Marsh & Parsons

Area Profile - Barnes Sales

Beautiful Barnes

There are many areas of London that describe themselves as villages, but Barnes SW13 is one of the few that truly deserves the tag. At its heart is a duck pond, surrounded by pretty cottages, large houses, boutiques, pubs, cafes and independent shops. Mums pushing prams, families walking dogs and children feeding the ducks are a common sight in this vibrant little village that is never far away from central London – Waterloo is 22 minutes by train and Hammersmith is 10 minutes on a bus.

"Many of our clients are people who have lived in Barnes for many years," says Kate Jolley, sales manager of Marsh & Parsons in Barnes. "They begin by investing in 1 / 2 bedroom flats, a natural progression is then to a small house or Little Chelsea cottage, upgrading then to a substantial 4 / 5 bedroom house for a growing family. Once children begin to fly the coup, downsizing within the area is a popular move, very rarely will people leave Barnes entirely, once you have experienced the unique village atmosphere of Barnes it is difficult for other areas to compare."

Its quintessential village atmosphere is one of the main attractions together with the very high standards of local state schools, which include Barnes Primary School. Local residents include Anneka Rice, Tim Henman, comedienne Jan Ravens and Pete Tong and there is a large Swedish population in the village attracted by the Swedish school.

Houses and flats for sale through Marsh & Parsons are a mixture of the urban conversion at Harrods Village, riverside houses at Barnes Waterside and pretty cottages in Little Chelsea. There are also a lot of five-bedroom Victorian villas, especially popular with growing families.

As one of the premier estate agents selling properties in the SW13 area, Marsh & Parsons prides itself on its local know how. From the best schools in the area to the finest boutiques bars and restaurants and the cost of a resident's parking permit, estate agents at Marsh & Parsons have their finger firmly on the local pulse.

So, what will you get for your money in Barnes?

As one of Barnes most popular agents, Marsh & Parsons have an intimate knowledge of the area. A first-time buyer will need at least £250,000 to buy a studio or one-bedroom conversion flat and for two bedrooms in SW13, prices range between £400,000 and £650,000. You could expect to pay more than £700,000 for a three-bedroom apartment in the exclusive Barnes Waterside.

North Barnes offers a cluster of roads Nowell, Stillingfleet and Boileau where modern newly built houses are available, usually with off street parking and decent size gardens. North Barnes is equal distance from Barnes village and Hammersmith. House prices on average are lower than those of a period style closer to the village. The style of property here is more modern and three-bedroom homes sell for approximately £550,000. The desirable area of Little Chelsea just off White Hart Lane offers delightful period cottages, two bedroom cottages start from £550,000 and for three bedrooms with side extensions and loft conversions around £700,000.

A select group of streets off Barnes High Street namely Cleveland, Cambridge and Stanton offer four bedroom Victorian houses ranging between £850,000 and £1.3m. Four-bedroom houses built in the 1920s and 1930s usually found around Ferry, Suffolk, Parke and Lowther start at about £1.3 million and can range up to £1.75m. Castlenau and Lonsdale Road are two prime roads boasting the largest houses available in Barnes and you can comfortably pay £4 million for a five-bedroom house.  Popular Roads in Barnes Village are Meredyth, Rectory, Bellevue and Elm Grove Road where you can expect to pay between 1.25 and 1.6m for four to five bedroom Victorian and Edwardian houses. While roads such as The Crescent, Hillersdon, Melville, Westmoreland and Baronsmead offer a variety of red brick and Lion houses, selling through Marsh & Parsons for between £2.million and £3.5 million.

What else can you expect from Barnes?

The village dates back to the Domesday Book when it was an agricultural centre, but today, it is best known for its wetland centre and the number of parakeets regularly seen in the sky and nestling in trees. Barnes also has wonderful restaurants including Anthony Worral Thompson's Barnes Grill, Sonny's and Riva as well as a range of gastropubs, including the ever-popular Sun pub, just across the road from the pond. The Bulls Head has been famed for its jazz since the 1950s and Humphrey Littleton, Ronny Scott and a host of other big names have all played there. There is a gig on every night and the bar prices are excellent as is the Thai food.

Food shopping in the village is excellent, with not only a Saturday farmers' market but also J Seal Butchers, The Real Cheese Shop, The Parish Bakery, Sonny's Food Shop, The Barnes Fish Shop and Two Peas in a Pod. Other independent stores that don't sell food include The Blue Door, which specialises in Swedish furnishings, The Barnes Bookshop and the highly recommended Dining Room Shop.

Media and the arts are a big part of village life and, as well as a theatre, Barnes is home to the Olympic Studios, the second largest recording studio in London after Abbey Road, where Pete Doherty can regularly be spotted outside. The great outdoors is one of Barnes' most attractive features and as well as the Common and the Wetland Centre, Barnes has the river and the Isabella Plantation in nearby Richmond Park, where beautiful azaleas, which form part of the National Collection, and rhododendrons bloom in April and May.

The village is green to its core and the council operates a Smart Sack recycling system for residents' rubbish and recycling bins abound in Barnes.