Wisteria drapes the London stock brick façade of this three-bedroom semi-detached house on Ashmead Road, in the heart of St John's Conservation Area. The pilaster-flanked front door, canted bay and arched head sash windows demonstrate refined Victorian elegance; inside, a warm palette complements the period proportions, and windows frame views over the verdant back garden. The local area is filled with independent shops, cafés, restaurants and markets, and St Johns station is less than a five-minute walk for connections to central London. 

Setting the Scene 

St Johns takes its name from the dedication of the parish church of St John, which was established in 1855; before this, the area was known as Deptford New Town. Deptford New Town was built primarily by the Lucas family throughout the 18th century to provide housing for dock workers and their families. For more information, please see the History section. 

The Grand Tour 

Entry is to the raised ground floor, where a dark green pilaster-flanked front door with brass furniture opens to a hallway with moulded ceiling decoration. Original floorboards, painted in a gentle grey, run throughout the house. To the left of the hallway is a reception room with generous Victorian proportions. Here, light pours through a canted bay fitted with sash windows in a three-over-three arrangement. The current owners have organised the space as a dining room; there is plenty of space for a dining table next to the original marble-surrounded fireplace to make a wonderful setting for a dinner party. At the back of the room, a pair of impressive panelled doors, painted in 'Sabi Grey' by Atelier Ellis to match the walls, open to the cosy sitting room, creating a dual-aspect space. Here, a window frames views over the verdant garden; a second marble fireplace is framed with alcoves, inset with shelves, for storing a personal library. There is a generous family bathroom on this floor, with a timber-panelled bath and a pedestal sink resting in front of an intricately carved oak panel, believed to have come from Westminster Abbey.

The kitchen is found to the front of the lower ground floor, and is composed of darkly-painted wooden cabinetry and a five-ring gas hob. Light fills the room through a bay window, creating a wonderfully bright space for cooking. From here, a door opens to a useful boot room, with its own entrance onto the street. At the rear of the plan, a garden room with French doors opens to the lush outdoors. On this floor, there is also a double bedroom with original built-in cupboards and a sash window painted in a vibrant green that overlooks the leafy garden.

Two further double bedrooms and a bathroom are arranged on the first floor. At the front of the plan is the primary bedroom where, just outside the window, a wisteria hangs with heavy bunches of white flowers each year. The bedroom at the rear of the plan takes in spectacular views across Canary Wharf. The warm green tones of the bathroom on this floor glow in the light that falls through the large window. Matching ship motif tiles, reclaimed by the current owners from Deptford Creek, are a nod to the naval history of the area. 

In the loft room, tucked in the eaves on the top floor of the house, Velux windows frame far-reaching views of iconic London architecture.

The Great Outdoors 

At the rear of the house, a magnificently planted garden stretches to almost 100 sq ft; planted with a mature Japanese maple and flowering kuosa dogwood, it is a tranquil and private oasis of greenery. French doors open to a wooden deck, where a dining table would make a perfect place for alfresco dining amongst the hydrangea petiolaris that cloaks the back of the house

From the deck, a raised path meanders past scented chorea and a bay tree to arrive at a trellis draped in a vine. Behind this wall of green is a vegetable garden with raised beds for growing herbs and greens for the kitchen. At the end of the garden there is a greenhouse and space for a shed for storing pots, tools and seeds. 

Out and About 

The house, on the quiet and leafy Ashmead Road, is surrounded by an array of peaceful green spaces. Brookmill Park, a 10-minute walk away, encompasses an ornamental garden, a plane tree-lined lake and a nature reserve stretching along the river Ravensbourne which is home to Mallards, Herons, Moorhens, Coots, and Grey Wagtails. Hilly Fields, arguably one of London’s finest parks, is less than 15 minutes' walk from the house. As well as expansive green spaces and elevated views across the city, it has a café, playground, and tennis and basketball courts. 

Independent cafés, bars and restaurants are all nearby, including the now-legendary Browns of Brockley coffee shop, Joyce natural wine bar, L’Oculto and Marcella. Middleton Deli is always an inviting spot for some delicious homemade cake and a pot of tea from Lewisham Tea Company. Just around the corner is The Talbot, a wonderful gastropub that has recently undergone refurbishment; dinner is served in the opulent pub dining room or, in the summer months, out on the terrace. 

There are farmers’ markets every Saturday at Brockley Market with offerings of seasonally sourced fruits and vegetables, fresh bread, British cheeses and locally roasted coffee, among other delights. At Deptford Market Yard, an eclectic collection of independent shops and restaurants are set within and around refurbished railway arches. Goldsmiths University is a 15-minute walk and houses an impressive gallery, the Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, designed by Turner Prize-winning architects Assemble. 

St Johns train station is only two minutes away on foot, where direct services run to London Bridge (Jubilee and Northern lines) and Cannon Street (Circle and District lines). The house is also close to Deptford station (which runs trains to London Bridge in approximately six minutes) and a short walk through Brookmill Park to Elverson Road DLR station.

Council Tax Band: D