There's a Press Association piece here about Ocean... this extremely striking houseboat moored at Cadogan Pier, and currently marketed by Foxtons, at £1m (illustration, above). They're saying it's the most expensive houseboat they've ever had on their books, and it comes with a swimming pool, a sunken (literally) utility room, three bedrooms with bathrooms and that kick-ass location. It's not, however, the most expensive houseboat currently on the market. Check out this Putney-moored four-bedroom extravaganza, with a 30ft reception room and a guide price of £1.3m (illustration, below). I've always thought there was a real romance to the houseboat, but that may well be because I've never lived on one. Anyone have any London houseboat experiences, good or bad?

Technorati Tags: London, property, real estate

Our friend Melanie - house historian for Chesterton Humberts - makes a couple of stops in Putney, focussing on a house on the Upper Richmond Road I've passed and wondered about on many occasions, and a nice pale brick place at the Roehampton end, with an impressive roster of former owners. Read it here.

Technorati Tags: London, property, real estate

Sinitta's selling her Putney six-bedroom house. The Colinette Road property has six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a garage, a big garden and the very nice glass-walled dining room above. It's on the market for £3.95m. Particulars here.

Technorati Tags: celebrity, London, property, real estate

When Time Out published its London guide book, it missed out The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. So, it attempts to put things right with a 10-point guide to the borough. Oh yeah, and here's the apology:

Time Out did a Bobbitt and cut the flaccid penis that is the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames off the map of the capital.

Well, don't know about you, but we at the Rat and Mouse have had plenty of experience distinguishing the difference between an apology and being called a cock. This - we're confident - falls into the latter category. So, go on, Kingston: what are you going to do about it?

[via This Is Local London]

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Way back when the Rat and Mouse was just a little start-up, long before we even had premises and a receptionist, let alone valet parking, we drew readers' attention to the irony that Bob the Builder creator Keith Chapman was having something of a hard time getting his builders to finish work on his four-story house in Putney. Chapman had invited the Telegraph over to survey the damage. Well... today, they're back, and the house is on the market for £2.25m.

Technorati Tags: London, property, real estate

Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan are apparently shopping for £8 million homes in the Richmond Hill area. So what of the £18 million Chelsea home the pair were reported to have purchased in May last year?

Hugh Grant - "property mad" [April 25, 2006]

Technorati Tags: celebrity, London, property, real estate

Well, not really. Writing in the Telegraph, Hannah Nemeth takes the forthcoming Shard as inspiration for a bit of domestic glass wall glamour. She visits a fund manager in Roedean Crescent, Roehampton (what? you like him already?) who bought a plot, knocked down the house and built two: one for him, one for a rich neighbour. Both designs are radically glass-heavy, and - in my opinion, anyway - they seem to work very well (although they look a little close together). Savills are handling the spare one (pictured), and it's priced at £2.9 million, which says to me... fund well-managed.

The Rat and Mouse - now with added search [January 29, 2007]

Technorati Tags: London, property, real estate

According to Land Registry figures, the average cost of a house in Putney is now £460,000... 16.9% up on last year. This quarter, flats have shown the greatest price increase. Putney is currently the most expensive area within Wandsworth Borough. More here.

Jeez, that headline's so bad it's made even me feel a bit nauseous. Sorry. The story is... we've just had word that Craig House, that giant former care home in Ham, Richmond, has just been sold to George Wimpey, (not) the beefburger tycoon, for £4.4 million. Which doesn't sound like a whole lot of money to us at the Rat and Mouse, considering we're talking about 1.8 acres of land, planning permission for 34 apartments and five three-bedroom mews houses... 27,726 square feet of accommodation, a walk away from Richmond Park.

It's featured in the Independent... a four-storey, four-bedroom, Grade II-listed, 17th Century house in Ormond Road, Richmond, combining the old (original panelling) and the new (ceiling speakers throughout), cleverly. It's with Featherstone Leigh, at £1.675 million. Particulars here.