Exchange with this member
Modern, comfy and well-equipped home in Ecology Centre, close to central London, in easy reach of the sea and the North and South Downs.
We live in Sutton Ecology Centre (https://www.sutton.gov.uk/info/200453/parks_trees_and_open_spaces/.../3 ).Carshalton has a good community atmosphere, with cafes, library, sports centre etc, a river, ponds and open spaces, and it is close to central London. In the community-owned arts centre there are frequent music nights and concerts (see https://cryerarts.co.uk/) .
The Barn is modernised with a home cinema, a well-equipped kitchen and a jacuzzi bathtub in the family bathroom.
It takes just 28 minutes to reach the city centre by train, and the station is a 5 - 10 minute walk from our home. Direct trains to Victoria, Blackfriars or Waterloo stations get you to big free art museums like the Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the South Bank, and the South Kensington museums - as well as theatres, and much else - in less than an hour.
Carshalton makes a pleasant contrast with central London, and we have several artist friends living nearby (see https://www.carshaltonartists.com ) The High Street is 5 minutes walk away, with friendly pubs and cafes, the old church has a 13th C Lady Chapel, and there is an excellent local history museum and outdoor cafe/bar less than 30 seconds away ! There are convenient shops and good local Thai, Indian and Vietnamese restaurants, also some excellent Fish and Chips.
More detail about each room :
The main room, which we call the studio, has a day - bed that opened up can sleep two people, a boudoir - grand piano, the solid fuel stove, and a 'home cinema' system.
The gallery above this room can used with mattress as a curtained-off third bedroom for guests.
The studio opens into a second room, a peaceful spot serving mainly as a library and workspace, with books, DVDs, games and a music system. It leads to the patio garden where we eat out in summer, have barbecues etc and has a wooden spiral staircase leading up to the second bedroom.
In the main bedroom there's a super-king-size bed, a corner bathroom and the wi-fi connection.
The second bedroom has two single beds, at the top of a wooden spiral staircase from the Green Room.
The kitchen - dining room is well-equipped as we love cooking, with a large dining table which can seat 8 or 9.
There is a recently renovated family bathroom with jacuzzi bath tub and good shower.
We have a herb garden by the kitchen door which you are welcome to use.
Listing Overview
Property
- Bedrooms 2
- Sleeping Capacity 7
- Bathrooms 2
- Living Area m2
- Total Area m2
House rules
- Small children are welcome Yes
- Pets are welcome Yes
- Non-smoking house Yes
- Pet care wanted No
- Car necessary No
Exchange dates
The member has not specified any exchange dates
Exchange periods
The member has not specified any exchange dates
Neighborhood
About the neighborhood
The locality
Carshalton is an historic London village and so it is interesting and attractive in its own right. An award - winning pub, an ancient church, some good, reasonably priced restaurants, a park with an adventure playground, a Victorian Water Tower and a Heritage Museum open to visitors are all less than 5 minutes away.
See http://www.timfg.com/Stuff/StuffFiles/CarshWlk.pdf for a description of the main attractions.
There is also a public library in the leisure centre, with a good selection of books and DVDs. The leisure centre is a pleasant 10 minute walk away through a park, and it does special play sessions at the swimming pool.The train station is an easy 5-10 minute walk away, and central London can be reached in 25 minutes, going north, and hills and rivers can be reached just as quickly going south. Going east, in nearby Croydon there is street market and some good venues for music and food. The bus stop for Morden where the tube begins is two minutes away, and the others taking you to Heathrow, Kingston or Croydon are in the High Street.
Recent examples of family days out are : Greenwich (Maritime Museum and craft market) – we took a boat back to Waterloo, then a train; the South Bank Imagine Children’s Festival (it took us about 45 minutes to reach it from our house); the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, and then exploring by bus using a Family Travelcard.
We have a file of information about how to best use the time in London and surrounding area.
House amenities
Vehicles included in exchange
- Use/Exchange of car 0
- Number of bicycles 1
- Number of children's bicycles 0
- Number of electrical bicycles 0
- Use of boat 0
House essentials
House features
Instruments
Accessibility
References
Your exchange partner’s home satisfaction rating is 4.0, based on 3 references.
Nos hôtes étaient charmants. Maison située dans un petite ville sympathique, avec des liaisons faciles pour Londres.
The house exudes the atmosphere of a well-to-do family, with a very good cultural level and a great fondness for music. The welcome given to us by the owner's sister was excellent and the relationship she fostered in the following days to play music with her was a completely satisfying and unexpected experience. The communication we had, via Whatsapp, with the owners while they were at our house and we at theirs made us feel like we were dealing with a friendly and welcoming family. The surroundings of the house, in the middle of the park and in the middle of nature, is one of the best charms it has. ................................... La casa desprèn l'ambient d'una família ben avinguda, de molt bon nivell cultural i amb gran afició per la música. L'acollida que ens va fer la germana de la propietària va ser excel·lent i la relació que va fomentar en els dies següents per tocar música amb ella va ser una experiència del tot satisfactòria i inesperada. La comunicació que vam tenir, via Whatsapp, amb els propietaris mentre ells eren a casa nostra i nosaltres a la seva ens va fer la sensació d'estar tractant amb una família amable i acollidora. L'entorn de la casa, enmig del parc i en plena natura, és un dels millors encants que té.
This was a very happy exchange, our first for five years ! Communication both before, during and after the exchange was prompt and friendly. Both us and our exchange partners enjoyed being welcomed by members of our respective families. Montserrat and Josep had a very good illustrated welcome pack in five languages ! We were inspired by that to improve our own 'home information'. Both their house and the cat were very welcoming, characterful and comfortable to be around. We shared some musical interests after the exchange, which was an unexpected delight.
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Member since
2005
- 18 Exchanges made
Ashok is a Professor of Innovation in the Business School of Royal Holloway College. Karin teaches Forest School in Morden Hall Park and makes performances and workshops with shadow puppet theatre. We host a fortnightly film club where friends come and watch a variety of international films in our studio's home cinema. Galleries and theatres in London are our great pleasure, plus occasional visits to the opera and ballet, Our two daughters of 21 and 25 are now living away, sometimes we travel with them, sometimes without. In the summer we sometimes go to the sea at Brighton, it is a quick journey, and enjoy 'wild swimming' at the Mole River by Box Hill, accessible by a direct 25 minute train ride.
Destination Wishlist
- Spain
- France
- Italy
- United Kingdom
