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South East London

South of the River Thames, south east London has become a focus of great property interest since the extension of the Jubilee tube line ensures convenient travelling into Central London.

The area of Rotherhithe (SE16) has seen considerable improvement in recent years.  The large Surrey Quays shopping centre is located here and the residential stock is a mixture of flats and small and medium size housing in modern estates in a range of attractive styles.  Housing is still being built in this area.  The Rotherhithe Tunnel is adjacent which provides good access to the north side of the Thames and the Docklands office developments and the area is well served by the Underground system from Rotherhithe and Surrey Quays tube stations.  A lot of attention has been paid to the landscaping of this area and Surrey Quays Walk, Russia Dock, Woodland and Stavehill Ecological Park bear testimony to this effort.  This area is a particularly popular location for those working in the City and Docklands. 

Surrey Quays (SE16) was developed by the London Dockland Corporation in the 80s to provide a range of homes from studios to four bedroomed town houses with integral garages.  Gardens are quite small but it is a smart area with good access to the city.  The area near Tower Bridge, known as Shad Thames features warehouse conversions and new flats.  Both areas are very convenient for the city.

Continuing eastwards along the River Thames the borough of Greenwich (SE10) is old fashioned and charming. It is famed for the Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum, the Old Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park. Property purchase and rental prices, which were always high in Greenwich, are continuing to rise. The centre of Greenwich has several antiques shops and eating places. The Greenwich Theatre is located here and also the Greenwich Playhouse and Bob Hope Theatre.

Greenwich town has very few detached houses and tends to favour traditional Victorian terraces ranging from small cottages to large multi storey houses, along with lots of conversion flats. East Greenwich is cheaper than west Greenwich, featuring mainly two bedroom terraced cottages, although prices are rising here too, with the impact of earlier Millennium development.  Much of the area is very pleasant, much of the property quite exceptional, and you are never very far from the village amenities, restaurants, wine bars, station and park.  Greenwich Hill is famous for giving a panoramic view of the capital. The fashionable location of Royal Hill has some three storey Georgian houses and four storey early Victorian family houses to the west of the village centre, about half a mile from the foot tunnel.  Also in the West Greenwich locality are the popular areas around Straightsmouth, Brand Street and Prior Street with their sturdy mid-19th century properties and Hyde Vale, where you may find maisonettes in a prime residential position.  Point Hill has some interesting bow fronted three storey terraces, there are mews type properties in Thalia Close, just minutes from the Park, and Georgian terraces in the highly sought after Conservation Area of The Circus which is an easy walk from all amenities.  Other conservation areas like Braddyll Street, Ashburnham Grove and Blackheath Road offer outstanding period properties.  Recent building is at Royal Quarter where there are two, three and four bedroom homes, also the former Mumford Flour Mills have been converted into apartments, duplexes and penthouses. New building can be found on the peninsula of Greenwich Millenium Village, featuring a range of property, including Watermark, a large development of apartments and Rose Bruford College, a development of one and two bedroom apartments.

Contrasting with Greenwich Park which is well stocked with mature trees, the once notorious and now very desirable Blackheath (SE3) is an oasis in South East London, with a common and views of Greenwich Park.  The large period residences overlooking it are very large;  many have been converted into more manageable-sized flats.  The area was developed from about the 18th century as a residential suburb and some fine houses from the succeeding centuries remain, including the fine late 18th century crescent of The Paragon.  In contrast, Lambourne Place, 500 yards or so from the Heath, has a small modern (1980) development of three bedroom terraces on an open plan layout.  The tree lined Bowater Place has some two bedroom Victorian cottages with rear gardens and Manor Way and Brookway on the sought after Cator Estate feature very attractive 1930s’ detached and older houses. More recently, properties have been built at Stratheden Mews, a gated courtyard development, and at Oxley Gardens on Shooters Hill Road, a development of two, three and four bedroom townhouses and apartments.  Blackheath Park is less so with a number of tower blocks, although there has been new building here of two bedroom apartments at Meadow Court.

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