MARLBOROUGH ROAD on Richmond Hill was developed around 1850. The land was owned by the Wesleyan Theological College. It was granted permission by the vestry to sell in 1849 and so Sir Thomas Newby Reeve began to build his houses. The buildings on the North side were semi-detached but the South side of the road had much larger detached villas. What so often happened with these extremely opulent properties was that over the decades these houses were divided into flats. The road therefore has a varied mix of houses and apartments, although houses have remained more plentiful.
The flats in these victorian villas are rather gorgeous, with high ceilings, capacious rooms, lovely communal or private gardens and most come with off street parking. Prices range from around £700k to £1.3m depending on their size. The houses on the South side are in excess of 5000 sq ft and will have a price tag of around £6m. On the North side the houses are more modest although still sizeable, at anything between 2500 to 3500 sq ft. You will be looking at prices from £3m upwards for one of these properties.
Marlborough is a quiet, wide road and the properties are all set back so there is a lovely feeling of space and light. There are also masses of beautiful mature trees, Palm trees and even Pampas grass along the road. The top of the hill location keeps the plane noise to a minimum too.
Average Property Price in the Last Year: £2,965,000
Local Knowledge & Neighbourhood Haunts:
It is so well placed for the Marlborough pub, Vets on Richmond Hill, dry cleaners, restaurants, interiors shops (Holloways of Ludlow, The Ultimate Flooring Company & Curtain Call) and cafes of the Village including The Good Wine Shop on the corner of the road and the local’s favourite Richmond Hill Bakery next door. The park is also only a five minute walk away. For families it falls in the catchment not only for one of the very best primary schools The Vineyard but also several outstanding state secondary schools - Waldegrave girls school (co-ed sixth form) in Twickenham and co-ed GreyCourt in Ham. It sort of has it all if you are looking for a good family house or a an apartment.
In terms of transport links, it’s a 14 minute walk to Richmond train station and the town centre and there’s 371 bus access from either end of the road (Richmond town centre in one direction and Kingston in the other).
What The Neighbours Say:
“Marlborough Road to me really has many positives as a place to live, above its proximity to shops, green spaces and transport. Cars can’t and don’t speed down the road. The result is the street has a calmness and importantly feels safe for pedestrians. The width of the street, with the houses on the South side set far back from the road, is fairly rare for London. The sense of space created is not the typical claustrophobic feeling of a city street and a bonus. Richmond as we know is on the Heathrow flight path. Marlborough Road, from the topography of the hill somehow escapes the noise of planes and in 12 years living here I’ve never been woken up by them.” Dave
“I think Marlborough Road is perfectly placed in Richmond. You can be in Richmond Park very quickly, or the Terrace Gardens, or just a 10 minute walk away is Richmond town centre. There are lots of families who live on the road, many of whom walk their children to school in the mornings. It's a perfectly placed place to be!” Laura
“There’s a balanced sense of city life vibrancy and peaceful countryside living. With the Marlborough pub with the big garden and Richmond hill bakery on your doorstep, and Sainsbury’s next to it for daily essentials. It’s a short walk to the famous view which many travel across the UK to see. Also close by are the station, Vineyard Primary School, nurseries, and the town centre for all the necessities. There’s a great sense of openness, safety, community and friendly neighbours who we often enjoy a laugh with.” Leila