Property of the Week: We may have found the only bungalow in central London tucked inside a courtyard in Marylebone
If you’re torn between living centrally in squished conditions or braving a suburban commute for a quainter way of life, then The Bailey in Marylebone may be the solution. Its sales agent Kay & Co claims it’s the only bungalow in central London.
Bungalows – self-contained, single level houses – became popular in the inter-war period when the city was expanding outwards, spilling into garden suburbs in the Home Counties.
“I’ve worked in this area for 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Paul Sulkin, the director of Kay & Co. “I see it going to a younger buyer, a creative couple, perhaps in media, because it’s quite unusual.”
The Bailey is a 685sqft standalone property set within the courtyard of a Grade-II Listed Art Deco block of flats called Dorset House. It was named after the architect, TP Bailey, who gained renown after he built both the Soho and Saville Theatres in the West End. The bungalow sits in the north wing of the 1930s building, distinctive on Gloucester Place with its lime green balconies and plumbing.
Read more: Sick of stamp duty? Buy a floating home instead
Despite being on a busy main road, The Bailey is unusually quiet, surrounded by the apartments, and the leasehold includes access to the 24-hour porterage and security of Dorset House.
Currently, it’s owned by a young professional couple who are looking to move after six years in the property, and they’ve kitted the vintage bungalow out in a stark, white contemporary finish and eclectic art pieces.
It now has an open-plan kitchen and dining space, lit up with natural daylight with paned floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a skylight, with in-built appliances and an induction hob. Then there’s a guest bathroom, a master bedroom ensuite, and the vendors have turned the second bedroom into a study. A paved terrace wraps around the outside of the bungalow, scattered with hanging baskets, potted plants and solar lamps.
It’s an oasis in the city, Sulkin adds, and “an absolute hidden gem in the heart of Marylebone.”
Price: £885,000. Call Kay & Co on 020 7486 6338 or visit kayandco.com.