This exceptional four-bedroom house occupies a private leafy location on Cliff Terrace in St Johns. The house has been renovated and extended in recent years to a scheme by designer Eleanor Donnelly, of New York-based architectural practice Stelle Lomont Rouhani. It now has a central courtyard garden, an expansive master bedroom suite and a beautiful back garden.

Built in 1868, the house has been brought back from near dereliction to an exceptionally high standard of finish throughout. Traditional Victorian proportions have been opened up and extended across the ground and first floors, creating a flowing set of light-filled spaces that reflect a truly modern approach to living. Internal space extends to over 2,000 sq ft across three storeys and a large cellar.

Cliff Terrace is leafy, residential street, tucked away just behind St Johns Church in south-east London. The rather grand semi-detached houses along the street were all built in the middle of the nineteenth century and are the setting for Paul Theroux’s novel, The Family Arsenal.

Access to the house is gained via a small gated front garden. The street-facing facade is formed of charming London stock brick with a bay window protrusion on the ground floor and row of sash windows above. Beyond the porch, a generous entrance hall leads through to two reception rooms which have been opened up into one large space. These rooms are excellent for entertaining, or relaxing and are bathed in natural light. There is herringbone oak parquet underfoot throughout, high ceilings and two marble fireplaces.

The second, smaller reception room now looks out onto a  newly created courtyard garden. A new sight-line through the whole of the ground floor, to the garden, has been created care of a via a pair of beautiful glazed doors. The courtyard is the perfect space for a quiet morning coffee, beneath an elegant wisteria which adorns the brickwork above.

Further down the hall, beyond the downstairs WC, are the large open-plan kitchen and dining room with underfloor heating, arguably the most impressive spaces in the house. The kitchen has Carrara marble worktops, micro-tile splashbacks, integrated appliances and elegant white-fronted units. These spaces are hard-wired with Bose speakers and the dining room itself opens out, care of large glazed sliding-doors, onto the garden and patio. The marble kitchen worktop continues to run outside where there is a built-in FireMagic barbecue. The lawn is raised and has a seating area at the foot, for evening drinks, among the cherry, apple and plum trees.

The first floor has a large living room at the front of the house; the current owner also uses this as the principle lounge and as a home study. There is a wood-burning stove and built-in bookshelves either side of the hearth. The space is substantial enough to be used as a further, large bedroom if required. It has a row of sash windows with tree-top views towards St John’s Vale. There is a large bathroom on this floor, as well as two further bedrooms; one with a solid-wood sliding shutter and bespoke wardrobes, the other, at the rear of the plan, has an exposed brick fireplace and views over the garden.

The whole of the second floor is occupied by the master bedroom suite. There is a walk-in dressing room with bespoke cabinetry throughout. This space leads through to an en-suite shower room, with a skylight, exposed brick and twin sinks. There are fitted Cambridge Audio speakers in the shower room and dressing room. A few steps above is the master bedroom, positioned at the very top of the house, within the roof’s pitch.

The house also has a large basement, with significant amounts of storage space.

Cliff Terrace is a quiet residential street in St Johns, a thriving neighbourhood with a growing cultural profile. A short walk from Deptford, Brockley, Greenwich and New Cross it is swiftly becoming one of the most fashionable parts of south-east London. The area has a range of cafes, pubs and restaurants (L’Oculto, Winemakers’ Deptford and Artusi’s sister-restaurant Marcella are all noteworthy) and green spaces, including the ever-popular Hilly Fields.

There is a renowned farmers’ markets every Saturday at Brockley Market, offering a wide range of organic produce, alongside food trucks and wine merchants. Deptford Market Yard, a recently launched collection of independent shops and restaurants set within and around Deptford’s refurbished railway arches is nearby.

Goldsmiths University is within walking distance, and will soon open doors to its new gallery, designed by Turner-prize winning architects Assemble.

Greenwich is within walking distance from the house and has a vast array of pubs, cafes, restaurants and shops, including the Guildford Arms, a particular favourite with locals.

The house is less than 5 minutes walk from St Johns station, which runs services to London Bridge in 8 minutes. Services to Canon Street run in approximately 12 minutes. The DLR is a short walk from the house at Deptford Bridge and runs services to Canary Wharf in 13 minutes. London Overground services can be found at New Cross or New Cross Gate for connections to Peckham, Shoreditch and Highbury and Islington.

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.