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Could Sherlock Holmes really afford a two bedroom flat in Marylebone? We’ve done some London property sleuthing
We think a few of these movie characters have been lying about their incomes if they can afford these flats
Have you ever watched a film or a TV series and thought “How on earth do they live there?” We have. That’s why we’ve compiled this guide to homes that appear on screen, to suss out how much it would cost for those characters to rent or buy in that part of London. The results suggest they’ve all got a lot more in the bank than they’re letting on.
2-bed in Marylebone, £1.75m
SHERLOCK
The world’s most famous detective wasn’t remunerated particularly well, it would seem – after all, he shared his rented flat with Watson. Marylebone certainly isn’t cheap, so it’s unlikely he could afford to live somewhere like Montagu Place (pictured), which costs £1.75m (on the market with Druce Marylebone and Mayfair).
3-bed in Notting Hill, £3.75m
NOTTING HILL
Since the film of the same name came out in 1999, Notting Hill has become one of the most fashionable neighbourhoods in London. Hugh Grant’s character could afford to live there on the income from his independent travel bookshop, but he did need lodger Rhys Ifans to get by. These days, a two bedroom terraced house will cost you around £1.6m. For £3.75m, you could have this three bedroom period house in Artesian Road.
5-bed in Kensington, £9.85m
THE PARENT TRAP
The 1998 remake of this 60s classic has a young Lindsay Lohan aghast as she looks up at her mother’s London home. It’s a handsome terraced Kensington townhouse like many in the area. To be fair, her mother is a designer of couture wedding gowns, so it’s plausible that she could buy a house like this one five bedroom family house in Tor Gardens for £9.85m mortgage-free.
1-bed in Camden, £407,000
WITHNAIL & I
Withnail and his hapless drinking buddy were a pair of unemployed actors, so the chance of them being able to afford a flat in Camden in the current market is virtually zero. Average rental asking prices on one is just over £2,800 a month. To buy the Randolph Street (developers Hurlington Property) flat pictured would cost £407,000.
1-bed in Wandsworth, £435,000
ATONEMENT
Wartime Balham was a pretty grim place if you’re using Joe Wright’s film Atonement as an area guide. Keira Knightley’s character rents a flat in 1940 during the Blitz when a German bomb blows a crater out of Balham High Road. These days, renting a one bed flat in Balham is likely to cost a pretty reasonable £1,500pcm. If you’re looking for something new, though, the one-bedroom flats in Greenland Group’s Rams Quarter up the road near Wandsworth Common start from £435,0000.