Napier Road, Leytonstone, London, E11

Airy, spacious and welcoming, this lovely three-bedroom Victorian home sits on a quiet residential street just a short stroll from Leytonstone High Road and close to good transport links and green spaces.

Over the last couple of years, the current owners have sensitively updated the property while respecting its heritage. Inside, period details such as original floorboards sit alongside modern improvements such as a loft conversion, a new modern kitchen, and a recently landscaped private garden.

Shielded from the street by a charcoal-painted brick wall topped with lavender, the house presents a traditional London Stock brick frontage, a wide bay, and white-painted stone sills and lintels to the upper windows. Open the cast-iron gate to a paved front garden, arriving at a recessed porch with a decorative arch and a white part-glazed uPVC front door with an overhead transom.

STEP INSIDE

A calming palette of neutral shades has been used throughout, beginning with soft stone-hued walls in the hallway. Sanded and restored original floorboards begin here and flow into the dual-aspect living space to your left.

Here, fresh white walls and high coved ceilings couple with a wide bay fitted with full-height louvred shutters and a rear casement to flood the space with natural light. A fireplace with a wooden mantel and tiled hearth creates a focal point, while modern radiators sit beneath both windows. Bespoke shelving and cupboards with tactile copper knobs have been added to two alcoves, with the stylish copper tones repeating in a pair of pendant fittings.

Step down to enter the kitchen. Newly fitted last year, it’s lit by a side-facing window with natural wood Venetian blinds and wide black sliding doors, which open to the garden. Classic stone-coloured shaker units with pewter cup handles complement a pale quartz worktop and upstand. Meanwhile, a cream metro-tiled splashback surrounds the cooking area, and the carefully chosen grey floor tiles echo the stone patio outside, creating a pleasing sense of flow.

You’ll also find a butler-style ceramic sink with a chrome mixer tap beneath the window and integrated Bosch appliances, including a dishwasher, washing machine, fridge freezer, self-cleaning oven and induction hob with steel overhead extractor. Other design details include a tall anthracite column-style radiator and open timber shelves, with additional storage in a handy cupboard under the stairs.

Returning to the hallway, the grey runner on the staircase segues into wall-to-wall soft carpet on the landing, which continues into both the bedrooms on this floor.

The primary bedroom runs the full width of the house and is a sunny, peaceful space with white louvred shutters on both front-facing windows. A pair of bespoke full-height wardrobes with brushed silver handles and internal drawers provide ample storage, but there’s more storage potential in the alcoves. A teal blue feature wall adds a pop of colour, plus there’s also a pendant fitting and a modern radiator.

A bright, good-sized double with white walls and grey carpet, the adjacent second bedroom looks out to the side return courtyard through a casement window with custom roller blind. There’s a pendant fitting and radiator, as well as an attractive exposed-brick fireplace with black stone flint hearth.

Return to the hall and pass a large storage cupboard with built-in shelving and a window to reach the family bathroom at the rear, overlooking the garden through a tall frosted window.

Warm-toned travertine wall tiles and walnut-effect flooring form the backdrop to a bath with shower and glass screen, a pedestal basin with chrome mixer tap, and a close-coupled loo. You’ll also find both a radiator and a chrome heated towel rail, while the new Cadent combi boiler, fitted in June 2023, is also housed here, controlled by a Smart thermostat.

Take a staircase with white-painted treads to the spacious, newly insulated loft conversion, where the landing is filled with light from a window with rooftop views.

Here, you’ll find a double bedroom with twin Velux windows fitted with black-out blinds, a bespoke integrated wardrobe, a radiator, discreet eaves storage, and a book niche. Adjacent is a separate bathroom with garden views. Cocoa-coloured wall tiles are paired with grey tiles underfoot, while there’s a walk-in shower, vanity basin, close-coupled loo, and large wall mirror.

OUTDOORS

The garden was landscaped in 2023 and is enclosed by timber fencing with a brick wall to the rear. Extending to 32ft, the current owners tell us it enjoys the sun all through the day until early evening. A brick-edged grey paved patio, ideal for dining and barbecues, leads to a good quality artificial turfed lawn with raised sleeper-edged beds planted with roses, lavender, begonias and perennials. As well as a mature grapevine, which extends the full length of the garden on the left-hand side, you’ll also find a useful tap, outdoor-rated electrical points and a bike storage shed in the side return courtyard.

A NOTE FROM THE OWNERS

‘We have loved living in our first house in Leytonstone! It’s light and airy with large rooms, and we’ve hosted lots of BBQs for family and friends in the garden. Starting our day making a cup of tea whilst looking out through the wide glass doors always sets us up for the morning, and having so much space has made working from home easy. The location is great for access to local pubs, cafés, restaurants, parks, and local transport links such as the Elizabeth line. We also have excellent neighbours, which has added to the positive community feel.’

GETTING AROUND

Leyton Underground for the Central line is just a short walk away, with the Elizabeth line available in the other direction at Maryland rail station – also reachable by foot. From here, it’s just a short journey to Liverpool Street and one stop from Stratford’s major interchange with the DLR, Central and Jubilee lines, along with shopping, cinema and food at Westfield and East Village. Various local bus stops run regular services to Stratford, too. Leytonstone High Road (Overground) is also nearby.

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Napier Road is part of a quiet pocket of Victorian streets between the lower end of High Road Leytonstone and the wonderful Wanstead Flats – a walking, jogging and mountain-biking paradise that acts as a gateway to Epping Forest. Chalet Wood also provides a beautiful carpet of bluebells every spring.

Alternatively, run through Hollow Pond and beyond, exploring the beautiful forest trails, or head to Langthorne Park for pools, wildlife, basketball courts, a play park and an outdoor gym. You are also just 1.5 miles from the Olympic Park with all it has to offer.

Within around a 10-minute walk is the lovely Leytonstone Tavern (check out the fantastic burgers and roasts), the new coffee shop Tamping Grounds, Kotch for pizza, and The Rookwood Village pub with its stylish interior, deck and electronic darts. Stroll a few minutes further to explore Winchelsea Road’s artisanal food and drink scene, including The Wanstead Tap, Rambles Café, and Wild Goose Bakery for custard tarts.

The High Road is only a few minutes’ walk away and has many cafés and convenience stores at its southern end. If you like traditional Neapolitan pizza, check out Bocca Bocca. Other local favourites include Sunday roasts at the Holly Tree pub, Singburi for famously good Thai food, after-work drinks at Mammoth taproom, the Leytonstone arts trail, and the weekly local farmers’ market beside Cann Hall Park, with its coffee shop, play areas and skatepark.

The current owners also particularly recommend Belle Juin coffee shop and the Japanese food at The Pretty Decent Beer Company taproom. Other local sellers also often recommend Asado, Here East, Heathcote and Star, alongside The Farm Community Kitchen on the corner. It makes excellent bread and cakes and does incredible work for the community.

SCHOOLS

The popular Jenny Hammond Primary School is just four minutes away and rated Good by Ofsted. Davies Lane Primary School is a short 15-minutes’ walk away and is rated Outstanding. You’ll also find Buxton School within a nine-minute stroll and a few nurseries nearby.