My interest in property began way back in the 1980s.
I had recently qualified as a teacher and had started work at Gospel Oak Primary school in Hampstead, North London. The problem was that I was still living at home.....in Luton!
Every morning, at the crack of dawn, my Dad dutifully drove me to Luton bus station where I'd board the coach to the Finchley Road station in London (which took just over an hour), I'd then get a train from there to Hampstead.
In the first term of my probationary year, life consisted of little more than lesson plans, marking and commuting.
A fellow graduate friend of mine was also commuting from home and travelling from Kent to London (to the Borough of Camden and Westminster (as it was then) where we both had jobs, albeit at opposite ends of the borough).
Amazingly, a relative of mine was looking to invest in property in the London area and asked my friend and I to hunt on his behalf with a view to us renting from him and his co-invester. My friend Mel and I joined forces and began flat hunting in Acton, West London (where she had lived for part of her childhood) which was accessible for both of us regarding work.
It was at this time that I caught the property bug!
We viewed dozens of properties from new builds to Victorian wrecks and flats with the freehold to maisonettes with shared gardens. I remember that one of the estate agents was a former nurse who explained that she had given up her rewarding but very demanding career to become an agent and she seemed to be riding high on the thrill of all things property.
The thrill for me was walking into any house, flat or maisonette and letting my imagination run wild but ultimately, it was the period properties which were infinitely alluring and captivating. They sat proud and triumphant in all their original glory...even those that had been adapted or modernised were bursting with character and period style. I was well and truly hooked.
Unfortunately, my relative and his business partner decided not invest in London so I began scouring the London Standard property pages for somewhere to rent in North London.
Within a day or two, I had found suitable accommodation...practically next door to work where I could almost hop out of bed into the classroom!
And oh what a beauty of a place!
It was a huge multi storey, rambling Victorian pile that was owned by an eccentric academic couple with a very young adopted son and little money to restore their amazing home. The property was in Savernake Road with a garden that backed onto a railway but even the clatter and rattle of trains going by at frequent intervals couldn't begin to impact negatively on this majestic specimen of prime Victorian architecture.
I agreed to rent a room on the second floor which was furnished with an old oak bed and dresser with William Morris type 'Willow' style curtains. The room was quite dark as it faced North but was brightened in part by the Arts & Crafts style wallcoverings and neutral traditional paint colours. Every part of the house was original....doors, windows, floors.... which all seemed to creak with the weight of responsibility to last for at least another century. The kitchen, which the family also used, was a combination of shabby chic free standing units (more on the shabby side) alongside the original cupboards and ancient Aga.
However, I was in my element...the only issue now was that I was ridiculously close to my place of work with my Year 5 pupils able to watch my every move...or so it seemed!
Soon my graduate friend moved in to the attic room in the house It was a glorious testament to authentic period styling and character. An absolute gem!
I only lived in Savernake Road for a few months before I stepped on to the property ladder in Acton but it was the most magical time for me as I began my journey towards a career in property...albeit over 25 years later!!
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