The Gallery in Camberwell: new homes come with £2.5k furniture bonus and communal roof terraces in arty south London district
Three miles from the Palace of Westminster, Camberwell is crowded, colourful and faintly bohemian, with a deep-rooted arts scene centred around Camberwell College of Arts.
Ask Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who recently bought a Victorian townhouse in the area.
Before the Victorians arrived, Camberwell enjoyed a brief spell as a Georgian health resort, stemming from the reputed healing qualities of mineral springs.
In the early 20th-century Peabody built one of its classic red-brick estates at Camberwell Green and now the housing charity has returned to almost the same spot with a new development of homes.
The original nine-block estate offered the first Peabody homes with self-contained plumbing, meaning no shared sinks or loos.
Living rooms were another innovation, with glazed doors leading to small balconies, and laundry rooms at the top of each block.
Called The Gallery, the new scheme is a modern version of the Edwardian tenements it faces.
The brick-clad blocks incorporate communal roof gardens at the top and an underground car park.
Prices start at £422,000 and buyers get a contribution of £2,500 for furniture. Call 020 3369 0297.
A handful of two-bedroom flats priced from £600,000 are for sale at a neighbouring development called Camberwell on the Green. Call 020 7368 4830.
