Old Ford Road, London E2

This beautiful two-bedroom house forms part of a Grade II-listed terrace in Bethnal Green’s Victoria Park Conservation Area. The house, replete with original patinated floorboards, timber box panelling, moulded cornices and bullseye fireplace surrounds, has been sensitively restored under its current ownership. A palette of inky blues and gentle greys is used throughout and is complemented by planes of Carrara marble and a handsome deVOL kitchen. At the rear is a landscaped garden with jasmine and rambling rose that basks in a day-long southerly light.

Setting the Scene

Old Ford Road is named for the the ancient most downstream crossing of the River Lea. Its route is thought to be pre-Roman, connecting present-day Oxford Street and Old Street in the west with Bethnal Green and Old Ford in the east.

By the 19th century, the population of London grew enormously and the area was rapidly developed with a mixture of Georgian and Victorian townhouses, workers cottages and ad hoc urban dwellings. This house forms part of a Grade II-listed terrace, originally constructed in the early 1800s. The hallmarks of Victorian architectural style pervades the row’s London stock-brick façades, which are decorated with stucco frieze cornicing, banding courses and moulded architraves.

The Grand Tour

The house is set back from the cherry blossom-lined road behind a low brick wall. The original two-panelled timber front door is topped with a segmental fanlight and sits in a stucco architrave with pilasters and impost blocks. Entry is to a hallway where original floorboards, walls and decorative corbels have been washed in soft shades of white.

In typical Victorian fashion, a pair of reception rooms lies on one side of the hallway. The rooms are connected via the original door opening and a herringbone red-weft seagrass carpet runs seamlessly underfoot in both. The living room is to the front of the plan and has a three-over-three sash window set with original embrasure shutters. The walls, moulded cornice and high skirting boards have been washed in 'Peignoir' by Farrow and Ball, and a Chesney's wood burner has been fitted an exposed brick fireplace. Shelves and cabinets are fitted in the alcoves on either side, designed for both storage and display purposes.

In contrast, the dining room is finished with a palette of  darks, 'Blue Black' by Farrow and Ball occupy the walls and wood-work, offset by an exposed raw plaster ceiling. The original fireplace surround has delicate bullseye corner blocks, and light filters through the panes of French doors to the garden.

The kitchen and breakfast room is at the rear of the plan. Designed by deVOL, the cabinets are topped with Carrara marble and oak countertops. Set within are a six-ring gas range from Smeg and a deep butler sink. Running throughout, narrow-strip reclaimed maple floor adds character. There is also a marble-topped counter - a bright spot for a morning coffee. Sash windows overlook the garden, and a rear door can be opened to allow in a cooling breeze and the scent of climbing jasmine.

Adjacent to the kitchen is a handy WC finished in 'Cinder Rose' and fitted with a reclaimed Barbican hand-rinse basin. Access to the cellar is from the hallway.

A staircase with painted treads, a seagrass runner and oak handrail ascends to the first floor. The primary bedroom is to the front, and has a pair of three-over-three sash windows. On one side of the room is a row of built-in wardrobes, with original alcove cupboards and a fireplace surround opposite. Victorian details continue in the second bedroom, which has a tall cupboard and a wall of panelling. A large sash window faces the canopy of a mature silver birches and climbing hydrangea.

The bathroom is at the rear of the plan; opened to the eaves, it has a wonderful sense of volume. Surfaces of exposed stock brick, Carrara marble and mosaic tiles line the room, and light pours through the panes of two large windows. On one side of the room is a timber-sided bathtub, while on the other is a large walk-in shower with copper fittings. A Duravit sink is set on an antique oak cabinet and there are reclaimed globe taps. A run of oak pegs are useful for hanging towels and robes.

The Great Outdoors

Doors from both the kitchen and the dining room open to an established south-facing garden that extends from the rear of the house. Immediately to the rear is the patio area – oak sleepers, reclaimed herringbone bricks and quarry tiles create individual areas for dining and reading. Beyond this, raised beds are filled with kitchen herbs and climbing roses and hydrangea cover the fences.

The rear of the garden provides welcome shade in summer. A canopy is provided by the multi-stem birch under which ferns and shade loving plants thrive.

At the end of the garden is a hut clad in rusted steel, internally finished in Sterling board and created as a space for hobbying, but equally useful for storing pots and tools.

Out and About

The choice of local green spaces is exceptional; Victoria Park, approximately seven minutes from the house on foot, is east London’s largest park encompassing over 200 acres of green space. Designed by John Nash’s pupil Sir James Pennethorne, it was laid out in the 1840s and is now a Grade II*-listed public space. Attractions include the vast boating lake, several activity spaces, tennis courts and the ever-popular Pavilion café at the heart of the park. Museum Gardens and Bethnal Green Gardens are only a five-minute walk away, and the larger Weaver’s Fields, named after the area’s textile-manufacturing past, is also nearby.

Victoria Park Village is a short walk away and has a wonderful selection of organic cafés, shops and delis. Local favourites Ginger Pig butchers, The Deli Downstairs, Jonathan Norris fishmongers, Bar Bruno wine bar and bottle shop, Pophams café and a branch of Gail’s. There is also a delicious food market in the park on Saturdays and Sundays.

Bethnal Green has an exciting mix of traditional pubs and cafés, including E. Pellicci and The Approach Tavern, as well as a new wave of bars and restaurants, including Brawn, Redchurch Brewery, Cave Cuvee and Bistrotheque. For drinks, Satan’s Whiskers, the Florist Arms and the Sun Tavern are all nearby. The area is home to many design and architecture practices and many commercial galleries, including Maureen Paley, Modern Art, and Herald St. The Young V&A Museum (previously the Museum of Childhood) is just around the corner.

From the house, Bethnal Green Underground station (Central line) is a eight-minute walk away, while Whitechapel station (Elizabeth, District and Hammersmith and City lines, and Overground services) is 20 minutes away. There are excellent bus links to Hackney, Canary Wharf and central London.

Council Tax Band: D