Sat 1 Dec 2007
Closer to heaven
Whether in a country pile perched atop a hill, or a plush residential tower, anyone can live the high life. After a summer defined by flooding, now may be the time to think about building up, says David Hoppit.
Whoever said Essex was flat has not tried cycling round my county. Short on mountains it may be, but flat it ain't. From our bathroom window we look down on the flashing light atop Canary Wharf, the tower block that now dominates Docklands and East London.With melting ice caps now a certainty it perhaps won't be many years before London will be under water and, who knows, our country parish could, in the fullness of time, become a seaside resort. Certainly large stretches of coastline in East Anglia are already threatened by the rising sea level.
However, leaving aside global warming and disappearing coastlines, there is something comforting about living the high life and looking down upon the rest of the world. As the old song goes one can become "The folk who live on the hill" or, of course, move into a tower block.
One is closer to heaven when high up - safe from floods and less accessible to villains. Having said all that, and to contradict myself, we have just bought a house in the south-west of France that is immediately beside a little river.
The gentle music it makes through the night is soporific and our new neighbour assures us that it has overflowed only once in 25 years. Also, it is in the foothills of the Pyrenees, well above sea level and it has been there more than 200 years, so we feel reasonably secure.
Our parents' generation didn't give flooding a second thought, but it would be a foolish house buyer these days who was not at least cognisant of the risks of living on a flood plain; and yet some developers still seem to ignore the warning signs.
No such problem exists at a development I visited recently on Kent's highest point - at least not for a few million years! Ide Hill Park, not far from Sevenoaks and 800 feet above high water mark, boasts one of the most spectacular views, opened up 20 years ago when the great wind felled many of the trees that had hitherto obstructed it.
Within the 37-acre grounds of the Grade II Victorian pile known as The Philippines a remarkable development of what can only be described as mansions is nearing completion. The eight great houses are the work of Millgate Homes and each will have an acre of garden, designed by a Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner.
So it's not so much a case of "In my house are many mansions", rather it is "in the grounds of my mansion are many mansions". These are houses for the most fortunate of families, with floor areas of around 7,500 square feet and containing just about every labour-saving and entertainment gizmo known to man.
Happy the children whose mum and dad can afford to live at Ide Park, for they will have some 30 acres of woodland in which to play - woodland that includes swings, tree houses and barbecues, absolutely perfect for trainee Tarzans to woo their Janes, in perfect safety.
The trouble is Tarzan and Jane's parents will have to cough up £3,250,000 or more for the privilege of living there (Savills is the agent); but there may be cheaper options when the PJ Livesey Group completes its restoration and conversion of the original mansion, where flats will start in price at around £750,000. The original mansion was built in 1834 by Joshua Wilson Faulkner, a painter of miniatures, whose passion was travel. On his travels he fell in love with the Philippines and also with a Barbados girl named Elizabeth Susanna Jones. He married her in London in 1819 and he named their new home The Philippines soon afterwards.
How wonderful it would be if all new developments could offer idyllic play areas of this kind, where children can learn about nature, get a few scratches and bruises and escape from those dreaded things I think they call 'play stations'.
Tarzan, the boy raised by apes in the 1914 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, was himself of noble blood, so luxury such as one finds at Ide Hill would be no more than he might reasonably expect; and he would certainly find the swings and tree houses to his liking.
Millgate director David Simpson explained: "We wanted to give residents an environment akin to that of an English country estate. The nature trail meanders around the edge of the 37-acre park, through breathtaking scenery and is ideal for a leisurely stroll or jog.
"It is the perfect place for children to explore and ignite their passion for nature, while parents can relax in the knowledge that they are within a safe and secure environment."
Of course, some kids may have parents who would be stretched to find the funds to live at Ide Hill; and some boys and girls may not fancy the life of Tarzan and Jane. In this case they might prefer to play out the life of Admiral Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton, or even Henry VIII and the fateful crew of the Mary Rose.
All this is available at the former Royal Navy Ordnance Yard in Portsmouth in the shape of Gunwharf Quays, a waterside restoration project that already attracts eight million visitors every year. Among the unique attractions are HMS Victory, looking remarkably tiny in its berth, plus HMS Warrior, built in 1860 as the first iron-hull warship. Nearby also are the Mary Rose Museum and the remains of the ship itself, which is still undergoing preservation.
The old dockyard is now abuzz with both business and leisure activity; and lording it over everything is No.1 Gunwharf Quays, towering heavenwards, 300 feet into the sky and accommodating no fewer than 29 storeys of studios, flats and penthouses.
The tower, the tallest residential building on the south coast, is being built by Berkeley Homes and already the first phase of units has been sold. Altogether 139 studios and high specification flats are being built, with prices starting at £200,000 for a studio and £250,000 for a one-bedroom flat. Higher up the price scale there are two- and three-bedroom flats for between £285,000 and £475,000 and penthouses commanding £1,750,000.
The views across the old harbour and the ocean, from even the lower floors, demand to be seen; and the tower itself is quite a sight, designed to resemble a giant funnel. In this respect it sits comfortably with another tower, The Spinnaker, which is nearby.In addition to the masses that there is to do, the owners of larger units will receive a private berth at the Royal Clarence Marina, a short ferry ride across the water, from which they can participate in all manner of yachting and other water sports.
With all this outdoor activity one might forget the interiors of the flats. They are, of course, of a high standard, on a par with those one might expect to find in upmarket flats in the posher parts of London. There is underfloor heating, the latest kitchen and bathroom fittings and, of course, home entertainment points.
Owners can leave their car in a secure underground park and at street level there is a concierge service. There is also a video entry and multi-point locking system. Also, for anyone wanting to leave their man-made mountain, there is Portsmouth Harbour station just two minutes' walk away, giving fast access to London.
Robin Dixon, director of Berkeley Homes South Thames, showed me his tower with pride and said: "It is a real landmark for Portsmouth, a city that has gained so much from the regeneration at Gunwharf Quays.
"The standard of accommodation on offer is easily comparable with what one would find in a London development and it represents the way the property market is moving here."
With the dwindling supply of land for building the industry will have to think vertically if the required number of units is to be provided. We learned a lot of hard lessons from the ill-conceived tower blocks of East London 40 or more years ago - the flats in No 1 Gunwharf Quays are here to stay and should more than keep pace with values of other forms of housing.
Let's have more of them - with plenty of communal gardens and play areas, as well as a bit of privacy in roof gardens or at least balconies, where mum and dad can grow a few tomatoes and herbs.
Then, if the sea rises a few feet too high from time to time, we can look from our double-glazed windows close to heaven and mutter "What the hell - I'm all right!"
First published in Show House Magazine December 2007.
The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy but some information contained within this article may have changed since it was first published.
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