As spectator sports go, you might consider ‘marathons’ to not be particularly high on the list. You would be wrong. Every year the London Marathon trots past my street, and there are few better things to do on a summer’s day than have a few drinks and enjoy a constant stream of inflatable dinosaurs, Big Bens, phoneboxes and god-knows-what-else jogging past you.
Bermondsey is a good spot to do it, but a better spot would be on Blackheath itself, where everyone is still excited and happy to be running, rather than a few miles down the road where they’ve realised what a mistake they have made. A good house would be this one, on Vanbrugh Terrace, which is for sale with Savills for £5.95 million.
Marathon or no marathon, there are few better spots in London than Vanbrugh Terrace. Blackheath and Greenwich Park are, literally, on your doorstep. Greenwich Village is an easy and leafy walk away. Nipping out to Kent for the weekend would be a breeze. I am already a bit jealous of whoever is going to buy this place.
What they will get is a 6,800sq ft home that offers six bedrooms and five reception rooms, as well as a delightfully private garden that is some 130ft long. It is Victorian, it is elegant, it is everything you could ever want.
Set over four floors, and occupying a ‘coveted corner position’, this truly is a family home in London that balances access to the city with verdant green surroundings. People might say Hampstead is the best of both worlds, but I am not so sure.
Inside, the home is presented to a ridiculously high standard, and is playfully decorated, combining fun with respect to its Victorian heritage. Bespoke stained-glass by Edgar Philips, Mark Wilkinson cabinets, and the whole project was overseen by designer Charles Leon. It even comes with a hot yoga and pilates studio.
And to top it all off, once every year, you get to watch a bunch of people dressed as anything and everything run 26 miles past your front door. Heaven.
-
An elegant country house that comes with 63 gloriously unspoilt acres of Devon, and 400 fascinating years of historyPenny Churchill takes a look at the beautiful Hudscott Manor.
-
The flat Mick Jagger shared with Keith Richards, and more Chelsea-themed fun: Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 21, 2025The Rolling Stones lived in squalor in the days when Chelsea was rougher around the edges — find out how much they paid for the privilege, and how much they'd need today
-
An elegant country house that comes with 63 gloriously unspoilt acres of Devon, and 400 fascinating years of history
Penny Churchill takes a look at the beautiful Hudscott Manor.
-
A tranquil cottage in Essex where Grayson Perry used to do his paper roundGreat Bardfield was home to a variety of famous artists, and with properties such as Vine Cottage, it's not difficult to understand why.
-
A home of horticultural and architectural grandeur for sale near BanburyReception and bedrooms on the inside, garden rooms by Lanning Roper on the outside.
-
22 charming country homes for sale, from £500k to £3m, as seen in Country LifeOur regular look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life includes everything from thatched cottages in the West Country to sprawling estates.
-
An effortlessly contemporary home in Surrey for quiet contemplationGraylings in the Surrey Hills was designed by Baufritz and is a delight of modern design.
-
Curiosity abounds in Kent at Flimwell Grange, where an old brandy vat is now a pool houseThis period delight is full of curious treasures, and offers outstanding views of the Garden of England.
-
London is a happy city, but not the happiest city, according to new researchIt is, however, a very romantic city, according to different research. So that's good.
-
Swim above the competition in London's highest outdoor poolThe new Shard Place development is the latest amenity-filled addition to the Shard Quarter
