This no-through cul-de-sac off Worple Way is on land originally owned by the Houblon’s Almshouses trustees. The almshouses were founded by Rebecca and Susannah Houblon, daughters of Sir John Houblon, first Governor of the Bank of England and Lord Mayor of London. They consisted of three blocks around a square enclosed garden and were originally built for nine single women. These almshouses have never been completely rebuilt, and are therefore the oldest ones now standing in Richmond.
The houses on the adjacent Houblon Road were originally built for renting, with only two available in 1878 but 23 by 1880. The majority of houses are semi-detached and the original floor print for nearly all is exactly the same, except for a few larger houses near the bottom. They are essentially ‘two up, two down’ Victorian houses with small gardens to the front and back. However, all have added a bathroom to the first floor and many have extended to the rear on the ground floor and converted the loft for a third bedroom.
At the top of the road there’s a convenient cut through to the rest of the Alberts, St Mathias Church and Richmond Hill Village via Albany Passage. Or you can take the short flight of steps up to Preston Place and the Vineyard cutting through the middle of Church Road for easy access to the heart of Richmond Hill.
Average Property Price: £1,049,000.00 (June 2020)
Local Knowledge & Neighbourhood Haunts:
The infamous local establishments the Alberts Deli and Red Cow pub sit at the bottom of the road and the playground and White Horse pub with the lovely beer garden are within a two minute stroll. If you can’t be bothered to walk into town, there’s a great selection of convenience stores on the nearby Sheen Road plus a post office, cafes, restaurants (our favourite The Dragon’s Inn), hairdressers and other great independent businesses and shops (Ritz Music and Bicycle).
School catchments are great with Marshgate (voted 34th out of 22,000 primary schools in the UK in The Times Top 500 List December 2019) on the doorstep and The Vineyard and St Elizabeth’s primary schools close by. It’s also in the school catchment for some of the very best senior schools in the area including Waldegrave school for girls, GreyCourt and Christs. The popular Kings House Nursery school is only two streets away on Princes Road and Kings House independent prep school for boys is an easy five minute walk up Albany Passage.
Houblon really is incredibly convenient for all transport links - Richmond station is a five minute walk and you can catch the 371 bus to either Kingston or Richmond on Church Road at the top of Houblon or the 337 into Putney and Hammersmith at the bottom near the Red Cow. The town centre is only a 3 minute walk yet the road is incredibly peaceful with a real village vibe.
What the Neighbours Say:
“Houblon Rd is certainly the crown jewel of The Alberts (thought there may be some friendly neighbourhood rivalry suggesting otherwise). With its eclectic mix of people across generations - our oldest resident going strong at 94 and the youngest just 3 months old, there is a real sense of community and belonging you’d get from village life, and yet the bright lights and thrills that the city offer are all within easy reach. We love living on Houblon Rd. So much so that, what was to be a stepping stone house has become our forever home because we just can’t bear to leave, despite the fact that the family has grown from 2 to 5 in the 20 years we’ve been here. It’s difficult to quantify what makes this little road so special but certainly it’s superb location and friendly vibe is a good start. We’re a stone’s throw away from Richmond town centre and station, the Green and the river, the kids walk to school; but better yet, on our doorstep we have the White Horse (pub and playground, what’s not to love) and the Alberts Deli (best Sunday brunch this side of the equator and always available supply of emergency milk, eggs and smiles). Even the cats are happy to go and visit their favourite neighbours - we know, because the neighbours send us regular photographic updates of these feline visits via WhatsApp.” Michelle
If you are looking for a new home and think Richmond, Surrey could be the right town for you, do give us a call on 07745 639 463 and we'll do all we can to help.
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