Ferndale Road, Leytonstone, London, E11

Open, light and welcoming, this spacious five-bedroom Victorian house is set on a tree-lined, friendly residential street, within minutes of good schools and amenities, the green expanse of Wanstead Flats and both Tube and Overground services.

In recent years, the current owners have lovingly renovated the house from top to bottom, reconfiguring the downstairs rooms for better flow, along with extending into the kitchen and up into the loft. The house was also fully rewired and re-plumbed, including fitting a new hot water tank and boiler. Decorated in a warm, soft palette of heritage shades throughout, it’s filled with lovely details that make the most of the high-ceilinged rooms, including column-style radiators, parquet-style herringbone flooring, four-panelled internal doors and bespoke wardrobes.

Set behind a low white wall, the refreshing white exterior is finished by foliage-capped columns to the bay window and decorative elements to the lintels and recessed entrance.

INSIDE – SPACE TO RELAX

Step through a traditional panelled door with a transom into the airy hallway, where walls painted in a warm taupe-grey shade combine with a high ceiling with ornate corbels and a mini chandelier pendant. Parquet-style herringbone flooring begins here and flows throughout the entire ground floor.

On your right, a door opens to the reception room, flooded with light from a large front-facing bay window fitted with full-height tier-on-tier white louvred shutters. Walls in a subtle stone shade rise to a coved ceiling featuring a Harmony Ribbon ceiling pendant. The rendered feature fireplace has a natural slate hearth and floating oak mantle, while bespoke cabinets and shelves in two alcoves provide ample space for storage and display.

Returning to the hallway, you’ll walk past a door under the stairs that leads to the long basement – ideal for storage – and a WC. With teal walls and a tall, part-frosted window looking out to the side return, it contains a wall-hung basin, radiator, and a back-to-wall loo.

Step down into the sociable extended dining kitchen, which drinks in the light from a side-facing window and two fabulous sets of aluminium-framed bifold doors that open to the garden for an inside-out feel. The navy-blue modern shaker cabinetry is topped with a Carrara quartz worktop and upstand, contrasting nicely with the white walls and herringbone flooring.

There’s a wide butler-style ceramic sink with a brass mixer tap beneath the window. A tall column-style radiator keeps things cosy, and a modern pendant light hangs over the dining area. Large enough to host big gatherings, the kitchen comes into its own on summer evenings with the bifolds open. Integrated appliances include a stainless steel and black dual-fuel Rangemaster with an overhead steel extractor, a Beko fridge-freezer, and a Hotpoint dishwasher and washer-dryer.

Take the staircase – with white spindles, a bannister painted in Farrow & Ball’s Mahogany, and a lovely jute carpet runner – to the first floor, where the runner segues to a full-width carpet and a pair of stylish glass pendants brighten the landing.

At the front of the house, a plush grey carpet complements the stone-hued walls of the primary bedroom, which is bathed in light from a pair of windows, with a radiator beneath. Bespoke full-height double wardrobes fill one wall, and there’s also a central pendant.

The adjacent second double bedroom overlooks the side return courtyard through a tall window. With aquamarine walls and a grey carpet, it features bespoke shelving filling one alcove, and a chimney breast.

The carpet repeats in the large third double bedroom to the rear, lit by a garden-facing modern sash with a radiator beneath. A dusky pink feature wall adds warmth to the white walls, and a modern pendant graces the ceiling.

You’ll find the family bathroom in the centre of the plan. Lit by a frosted window, the natural dark slate floor tiles (warmed with underfloor heating) pair with marbled wall tiles laid to the white-painted walls. There’s both a wide walk-in rainfall shower with a frameless glass screen and a bath with chrome telephone-style taps for long, leisurely soaks. A close-coupled loo and traditional-style basin with chrome stand and mirrored overhead cabinet complete the suite.

Take a second staircase (matching the first) to the loft, which drinks in light from a central skylight. To the front, with soft blue-grey walls and the same plush carpet as downstairs, the fourth double bedroom is lit by a Velux window and includes a tall white column-style radiator and access to useful storage under the eaves.

Beside it, the second bathroom has a light, spa-like feel with glossy grey elongated herringbone tiles to the walls, paired with pale grey floor tiles. Bathed in light from a large Velux window, it’s fitted with a quadrant shower, a concealed-cistern loo, and a pedestal sink.

Positioned at the rear of the house with treetop views through a wide, anthracite-framed window with a grey Roman blind, the fifth, large double bedroom is currently used as a peaceful home office. Carpeted in jute and with nude pink walls, it features a column-style radiator and a full-height bank of built-in wardrobes containing the hot water tank and airing cupboard.

OUTSIDE – LEAFY LANDSCAPE

Landscaped in 2022 and enclosed by timber fencing, the garden extends to 36 feet and feels nicely private, with a tiled patio by the bifold doors creating a lovely spot for lazy summer afternoons. Beyond, mature planting including Euonymus fortunei, Salvia ‘Hot Lips’, Hibiscus syriacus, Cotinus coggygria, Japanese laurel, Ficus carica and Viburnum surround a recently laid grassy lawn. At the rear, the long, bespoke rendered bench with integrated planter is a real suntrap and a fantastic spot to sit and read or barbecue with friends.

A NOTE FROM THE OWNERS

‘We had both our children whilst living in this house and have raised them under its roof. Having the Flats on our doorstep was far more enjoyable than we ever imagined it would be and prolonged our time in London by years. It has been an incredible home and will always be a cherished part of our family history. We hope it will be the same for the next owners.’

GETTING AROUND

Leytonstone High Road (Suffragette line – Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside) is just a five-minute walk. Central line services run from Leytonstone Tube (11 minutes). The Elizabeth line from Forest Gate, which is reachable by foot in 29 minutes, will take you to Stratford in four minutes, Bond Street in 21 minutes, and London Paddington in 25 minutes.

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Set on the edge of Leytonstone and Bushwood, and within striking distance of Forest Gate, Ferndale Road offers the best of both neighbourhoods.

Enjoy exploring the area’s thriving food and drink scene, including sampling excellent food and wine at Le Regret (a favourite of the current owners) and Joyau, and coffee at Tamping Grounds. The Holly Tree is a lively and friendly local pubs.

Local sellers often recommend the Leytonstone Tavern for burgers – voted the best in London, Stone Mini Market for drinks, Forno bakery, Calamity Tank for Craft Beer and Back to Ours for coffee and brunch. Other favourites include Wild Goose Bakery for treats, The Red Lion or The Old Crown for a great pub dinner and Good Shepherd Studios – a community cultural space with creative arts, yoga, and children’s events. They also mention the local reformer Pilates studio Studio M, and Blueprint Fitness at the end of the road. Plus, the Pastures Youth Centre for sports and The Can Club, a lovely café for children and parents.

Alternatively, pick up lunch from Yard Sale Pizza to fuel a ramble around Jubilee Pond and Wanstead Flats (less than five minutes away around the corner) – wonderful, wild outdoor spaces, whatever the season. Wanstead Flats is a popular spot for local games and recreational sports, especially during weekends, and hosts a park run every Saturday. With the Olympic Park and East Bank, canals, and Hackney Marshes a short distance away, there’s plenty more to explore on your doorstep.

SCHOOLS

Local schools rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted include Davies Lane Primary (three minutes’ walk around the corner) and Acacia Nursery School (ten minutes). Buxton School (mixed all-through school) and Connaught School for Girls are rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, and are 15 and 13 minutes on foot.