Located in the heart of Finsbury Park is Queen’s Drive, a wonderful three-bedroom apartment in a collection housed in a converted Victorian townhouse. Overseen by William Paul Architecture, the refurbishment of the building has resulted in spaces that have been sensitively designed with the help of interior designer Victoria Todd to accentuate their grand proportions and original features. A pared-back material and colour palette engender an air of exceptional calm. The apartment has a large private garden and lies a short walk from Clissold Park, Stoke Newington Church Street, and Blackstock Road is at the end of the road, less than a five-minute walk away.

The Building

The converted Victorian townhouse is set back behind a generous front garden; large windows punctuate the handsome London stock brick façade, which is dressed with white stucco. There is a wide, square bay window on the raised ground floor and three sash windows with decorative stone arches lining the first floor.

William Paul Architecture used a simple aesthetic throughout, placing emphasis on volume and light, guided by original period proportions, high ceilings and sash windows. The new conversion benefits from a Build-Zone 10-year New Home warranty for each apartment.

The Tour

The apartment has been artfully designed using a soft neutral palette to maximise natural light. Access is via a set of steps that leads down to it’s own front door, opening to an entrance hall that leads to the main kitchen, dining and living room. The open-plan living, kitchen and dining room is characterised by high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling sliding glazing that opens to a patio and private garden at the rear.

A glass ceiling set above exposed oak beams at the back of the living room allows light to pour into the space. A minimally designed kitchen is set into the corner of this room, with built-in grey Caesarstone quartz worktops and cabinetry. Engineered oak floorboards finished in a light wash run throughout the apartment.

At the front of the plan are three double bedrooms. Each is minimally finished, and two have French doors that leads to a courtyard facing Queen’s Drive. The third has a window overlooking the return to the front of the building. 

The bathroom is finished in Terrazzo tiles, with black fixtures and fittings, rainfall showers and baths. There are white-painted cast-iron radiators throughout.

Outdoor Space

Floor-to-ceiling glazing in the reception room opens out to the large garden, where there is a large concrete patio with space for entertaining. The rest of the garden is predominantly laid to lawn, with mature trees forming a verdant canopy.

All apartments have access to the communal garden at the front of the home, which is bound by wrought iron railings. This space has bike storage, low-level planting and receives shade from a mature pine tree. Two of the bedrooms have French doors that open out onto a courtyard.

The Area

Queen’s Drive is conveniently positioned for all the amenities of Finsbury Park, Stroud Green and Stoke Newington, with extremely quick access to central London, via Finsbury Park station, which features a newly opened Picturehouse Cinema, Gail’s and Boulangerie Bon Matin. Stroud Green Road, with its wide array of restaurants and shops, is a short walk past Finsbury Park. Also close by is Fink’s Salt and Sweet, a cafe and neighbourhood hub which is famous for its excellent coffee.

Clissold Park lies at the end of the street, less than a five-minute walk south. The park has vast expanses of open lawns and is home to an aviary, menagerie, ponds and tennis courts, along with a modern, sustainably designed pavilion. There is also a skate park, children’s playground and paddling pool. Its eastern side is home to the Grade II-listed, colonnaded Clissold Mansion, built in the 1790s for a local Quaker.

Finsbury Park itself lies less than 10 minutes’ walk away at the end of the street. Parkland Walk, a disused railway line that has been transformed into a green pedestrian thoroughfare, runs all the way from Finsbury Park to Highgate. The beautiful Clissold Park is less than five minutes’ walk away, and the nature reserve of Woodbury Wetlands, a haven for wildlife with 11 hectares of reed-fringed ponds and dykes, provides a verdant retreat within easy reach.

The area is very well served for primary schools. The nearby Holmleigh Primary School and Gillespie Primary School are both OFSTED-rated ‘Outstanding’.

Manor House and Finsbury Park Underground stations (for Overground, Victoria and Piccadilly Lines) are less than a 10-minute walk from Queen’s Drive.

Photography above shows Apartment Two. 

Tenure: Leasehold with Share of Freehold
Lease Length: approx. 999 years remaining
Service Charge: approx. £700 per annum
Council Tax Band: D

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.