A charming semi-detached house that was once owned by George Orwell has generated such huge levels of interest in the 21 days it was on the market, with 148 viewings of the property. The low built Georgian villa on Gloucester Road, in the heart of South Kensington, on the market for the first time in over 30 years at a price of ‘offers in excess of £1,595,000’.  It is presented in an unmodernised condition throughout and extends to 1,903sqft (176sqm) of accommodation with front and rear gardens and the possibility to create a roof terrace and extend at the rear.

James Moran, franchisee of Winkworth South Kensington, comments:

“Although we had restricted viewing hours – 6 hours in the first week, 12 hours in week two and 18 hours in the final week – there were almost 150 viewings of the property, resulting in best bids.

We had specific interest from many French nationals keen to view the house. In fact one lady told me that the house is so popular that all the mothers at the school gates of Lycée Français Charles De Gaulle School (a short walk away from the house) were talking about it!

Properties of these proportions and in this condition rarely come on the market, and when they do become available, they are guaranteed to generate a huge amount of interest.  We recently completed on a similar property in Courtfield Gardens SW5, marketed for the first time in over 40 years – an unmodernised first floor flat laterally arranged, extending to 1,816 sqft (168sqm) across two period buildings. This property came on to the market just before Christmas, we had 65 viewings and received offers well in excess of the £1,850,000 guide price.

There has been twice as much interest in the Gloucester Road house, with the top bids almost 40% above the £1,595,000 guide price, with a total of £42 million offered from 24 separate parties.  Despite national trends reporting price drops in the market, it is clear that in the very heart of central London there is a huge appetite for properties of an outstanding nature.”