North London Food & Culture

Luxury living in Kentish Town: an estate agent’s view

London Residential's Nicholas Hartley reveals skyrocketing demand from families seeking high-end houses here in NW5

Kentish Town's attractive terraces
Kentish Town’s attractive terraces
London Resi Nicholas
Nicholas Hartley is Senior Sales Negotiator at London Residential’s brand new Kentish Town office.

They have just opened their first Luxury Living department to cater to the current demand for large family homes in the area.

London Residential are offering 0% commission this month only (see below). To speak to them call 020 3727 7222 or visit their website for more info.

The changing face of Kentish Town


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One of our directors was born and bred in Kentish Town and, still a resident, has seen the area change dramatically over the years. He tells us stories about when it used to be quite rough, with kids on the streets creating a gang culture and the whole neighbourhood was generally quite rundown.

Now, many of the ‘tired’ pubs of his youth have been smartened up to offer great food, such as The Abbey and The Oxford, while the previously ‘dated’ outlets have been replaced with organic food shops, popular cafes and leading supermarkets.

I’ve lived here for the past four years and I absolutely love the area. My favourite thing is having a lovely pint in The Vine on the way home from Parliament Hill on a beautiful summer’s evening or a stunning winter’s day, then a trip over the road to eat at Pizza East, Chicken Shop or Dirty Burger, depending on my mood.

Pizza East: one of the many local foodie hotspots
Pizza East: one of the many local foodie hotspots

High demand from families

Historically, Kentish Town was the cheaper alternative for those who wanted to live in central Camden Town. London Residential’s headquarters are in Parkway and it used to be that we’d take applicants requiring a more affordable space up the road. This is rapidly changing, however, as prices per square foot have increased and now almost match those of Camden.

There is a high demand from parents wanting their children to be in the area’s successful schools, its good selection of nurseries, and with easy access to universities too.

The transport links are excellent: the opening of the Lycee Francais de Londres (aka the French School) and its proximity to the King’s Cross regeneration area means Kentish Town’s growing number of French families can be to or from Paris in three hours.

There is some stunning architecture here and the houses are large, with gardens and period features – perfect for converting into wonderful, luxury family homes. The mixture of old with new is prevalent and I have seen some breath-taking properties over the last year.

Luxury living, NW5 style

At London Residential, we’re seeing a high demand for freehold houses and we want the opportunity to replicate the success we’ve already had selling apartments. So we’re launching a Luxury Living department, dedicated to high-end properties, to serve the many people registered with us and are looking for something particularly special.

We aim to specialise in freehold houses and flex our expertise in Kentish Town by providing any information, no matter how remote, required by our applicants. We pride ourselves on offering a very personal service.

Everyone's fave, The Pineapple  Photo: Tom Storr
Everyone’s fave, The Pineapple Photo: Tom Storr

The trends for 2015 and beyond

On a daily basis we see a new shop or deli opening and the whole place constantly changing for the better. It is marvellous to watch Kentish Town evolve and we are excited to be playing an active part in this.

I’ve seen it develop a great deal in the past four years alone and predict bigger and better things to come, particularly with things the Piano Yard mews development having just been finished and the vast amount of redevelopment going on elsewhere too.

What excites me the most about Kentish Town and Tufnell Park is the beautiful range of Georgian and Victorian architecture twinned with the wide tree-lined streets. That for me is London at its very best.

Our new Luxury Living department hopes to have more freehold period houses to fulfil the continuously rising demand from young families wanting to move here. Unlike other agents, we do not usually offer 0% commission. However, we are going to offer this during the month of October as an exception, with a mind to escalating London Residential’s excellent reputation in Kentish Town.

Nicholas’ Top 3 local attractions

The "secret" entrance to Montpelier Gardens
The “secret” entrance to Montpelier Gardens
1. The Pineapple Pub: on Leverton Street, and just a moment from our office, is one of my absolute favourites. It is a little eclectic retreat which could easily be passed by – and they do a mean Pad Thai noodles.

2. Kentish Town City Farm: again, the unexpected! Most of our team take their children there and they all love it. There is a wide range of activities and it is open seven days a week proving a great place to while away the hours.

3. Montpelier Gardens: if you are not a Kentishtowner you probably won’t even know this park exists. Accessed through an alley, it opens up into a glorious oasis hidden within a residential street.


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