bar, organic fruit and veg, and French Comté cheese.

SCHOOLS

Local schooling options include schools with ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Good’ Ofsted judgements. Nearby primary schools include Jenny Hammond, which the current owners’ children attend, alongside Buxton, Woodgrange and Aldersbrook. Secondary options include Forest Gate Community School, Buxton School and Stratford School Academy, to name just a few. For younger children, local nurseries include Little Diamonds, Chestnut and Acacia.