This excellent group of houses on Dartmouth Road in Forest Hill was built to a design by Norman Starrett in 1964 by the well-regarded development company Hyndewood. This three-bedroom house, flanked by two gardens, is deceptively unassuming from the outside. Inside however it is an incredibly successful example of the extraordinary care the young architect gave his designs, and retains its best original features.

The terrace of houses is set back from the road and shaded by mature trees. Like many of his contemporaries, Starrett repeated successful architectural elements across projects and this one bears the hallmarks of his designs, also seen at the much-admired Greatwood development in Chislehurst. The houses are slightly staggered to maximise light and privacy, and are set behind courtyard gardens at the front.

Inside, a small porch leads to the first of the living spaces where a neat kitchen is set behind a serving hatch. This is well-considered to mirror the original, fitted in white with a wood trim and steel. The current owner has replaced any lost original features with considered alternatives, such as a rubber floor in the kitchen and lovely narrow floorboards throughout the rest of the house.

The rest of the ground floor is open-plan. The back wall of the house is completely glazed and opens to the garden, with a patio and sloped lawn that is backed by mature black poplar trees. An original open-tread Douglas fir staircase leads upstairs and culminates in a library on the landing. There are three bedrooms, one of which is currently well-used as a study, and a family bathroom. Smart Douglas fir cabinetry in the master bedroom echoes the warm-hued woodwork used throughout the house.

The house is a nine-minute walk from Forest Hill station, which runs London Overground services to Highbury & Islington via Shoreditch High Street and Canada Water (for connections to the Jubilee Line). Southern Trains runs direct services to London Bridge with a journey time of around 20 minutes.

Forest Hill has become an extremely popular area of south-east London with the help of the London Overground extension. As a result, there are plenty of very good independent cafes, restaurants and pubs in the area. This house on Dartmouth Road is located between Forest Hill and Sydenham, and is well placed for the shops and restaurants of Dulwich Village and East Dulwich, as well as the open spaces of Sydenham woods and Dulwich Park. Sydenham School is a few minutes’ walk up the road, and The Horniman Museum and Gardens with its weekend farmer’s market, is nearby. The nearby V22 Collective houses a number of artist studios and a community library.

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.