The Honor Oak Road Residence
Perks for the Parents
A historic 5-storey home in Honor Oak, South London with luxe interiors and the city’s best children’s museum nearby. It sleeps 12. This recently-renovated house is perfectly set up for modern families, with a gorgeous eat-in kitchen, lots of different spaces to play or relax, and plenty of room for everyone to have their own privacy. Working remotely in the stylish home office will be a delight, and the pretty green garden is ideal for a quiet morning coffee. Parents will love exploring South London’s village-style neighborhoods, including Dulwich, Forest Hill and Crystal Palace - all filled with independent boutiques, coffee shops and pubs. This area is full of families, so it’s easy to find kid-friendly eateries, parks and playgrounds on foot.
Why Kids Love it
Younger guests will love the bright, colorful kids rooms which are filled with toys and books to enjoy (the host family have 5 children aged from 9-16). There’s also a dedicated playroom, a huge garden, plus games consoles, bikes and skateboards so they’ll never be bored! The house is just a few minutes’ walk from The Horniman Museum - one of the city’s best spots for children. It has 16 acres of landscape gardens, a butterfly hot house, an aquarium, hill-top views over the city and ever-changing interactive exhibitions related to animals and the natural world. Opposite the museum there’s also a children’s playground which links to the Green Chain Walk hiking trail, allowing for safe footpaths to explore the area’s woodlands and green spaces.
Things to Know
Minimum stay: 4 nights. Safety notes: there are steps up to the house, so unfortunately it’s not suitable for guests with mobility issues. A housekeeper is available for hire as well as a local chef who can make meals / bake cakes with a bit of notice. The house does not have air conditioning but the it remains cool in the summer. There is a gated drive with parking for up to 6 vehicles but car rental is not essential - there are bus stops and train stations nearby. This part of the city is around 20-30 minutes from central London via train or car, and around 1 hour from Gatwick and Heathrow airports. Forest Hill train station (5 minutes' walk) provides a direct line to London Bridge/Shoreditch and access to the city’s subway system.
About the Location
The house is located in South London’s leafy Honor Oak neighborhood. This hugely family-friendly area has plenty of places to go and things to do for little ones. As well as the nearby Horniman Museum, you can walk into Forest Hill (5 minutes) where you’ll find a supermarket, pubs, coffee shops, independent boutiques, a swimming pool and leisure center. The glorious Dulwich Park is just 15 minutes’ walk (for tennis courts, playground, a cafe and boating lake) and the spectacular Crystal Palace Park is just 5 minutes’ drive: this famous park marks the site of the 1851 Great Exhibition and today boasts a playground, cafe, maze, skate park and, most unusually, a dinosaur trail featuring 19th century paleontological sculptures.
Accommodation Details
This residence has 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, set over 5 floors. The lower ground floor has a small kitchen, a laundry room with a dog bath, a home office and a boot room with 5 built-in drawers to keep children’s outdoor kit hidden away. This floor also has a playroom with 2 sofas and a Z-bed (best for kids under 12), plus window shutters, so it can be used as an additional sleeping space. On the main level, there are 2 living rooms at the front and back, plus an open plan kitchen/diner with direct access to the garden. The bedrooms are split across the upper floors: 1 twin room with 2 single beds and 1 bunk room for kids, as well as 2 double rooms and 1 kingsize room for adults. A further double room is in the lower ground level, raised from street level and bright, it's perfect for a nanny (or teenager!) as it’s self sufficient with its own bathroom and kitchen.
Style Notes
Georgian villa. This classic London home comes with a whole host of beautiful period features, such as high ceilings, decorative cornices, curved banisters and large bay windows. The generous proportions and floor-to-ceiling windows allow light to flood into all the rooms. The hosts have recently renovated in 2021, and opted for mid-century and designer furniture throughout, with plenty of color, pattern and fun! We love the sophisticated wall paneling in the bedrooms, the unique bathroom tiling (check out that terrazzo!) and the elegant parquet flooring in the kitchen.
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Air Conditioning
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Baby Bath
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Baby Monitor
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Babysitter / Nanny
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Backyard / Garden
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Balcony
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Bathtub
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Bed Rails
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Bicycles
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Cabinet Locks
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Changing Table
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Chef / Catering
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Children's Dinnerware
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Corner Guards
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DVD Library
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DVD Player
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Dishwasher
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Elevator
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Fireplace Guards
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Game Console
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High Chair
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Housekeeper
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Outlet Plugs
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Parking
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Pet-friendly
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Pool
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Pool Gate
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Stair Gates
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Television
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Toys / Children's Books
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Washer / Dryer
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Wifi
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Window Guards
Dulwich, London
Lakes, parks and stories
To the south of central London, beyond Battersea and Brixton, the green oasis of Dulwich includes parks with boating lakes and duck ponds and enough play areas to entertain the kids in a different spot every day of the week. It’s about half an hour from London Bridge by train and Tube and was once the home of Enid Blyton.