Beautiful garden bedroom in friendly house

I call this the Garden bedroom, as the double doors open straight into the back garden, and allow lots of natural light in. The floor is the restored original pine floor. All of the furniture is solid wood. There is a double futon bed with a side table, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, and a table at the right height for working with a laptop.

I try to find people who like the sort of home that I do, so that they feel that it's their home too, having partners over to stay now and then, having friends pop in for visits.

It's a lovely old house, built in 1904. The rooms are very nicely proportioned, with high ceilings and lots of daylight, on a quiet, tree‑lined residential street close to some lovely parks. There is lots more that I still want to do with it, but it already provides a friendly, relaxed, and safe home.

The back garden is very long at 54m, and has an area away from the house with a table, chairs, and barbecue.

All bills are included, except energy: the monthly bill from Octopus is split between us every month.

There are lots of really nice parks nearby, including Forster Memorial Park, Mountsfield Park, and Beckenham Place Park. Each has a café. Beckenham Place has a couple of bars too, and the Homestead Café there sells my honey.

A quote from Marisa, my only current lodger, who moved in for a three‑month stay… 18 months ago.
“The kitchen and living room are popular shared spaces where we often enjoy chatting over a beverage or a meal, or simply relaxing while taking in the views of the hedge and trees in the front garden, and the beautiful collection of cacti in a cosy, friendly setting.”

We buy and share common food items such as herbs and spices, and sometimes other things — scent‑free soap, washing up and laundry detergents, loo rolls, etc. That keeps the spaces uncluttered.

It’s easy to ventilate the house naturally, and I like to keep the air fresh and free of smells such as incense, scented products, and strong cleaning agents.

We share the chores and keep a lived‑in‑clean house. The loo is kept clean at all times by everyone.

The house has a washing machine, superfast broadband, a central vacuum‑cleaner system, and a long outdoor clothes line in the back garden.

Transport links to central London are very good, with three stations within walking distance, and the nearest bus stop to Catford is a four‑minute walk away. You can take quiet streets almost all the way to the stations.

Trains: The commute to central London is very convenient, with three train stations nearby — Bellingham, Catford, and Hither Green. Bellingham is about a 15‑minute walk, and Catford and Hither Green both take about 25 minutes.

Average fast train times:

Hither Green to:
• London Bridge 12 minutes
• Waterloo East 16
• Charing Cross 23

Catford Bridge to:
• London Bridge 11
• Charing Cross 19

Bellingham Thameslink to:
• Blackfriars 22
• St Pancras & King’s Cross 35

Buses: In addition to the nearest one (the 124), there are more bus stops about eight minutes’ walk further on.

Cycling makes getting around town really easy, especially if you take it on the train. There are lots of low‑traffic routes available. A gentle cycle to Westminster via Peckham and Burgess Park takes about an hour. You can do it on main roads in about 40 minutes if you want to, but for me the quieter route feels quicker as it's so relaxing.

Local services
There are a couple of small supermarkets within a ten‑minute walk, a Co‑op, a deli and other small shops about 15 minutes away, and a Sainsbury’s Local by the stations. Catford has a big Tesco, Lidl, and Aldi. I cycle to the Sainsbury’s in Lee Green.