According to the findings, the hip neighbourhood of Shoreditch was the most affordable area uncovered, with average prices of £729,807. The area was most famously immortalised in Monica Ali’s 2003 hit Brick Lane, but other parts of East London have also gained literary fame such as London Fields (via Martin Amis’ murder mystery novel of the same name from 1989) and through the publication of Peter Ackroyd’s The Clerkenwell Tales in 2003.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Notting Hill proved to be the most expensive location committed to ink. Property in the exclusive enclave is worth an average of £2,071,429 and the area is now synonymous with luxury living. This is a far cry from the Notting Hill portrayed in Samuel Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners in 1956 in which “the Gate” is a down-at-heel area, where newcomers to the City could find cheap lodgings.
Particularly pertinent with the third film currently showing in cinemas is the Bridget Jones series. Before they were turned into novels and adapted for the screen, the very British heroine began life in newspaper columns penned by writer Helen Fielding. Whilst fans of the films may recall Bridget living in a homely flat in Borough, in the newspaper column she actually resided in Holland Park. With typical property values in the area now north of £1.5m, perhaps the character wasn’t quite as hapless as she let on.
London has provided the backdrop for thousands of novels since time immemorial, with other notable mentions of the capital including North Kensington (average price: £1,373,036) in Absolute Beginners by Colin MacInnes (1959), Westminster (£1,353,750) in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway (1925), Clapham (£987,286) in The End Of The Affair (Graham Greene – 1951) and Balham (£801,667) in Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001).
Literary legends Charles Dickens and George Orwell set many of their novels in the mean streets of London and, in more recent years the capital has provided the backdrop for the likes of Nick Hornby, Sebastian Faulks and Zadie Smith to tell their tales.
London’s stations also feature prominently in literary folklore, with Paddington lending its name to the loveable bear from the Michael Bond series and JK Rowling’s bespectacled wizard Harry Potter famously returning to school every summer from platform 9¾ at Kings Cross.
David Brown, CEO of Marsh & Parsons, comments: “As a global epicentre of some renown, it’s unsurprising that thousands of authors have chosen London as the backdrop for their novels. Each neighbourhood has its own unique character, so a capital city as vast and diverse as London provides ample ammunition for writers seeking striking settings. Of course, due to this prestige, living in London comes at a cost and homebuyers looking to follow in the footsteps of their literary heroes will have to pay for the privilege.
Modern-day London is as far removed from the city portrayed by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist and Bleak House as to feel like a different metropolis altogether. But as esteemed as London is, there are still affordable opportunities for those who aren’t pre-occupied with the most prestigious postcodes. Shoreditch and the surrounding areas have a number of advantages such as enviable transport links and a stellar cultural and arts scene and they can also add literary landmark to the long list of plus points. The average property value may be in excess of £700,000 due to some luxury properties at the higher end, but more modest flats are available for a fraction of that price.”
image: EQRoy/Shutterstock.com
