When a property is offered with riverside views in London, the mind immediately wanders towards large, glass-covered buildings that are sprouting from Southwark to Wandsworth. It is not surprising, because there are a lot of them. I have been in some and the views are spectacular. What they lack, through no fault other than their newness, is character and soul.
Back in the late 19th century, before people had heard of large glass towers, if people wanted views of the Thames, they would build pretty brick houses in Putney and cover them in wisteria, like this one on Deodar Road, which is for sale with Savills for £9.95 million. Did it have character and soul back then? Who knows, that’s not my department, but it has those things now.
What gives a home character and soul? Its looks? It’s hard to argue that 81 Deodar Road is anything other than very very pretty. From the road, those magnolia trees framing a mustard yellow façade and white-framed windows is about as perfect an entrance I can think of. From the rear, red brick with wisteria climbers makes a healthy scene of riverside relaxation. All the boxes are ticked there.
Perhaps character comes from ownership. The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted a blue plaque on the front of Deodar Road. That would belong to Sir Sidney Nolan, who lived here in the 1960s with his wife Cynthia. It was here, in a top-floor studio, that he created some of his most famous works and he received visits from friends such as Patrick White, Kenneth MacMillan and Benjamin Britten. Indeed, a camellia planted for Cynthia by Britten still flowers here today.
So when it comes to character and soul, it’s pretty hard to beat. As for location, this part of Putney, directly opposite the Hurlingham Club and with easy access to Putney High Street and Wandsworth Park, is among London’s most desirable.
And what’s inside? These days, Deodar Road is split up into three separate apartments, totalling eight bedrooms in all. As a result, any potential buyer could transform the property into a riverside mansion, or just keep the ground-floor flat (with exclusive use of the garden) as a London getaway.
The interiors exude as much character as the bricks, mortar, and history of the home, and many of the rooms, regardless of which floor you are on, offer river views. It’s probably used a bit too much for my tastes, but this really is a very rare opportunity to own one of London’s great riverside homes.
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