"Ideally, I'd like a house on the green, near the theatre. It's just such an awesome place to hang out."

The rumour is that she's planning a permanent move to London, and that she's fixated on Richmond. The Rat and Mouse has made some tentative enquiries on her behalf, and finds that the options are very limited. She could just choose any house, grab the owners by the hair and hurl them howling into the night. A more conventional route, via Knight Frank, reveals this, not too far away from the awesomeness of The Green. It's currently three apartments, but it could easily be returned to its original and grand period shape. It's listed at £5m. Otherwise... agents... the ball's in your court.

Technorati Tags: celebrity, London, property, real estate

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.

Twelve secluded acres in Twickenham known as the St Margarets Pleasure Grounds, shared by 140 properties at the cost of £400 a year for a key, and worth an extra £400,000 to the value of a home. And now, thanks to the Telegraph, a secret no more.

Inwood Park - just south of Hounslow - was once known for its distinctive landscape of old Special Brew cans and vomit... a chic little enclave for Londoners who wanted to stay shitfaced all of the time. Now, the council has made the area an alcohol-free zone, the drunks have dragged their pickled souls elsewhere and the Independent makes the park the subject of its More For Your Money page. The message is - the neighbourhood's on the up, and there are still unmodernised houses available for those looking to turn a (medium-term) profit. If you can get in quickly enough. There certainly seems as if there's a bit of action there at the moment. Listings for two- and three-bedroom terraced houses in the £220-240,000 region are mostly under offer or sale agreed. For something at the higher end, check out what £409,950 will buy you... a five-bedroom plus garage detached home overlooking the park. Not bad when the Piccadilly Line will take you into the West End in 25 minutes.

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.

Where? Peckham, innit, and in particular an area which, despite the unprepossessing start to its name, has been - according to the Independent - revivified. The Victorian and Georgian properties cost 60% less than nearby Clapham, and the area benefits from the sense of communal pride you get when a nabe is rescued from the dirt-heap and polished until it hurts.

Nunhead - it's not Peckham [October 26]
Peckham in the sky with diamonds [September 23]