My first thoughts, as I gazed at the Clifton Villas, was that I was in the northern equivalent of Kensington. The big houses with magnolias out front and the village-like feel were similar. I then hit the canal.

Little Venice. I have never experienced the Real Thing but, lovely though this is, I would expect something a little more from the original. The area only acquired the name in the 50s but Byron and Robert Browning had made comparisons back when they were around (apparently). Advertising suggested you can eat on a boat, watch a puppet show, the list goes on...

The more houseboats I saw the more I was carried away with the idea that this was a romantic way in which to live. Surely life on a boat MUST be idyllic? The smell of wood burning took me back to my childhood and I decided all was well with the world. I then spotted the Sir Percy who is for sale. I broached the question: what would Colin say? And came back down to earth with a bump. “Can you get satellite?”.




The architecture, of which, technically, I know very little was varied but reinforced my love of red brick, high ceilings and big windows which let in an abundance of light. Railings (black) would be nice as well.