2 Bedroom Flat, Castledine Road, London, SE20

A large (840ft²) split-level period maisonette that brings together Victorian character with genuinely flexible living across two floors. With direct access to a communal garden, a private entrance on the raised ground floor and a split-level layout that works well for modern life, this flat ticks a lot of boxes!

Whether you need two bedrooms with a separate living room or prefer three bedrooms with open-plan living, this charming home can give you both. The layout and proportions of its living spaces offer a huge degree of flexibility in how the space can be used.

The flat has its own front door, which gives a degree of privacy and also makes life easier if you have dogs, it’s a valuable feature and rare in conversion flats. Once inside, the period features are intact, such as the ornate cornicing, but there’s a modern vibe, with white painted boards underfoot. There's a proper sense of arrival here; it’s a proper entrance with space for storage, coat hooks, etc.

The heart of the home is a large open-plan kitchen-diner, which is also a super bright space. It has a southern aspect on one side, giving it excellent light, and a pretty view over the garden on the other, there are no less than four windows in this room, which are an uncommon shape and size, adding real character to the space.

In the kitchen, white units provide plenty of storage, while the teal subway tile backsplash adds texture without being overdone. The painted floorboards have character - they're weathered in a good way, telling a story rather than looking tired.

There’s a large reception opposite the kitchen, and here's where this place gets interesting. The corner bay window configuration is genuinely unusual - it wraps around the corner of the building, creating a bright nook that works equally well for a desk, reading spot, or just somewhere to sit with your coffee. The room has its own personality while flowing naturally from the kitchen space. Use it as a living room now, convert it to a bedroom later - the flexibility is real.

There are two bathrooms here, one of which is a useful shower room with WC on the upper floor, ideal when guests are over or if you’re using the living space, to save you from traipsing downstairs.

Moving downstairs, there are two bedrooms, the larger of the two is a well-proportioned room, giving enough space for a large bed, wardrobe and drawers if needed, it has an en-suite bathroom and also gives direct access to the communal garden. The second bedroom is currently set up as a nursery, but it is adaptable to whatever you need. It could work as a home office, guest room, or storage room that actually looks intentional rather than like a dumping ground.

The bathroom is nicely done, with underfloor heating and white tiles throughout, and a heritage-style bath with a shower overhead. Black hexagonal floor tiles add visual interest without trying too hard and complement the clean wall tiles brilliantly.

The communal garden is shared between just two other flats, not an entire block of neighbours, which is nice. The space is mature and established - think proper trees, lawn, and the kind of planting that takes years to develop. This kind of outdoor access is genuinely rare for a conversion property in London, and gets light from the south during the day and the west from the afternoon into the evening.

Tenure-wise, the flat has a 990-year lease with a share of freehold, which means you're not dealing with an uncooperative freeholder or pesky escalating ground rent clauses! There is no formal service charge, with work being done when needed, with cooperation between all the freeholders in the building.

Castledine Road offers plentiful free on-street parking that's actually available rather than theoretical.

Location-wise, Castledine Road sits in a quiet residential pocket of SE20 that is really well connected, yet tucked away and quiet. The nearest station is Anerley, which is on the Overground Windrush Line and is a four-minute walk (0.2 mi away).

Penge West Station is 0.3mi away, or a 7-minute walk according to Google Maps. This gives you ultra-easy access to the overground, putting Shoreditch High St, the East and Highbury & Islington within very easy reach. During peak hours, there are direct trains to London Bridge, giving you a door-to-door journey in about 25 minutes.

Penge East is also close by, at only 0.7 mi, which is a fifteen-minute walk. If timed correctly, you can leave the flat, be on a train and get to Victoria in 35 minutes door to door!

Crystal Palace Station is 0.6 mi away, or a 14-minute walk through the park and gives direct access to London Bridge as well as Victoria (via Forest Hill); having multiple station options within easy reach is a real asset of this location.

Crystal Palace Park entrance is 0.2 mi away, with the nearest part of the park being the boating lake and Dinosaurs. This also puts the fabulous Brown & Green café almost on your doorstep, so working from home will be a joy, as will lazy weekends where you can enjoy being catered for. The coffee is fab, and the food is proper, too! The other massive benefit to being near this corner of the park, especially if you’re a foodie, is the food market, which operates every Sunday. There’s a diverse mix of street food on offer, as well as deli-style artisan stands. And, if you feel you’ve overindulged, there’s a 5k park run every Saturday morning at 9 am!

Sydenham High St is close by, as is Penge High St, where you can find gems such as the General Store, a quaint deli and supplies store. There’s Craft Metropolis for our local craft beer lovers and, of course, the Bridge House pub; this charming split-level gastro pub, is super welcoming and hosts comedy nights, quiz nights and has a lovely beer garden, the food there is lovely, too, and best of all it’s within staggering distance of the flat! Anerley Road is only 0.5 mi away, where you will find Café Chic, Bob Wines, and a few other incredible places you’ll love living next door to, such as the beloved Chatsworth Bakehouse, where locals queue for Tom & Sian’s insanely good sandwiches, focaccia, brownies & pizzas.

Slightly further up the hill, on the Triangle, you are spoilt for choice with restaurants, pubs, brilliant eateries, and even an Everyman Cinema. There are galleries, a yoga school, and a variety of coffee shops, from the indie artisanal variety to the bigger chains (café Nero, not the other one!). It’s worth mentioning that most shops in the Triangle are indies, and this is something we are all rightly proud of.

Crystal Palace has another food market in addition to the one in the park, which is on Haynes Lane, just off the Triangle and operates every Saturday, it offers the best from small sustainable farmers and local food producers; think of it as a local Borough Market but with a distinct Palace vibe!