in the know... news, views and word from the street
edition one autumn 2015
Inside this issue
londonundone a personal view of london p2
marketupdate sales and lettings analysis autumn 2015 p3
designfocus woody stables - the man behind the artwork p2
what’shot new shop and restaurant openings p4 nice to be niche The bunting was out at TB_HQ during August as we celebrated our first birthday, and what a year it’s been!
ince launching in the Tavistock Bow know these areas time, being one of the top three summer of 2014 we’ve inside out having worked here for agents in Covent Garden & Soho been overwhelmed by the many years. Our aim is to offer for new sales & lettings listings* warm reception we’ve a friendly and personal service and of those surveyed, 100% of Sreceived from both clients and (property is, after all, a ‘people’ our customers would recom- customers (and even a few of our business!) whilst at the same time mend us to others and 97% would competitors!). We set out to offer delivering results to our clients and choose to use us again**. something different in the West an exceptional experience for our Our enthusiasm for all things End property market and given customers. West End is ever present, as is the regular positive feedback we We understand the people our professional approach to all receive, we seem to be doing just who want to live and invest here things property. We hope you en- that. – we speak to them every day – joy our first issue of ‘In The Know’ Niche is an often overused and we believe that understand- and we look forward to meeting term, but one that perfectly ing is key to providing the best more local residents as well as describes the property market in advice. those hoping to make the West * Source Rightmove September 2015 Covent Garden, Soho, Blooms- We’re proud of what we’ve End their home in the coming ** Source Tavistock Bow Customer Satisfaction bury & Fitzrovia. The team at achieved in such a short space of months. Survey 2015 featured property LondonUndone | lettings
Berwick Street, Soho W1 £850 per week | Unfurnished
Our regular feature offering a view of London from some of those who know it best.
This issue, we get the low- wandering around Lassco’s Waterloo Bridge epitomises down from the girl who keeps in Vauxhall is my idea of our magical city and never Covent Garden’s carnivores heaven. We’ve just put some fails to make me smile. happy and puts the Sophie beautiful lights in our bar If you could change or in to Steakhouse, Sophie in Covent Garden that we improve anything in London Bathgate. bought there on a whim. you would... 24 hour tube Home Is? Battersea Favourite watering hole? If everyday please. A recently refurbished two bedroom apartment arranged over the 2nd & 3rd floors of a lovely period building in the heart of Best Coffee in Town? Near I’m ‘out’ out, I am partial to a What do you miss most when Soho. Berwick Street is one of Soho’s best loved streets and the home - La Moka, Battersea drink at Experimental Cock- out of town? The buzz and apartment is located above My Place, one of our favourite High Street. En-route to work, tail Club in Chinatown. the insane mix of people. Soho coffee joints as well as being only a few minutes walk it has to be Notes on St. Mar- Favourite place for everyday The ultimate place in London from Carnaby Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street for those tins Lane. eats? I eat an inordinate to live would be? Having in need of a little retail therapy. There is a well-proportioned amount of steak so locally Your favourite Street? Not recently moved south of the open plan kitchen/reception room, guest bedroom & bath- I’d seek out some lovely fish sure if this counts as a street river, I am loving Battersea room, master bedroom occupying the entire top floor with an at Barrafina. It never fails to but I always walk through and the proximity to the en-suite shower room and private outside space. Victoria Embankment Gar- deliver and now there’s a beautiful Battersea Park. It’s What We Love dens on my route to Covent choice of two on my door- a really exciting place to be Garden. Great for clearing step! right now. › Master bedroom occupies the top floor › The Duck & Rice just across the road the head & taking in the Best place to eat for a treat? What’s a ‘must do’ for anyone › Pretty period building eclectic nature of London A treat for me is checking new to London? Walk every- › Great views down Broadwick Street - there’s always a subtext out somewhere new, most where (and of course, come › Lovely wood floors to soak up and someone to recently really enjoyed to Sophie’s!) play ping pong with if you Berber Q. The trick is finding What you need to know Any top secret tips you’re have a spare 15 minutes. somewhere with a blend of willing to share? We still serve › Split level over 2nd & 3rd floors fantastic atmosphere & food. The shop you most frequent steak frites & a glass of wine › Private outside space on top floor (or would like to!) In another The view, building or piece for a tenner. No better lunch- › Walk up life I’d deal architectur- of architecture that most time value in London town! › Above My Place coffee shop al salvage, so a morning inspires you? The view from sophiessteakhouse.co.uk › Approx. 780sqft. / 72.5sqM designfocus | Woody Stables At TB_HQ, we have a real passion for design and when it came to creating something unique for our latest marketing campaign, there was only one man to turn to, the talented Mr. Woody Stables. Woody’s repertoire is wide and varied including concept artwork for video games, 3D model concepts, through to graphic design, life drawing and even animation for the London 2012 Olym- pics. We commissioned Woody to create artwork for Tavistock Bow that was simple, but used our strong brand colours and reflected the wonderful areas we’re fortunate enough to work in and en- joy. The results are a fantastic execution of a simple concept, something we’re very proud of hope local residents love as much as we do. woodystables.com 2 ““I highly recommend Tavistock Bow to anyone who is turned off by the usual sales/marketing pitch that seems to be the norm for Estate Agents.”
featured property | sales
Neal Street, Covent Garden, WC2 £2,300,000 | Leasehold
MARKETUPDATE autumn 2015
Sales primarily students returning to 100% of the their studies in London after the As expected, July and August customers summer, or graduates taking up were fairly quiet in parts of the & clients we new positions in the City, the mix prime London property market surveyed of which has been fairly even as many prospective buyers took would between Europeans and those stock over the summer following from Asia. recommend both the General Election and There is strong demand for Tavistock Chancellor’s Budget. However, furnished one bedroom flats Bow September has seen an upturn in around £525 per week, with the buyer enquires. majority of tenants looking to se- Covent Garden & Soho have cure apartments quickly, usually seen transaction levels increase rare opportunity to area well known for it’s di- occupying within two weeks. by 19% between July-Sept 2015 acquire a beautiful verse mix of retail, restaurants, Although more stock is avail- compared to the same period two bedroom, two cobbled streets and beautiful able at the upper end of the in 2014*, however an overall de- bathroom maisonette period architecture. market, an increasing demand crease in transactions of around Alocated on one of Covent Gar- for apartments up to £1500pw is What We Love: 22% across Prime Central London den’s most well loved streets. seeing higher value properties › Huge amounts of character has been reported**. Activity The self contained property is let much faster than during the › Roof terrace with internal between £1M & £2M remains arranged over three floors and summer months, and demand wet-bar strong, with a good number of features a private terrace with is very much outstripping supply › Well proportioned rooms buyers and more stock begin- fantastic rooftop views, won- under £650 per week, keeping › Beautiful period wood ning to filter in to the market. derful period details including prices up. panelling 28% of Central London wood panelling and original Its become common to refer › Original wood floors agents in Q2 2015 reported that timber floors, plus modern fea- to rents on a £per sq.ft. basis in vendors were seeking unrealistic tures including RAKO program- What you need to Know: Central London, as has been the prices** and we’ve seen a big mable lighting and an integrat- › 160m from Covent Garden case in the sales and commer- difference in levels of interest ed audio/visual system. The Tube cial property markets for many between sensibly priced stock property was comprehensively › 645m to Holborn Tube years. Every property should be and properties asking a more “Thank“ you very refurbished to a high standard › Service charge: £743 per viewed and priced on it’s own optimistic premium, even those much - your in recent years including high annum merit and it’s certainly no exact in the most sought after streets service was quality bathrooms and kitchen. › Ground rent: peppercorn science, but this way of pric- and buildings. Demand remains amazing Neal Street forms part of › Tenure: Leasehold – Approx. ing is now pegging rents to the strong, but the market is price throughout.” Seven Dials village, a popular 155 years remaining space rather then just number sensitive and we believe it will of bedrooms. In Covent Gar- remain so for the foreseeable den & Soho, we are now seeing future as buyers seek not only average rents between £50-£80 exceptional homes, but demon- read our blog and find more properties to buy & rent at per sqft depending on the size, › strable value. location and standard of finish, Lettings the greater premiums being achieved for new developments tavistockbow.com September has been dominat- and high quality refurbishments ed by tenants from overseas, which are always in demand.
*Source: Rightmove 3 **Source: Lonres newdevelopment WHAT’SHOT: Our friends at Retail & Restaurant henrietta street WC2 property specialists Shackleton tell us their favourite openings over the last 12 months.
Shops Folk | 24 Great Windmill Street W1 Folk’s latest opening cements Great Windmill Street as an officially hip street, with the Ham Yard Hotel bookending the Piccadilly end of the street. Finisterre | 7 Earlham Street WC2 For anyone who loves Saturdays Surf NYC, paddle over to this great mix of fashion and cosy outdoor wear, you won’t be disappointed. APC | 48 Lexington Street W1 Yet another fashion brand seeing how important a Soho store is for their portfolio, APC have fitted out this store in trademark minimal fashion to match their apparel. Skinnydip | 10 Fouberts Place W1 At Shackleton Towers, we always love it when you walk in to a store and it’s impossible not to make a purchase. Skinny dip has a fun mix of accessories at a great price point, an excellent addition to the Carnaby line up. Club Monaco | 35-37 Monmouth Street WC2 Capco launches new boutique scheme to let Premium, stylish womenswear at an affordable level and right by one of our favourite coffee spots, the legendary Monmouth Coffee. Property company Capco has spearheaded the transfor- for mation of Covent Garden into a destination for food lovers enquiries Restaurants and fashionistas alike, reconnecting the district with its 17th contact century residential roots by creating some of the areas our Smoking Goat | 7 Denmark Street WC2 finest and most desirable homes. A recent addition to their The premises is inviting and informal, add excellent service lettings growing residential portfolio is a new boutique development and simply mouth-watering bbq food with a Thai twist and team on of five beautiful apartments within an historic Grade II listed you’ve got an absolute belter. 020 7477 2177 Spencer Chadwick building on Henrietta Street. Homeslice | 52 Wells Street W1 Exclusively available to the rental market, these sophis- Having to unnecessarily burn off calories slogging it over to ticated apartments feature Neal’s Yard over the last year or so, we are tingling stunning open plan living spac- all over that our favourite London pizzeria has es, beautiful bespoke kitchens just opened a Fitzrovia branch dribbling and luxurious bathrooms. There distance from our offices. is a mix of one, two & three The Duck and Rice | 90 Berwick Street bedroom apartments, some W1 with lovely views over St. Paul’s Ok, we miss The Endurance, it was a Church Garden. Prices start Soho legend, however Alan Yau’s from £685 per week. new Chinese ‘boozer’ has offered something new and interesting and it serves the best Chilli Beef in town. Roka | Aldwych Covent Garden WC2 Up there with the finest Japanese in London. Sushi, sashimi and Sake in sumptuous surroundings. Jinjuu | 15 Kingly Street Carnaby W1 Is there anything as comforting as a Bibimbap for the chilly winter months ahead? Jinjuu puts a nice modern spin on traditional Korean fare. shackletonproperty.com
If you’re thinking of selling or letting, looking to buy or rent, or just curious about the market in Covent Garden, Soho, Fitzrovia or Bloomsbury, talk to the local experts
Anne-Marie Murphy Jamie Read Hannah Read Lucy Nairn 4