Property news update: The property effect of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Plus, Henry Williamson's writing shed, home improvements, and property history research

Marsh & Parsons' two-bedroom property near Barnes Bridge, with prime riverside views, is currently on the market for £999,950

Properties with prime views overlooking the four mile route of the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race which will be held on Sunday can attract premiums of around 20 per cent, according to Peter Rollings, CEO of Marsh & Parsons.

" During the Boat Race, those with prime river views enjoy the kudos of showing off the best seats in town to friends," he said, "but it is the year-round appeal of the river that generates the price difference. Breathtaking river views add a real sense of space to a property, and scenic river paths provide opportunities for walking and cycling through the capital. Emerging new build developments stand out in particular, many of which have been marketed abroad, and are in high demand from both UK and international buyers."

For example, Marsh & Parsons has a two-bedroom property near Barnes Bridge, with prime riverside views, currently on the market for £999,950 (its view is pictured above), while a similar two-bedroom luxury property without a view, just a stone’s throw away and also on the third floor, recently sold for £775,000.

According to Knight Frank, London’s riverside property prices have increased by 13.1 per cent over the last year. 

Henry Williamson's writing shed up for sale

The writing hut built by author Henry Williamson is to be auctioned next month by Webbers. Williamson paid for its construction in 1929 with prize money from winning the Hawthornden Prize for literature. It is built in oak and elm with slate roof tiles and near the pretty village of Georgeham near Woolacombe in North Devon.

The Henry Williamson Trust has run and maintained it since the author’s death in 1977 and it has been regularly used for lectures and readings. The Trust says it hopes that the buyer will be sympathetic to the hut given its literary significance. Williamson wrote the Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight series in the shed. The sale includes his writing desk, spectacles and blotter.

Home improvements in April

A third of people borrowing money this year intend to use it for home improvements, according to AA Financial Services. One in five will redecorate and one in fourteen will overhaul their garden. Around one in seven plans to install a new kitchen or build an extension/conservatory.

1862 property records now available

The Land Registry has released details of the first properties registered under the Land Registry Act 1862 which will be useful for anybody researching the history of their house. Around 2,000 records are now online and can be see free of charge.