4 Bedroom Terraced Town House, Sylvan Road, London, SE19

A bright and contemporary three-bedroom town house with a garage, ideally located for the green spaces of Crystal Palace Park, Station, South Norwood Lakes and The Triangle!

This townhouse will make a great family home, with lots of light and a versatile layout. Large windows let the light flood in, and the house feels private because you’re set back off the road, thanks to an easy-to-maintain front garden. 

Mid-century townhouses like this are popular for many reasons: they’re solid, easy to maintain and there’s so much space you can configure them exactly how you need to suit your lifestyle. And if things change and your family grows, it’s easy to swap the rooms around.

There’s an entrance porch, which is great for storing your pram, coats and wellies after a muddy dog walk in one of the many nearby parks. The owners currently use the front reception room as an office, but it would also make a playroom or a space for the kids to chill out and watch TV while you cook and entertain.

This floor is also home to the kitchen diner, with modern, glossy white units and an easy-to-wipe worktop. An oven and five-ring gas hob, built-in fridge freezer, and plenty of storage cupboards seal the sleek and elegant deal. Something tells us this will be an easy place to keep clean, and with wooden floors throughout, it’s both pet—and child-friendly.

Upstairs, the relaxing living room, with its subtle sage green feature wall, looks out over Crystal Palace. From the large window that lets the light in, you can see its famous tower.

Both bedrooms are doubles, giving the whole floor a huge sense of space. The front bedroom has built-in wardrobes and a built-in desk with a seat that makes the most of the space. Perfect for concentrating if you’ve got someone in the family who needs a quiet place to study. The back bedroom has an even better view of the Crystal Palace tower from its high aspect. A family bathroom, decorated in neutral beige, has a bath, shower and heated towel rail, and an airing cupboard right next door.

When you’re looking for a way to escape the hustle and bustle of the main house, take yourself off downstairs to the garage, which occupies the whole of the ground floor. Yes, you could use it to park your car, but why waste it when there’s space outside too? Inside, there’s plenty of room to tinker with your motorbike or set up a sewing machine, as well as a luxurious amount of storage for all your scooters, tents and garden tools. From there, you can come upstairs into the house, making it the ideal place to indulge your hobby while the kids are asleep upstairs.

Your nearest park is at the end of the road: South Norwood Lake, with its children’s playground, tennis courts and bowling green. Although you’re in a well-connected part of south London, you’ll feel like you’re in the countryside thanks to the woodland, stream and lake with fishing and sailing available.

Locals love the area, with its many transport links. It’s 0.7 miles from Crystal Palace station and you could walk there in around 15 minutes. This is an area where there are plenty of buses, whether you’re zipping up to Crystal Palace triangle or down to Croydon to connect with a tram to pick up some bits (more candles, anyone?) from IKEA. Norwood Junction is 1.5 miles away and you can get a direct train to Gatwick Airport from there, making the start to your holiday hassle free. 

You’re spoilt for choice with schools, including the nearby Harris Academy for both primary and secondary and popular Cypress. And when it comes to entertainment – whether that’s a low-key dinner or a trip to the cinema – you’re definitely spoilt. Crystal Palace triangle is within walking distance, where you’ll find coffee shops, gastro-pubs and independent shops. If you want to pick up furniture that will fit right into this gem of a house, there are plenty of shops selling mid-century and vintage beauties.

Another thing Crystal Palace is quite rightly proud of is its foodie scene. On a Saturday Haynes Lane market attracts local food producers and small sustainable farmers and on Sunday there’s an outdoor food market in Crystal Palace Park. Don’t forget to pick up a cappuccino from the family-friendly Brown and Green café and you’re all set for a day out.