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In May 2022, the unveiling of a plaque and the tap of an Oyster card announced the official opening of the Elizabeth Line. The service, named after the late queen, is the latest addition to London’s expansive rail network and represents nothing less than a revolution in the city’s infrastructure. Its sleek, comfortable trains, departing from shiny high-spec stations, now whisk you across the capital and out to the suburbs in what feels like seconds; from Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east, via Farringdon, Canary Wharf and the City. Promising speed and ease, it has made the morning commute a doddle – and allows for escapes to the country at a moment’s notice too. Looking for a new life on the right side of the tracks? Here, we round up five of the finest homes nearby.

Our journey along the Elizabeth Line starts out west, in Windsor. The town has been the home of royalty since the 11th century, when William the Conqueror first built his castle here, but it’s now renowned for the variety and quality of its nearby schools, including ACS International, Windsor Boys’ and Girls’ Schools and Eton College.

Sutherland Grange isn’t in walking distance from Slough station, but it is just a 15-minute drive – mere moments for the suburban commuter. Built in 1892 on the leafy fringes of the town by the Duchess of Sutherland, the house forms part of a private estate on the banks of the Thames, and this four-bedroom 200sqm apartment occupies the entire top floor. Windows on all sides provide unobstructed views in all directions and allow for natural light throughout the day, while the modern kitchen is stylish, functional and fuss-free.

Perhaps best of all, as well as a patch of private green space, the apartment has access to expansive communal gardens that overlook the river and include a mooring for residents’ use only – perfect for a bit of out-of-office-hours pootling.

For many people, mews houses bring the best of both worlds: low-rise village-style living right in the heart of the city. Enter Weymouth Mews, just a short walk from Bond Street station. Tucked behind the grand Georgian terraces of Weymouth Street and Portland Place, the quiet, cobbled road is lined with a mixture of original 18th-century mews houses and post-war mansion blocks.

This two-bedroom apartment is located on the first floor of one of those later buildings. Despite its youth, the development was designed to fit in with its surroundings seamlessly, with the same high ceilings, generous sash windows and pleasing proportions as its genuinely Georgian neighbours. We’re particularly taken with this flat’s bold and contemporary decorative schemes – the combined living/dining room is painted in ‘Rivington Blue’ by Abigail Ahern, and ‘Gamboge’ by Paint and Paper Library. In the compact kitchen, meanwhile, hand-painted Moroccan tiles have been paired with contrasting chalky-blue cupboards.

This one-bedroom apartment occupies the entire second floor of a Grade II*-listed Georgian townhouse on Meard Street, right in the middle of Soho, and offers a quiet refuge amid the buzzy city centre.

The building dates to the 1740s and there’s a generous handful of original features still here, while the interiors remain in keeping with its historic character. In the living room, for instance, the 18th-century wood-panelled walls have been painted a bespoke shade of verdigris, standing in clever contrast to the rich and warm red fittings and cherry-wood surfaces of the galley kitchen.

Within just a minute’s walk are dozens of bars, restaurants, cafés and clubs, from the casual and convivial French House and Bar Italia to the upmarket Quo Vadis and Soho House. And Tottenham Court Road station is less than 10 minutes away by foot.

The area around Great Tower Street has always been a desirable location for those working in the City of London. In the 1660s, the naval administrator and diarist Samuel Pepys lived just around the corner, on Seething Lane. From there he could visit his offices in the admiralty and ships on the river as easily he could the inns of Fleet Street. Nearly 400 years later, despite all that’s changed, the City remains as vibrant as in Pepys’ day.

This apartment is within walking distance of Cannon Street and Tower Hill tube stations, Tower Gateway on the DLR, and Liverpool Street station for the Lizzie Line. It was originally built around 1914 to house the offices of Christ’s Hospital. With two-bedrooms, the first-floor flat occupies what was once the boardroom and chairman’s offices and its ornate interior – complete with large sash windows, tiled marble floors, finely moulded cornicing and distinctive wooden panelling – is fantastically well preserved, thanks to the building’s Grade II-listed status.

This handsome four-bedroom Victorian villa in Woolwich was designed to impress and entertain. It was built during the wave of construction that followed the expansion of the railways at the end of the 19th century and, more than 100 years later, it now sits on the south-eastern leg of the Elizabeth Line. In recent years it has been restored sensitively, the current owners having created a comfortable home fit for modern life.

The neo-gothic glazed porch gives way to a tiled entrance hall and grand staircase. The walls are finished in a range of hues, from Farrow & Ball’s ‘Brinjal’ purple to a lush forest green. The former billiards room – double-height and perfect for entertaining – looks on to the landscaped rear garden, while the spacious combined kitchen/dining room has been fitted out with stripped-wood floors and up-to-date appliances.

This house offers easy access to central London via the Elizabeth Line and DLR, and national rail services run from Woolwich Arsenal station. If, however, you’re keen to stick closer to home, Woolwich Common is at the western end of Herbert Road.

Jacob Charles Wilson

Gardens

Homes

We take you on a whistlestop tour of houses and apartments with access to the Lizzie Line, the railway that’s transformed travel for commuters from London and beyond. All aboard!

Just the Ticket: five homes on the Elizabeth Line currently on the market

We take you on a whistlestop tour of houses and apartments with access to the Lizzie Line, the railway that’s transformed travel for commuters from London and beyond. All aboard!