Claude & Monique
France
Jul 14, 2019 - Jul 30, 2019
Became a member in: 2019
Renewal Date: 31/Mar/2023
Paul is a writer and lecturer, Lucy an art director and Curtis, born 2000, is a surfer dude.
Affinities
Wine Lovers,
Foodies,
The Arts,
Music Lovers
MoreLessAffiliations
Teachers / Education Professionals,
Artists / Entertainment Industry
Claude & Monique
France
Simultaneous Home Exchange
Smoking Not Allowed
Children Welcome
Use of Personal Car is not possible
Open to all dates | New York, NY, USA | L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France | Arcachon, France |
Open to all dates | Siena, Province of Siena, Italy | Paris, France |
Description of the home we are offering for exchange
A quirky, 3-storey, 1827 house with garden in the centre of Greenwich, one of the most beautiful, historic parts of London, set on the river Thames. This park-side area is one of the oldest and most attractive in Greenwich (and London as a whole), surrounded by houses dated from the 1640s to the 1850s, four Victorian-era pubs within two minutes' walk, plus several traditional shops. The house itself has a roomy, airy living room, cosy dining room, and three bedrooms - double, single, and two singles (bunk beds, shown in the photo, on the basement floor). Modern kitchen, plus one bathroom, with antique bath, and shower over the bath.
This is an old, Georgian house - it's on the Historic Register, the ground floor has 200-year old, wide floorboards, with all the original old fireplaces (which we're hoping you won't need). Our garden is generous by London standards (but maybe not by Californian standards), with plenty of room to eat outside, plus lots of privacy. And we also have plenty of friends nearby, who will advise you of good places to check out.
In addition, we are just off one of London's best small streets for shopping, with an excellent butcher, grocer, and cheese shop. Just round the corner, we also have an excellent small cinema (with a good bar).
All normal amenities: wifi, cable, washer, fridge/freezer, dishwasher etc, plus a Yamaha U3 upright piano and possibly other instruments by arrangement! (Small) TV, good hi fi, excellent Rancilio coffee machine. Please feel free to message with any queries. We have very fast broadband, a lot of CDs and DVDs, many books - including a good selection of guides to London... and, in case you have teenagers, a PS4.
We are a small family, used to exchanging and staying in nice locations with antiques and other items; our house is family-friendly, but we'd only want to exchange with people who appreciate staying in an old house. Although the main areas are light and airy, not all the walls are at 90 degrees to one another, and the stairs between floors are winding and steep compared to modern houses, tricky for people with restricted mobility (although access to the ground floor and basement is pretty good). We've left original surfaces on many of the walls, etc, for the original feel, there are chunky traditional taps and an antique, 100 year old bath - this place is not like a modern hotel with a power shower!
We love exchanging and have always enjoyed helping families who stay in our house find special, memorable places. We moved to homelink.com from homeexchange.com, with whom we've done at least 16 exchanges, across the world.
Type
House - 2 or more floors/ Main Residence
Amenities
Entertainment
Extras
Setting
Description of our neighbourhood and surrounding area
Henry VIII lived here, Elizabeth 1 was born here, and James 1 built a tiny palace for his wife here - our house was built when this was a village, separated from London by open fields. We are right in the centre of this lovely location, 200m from the park, in the heart of Greenwich itself. Greenwich is one of London's most beautiful places, a one-time village rivalled only by Hampstead. The Royal Park is one of the greenest spaces in London, and the area boasts the finest collection of Baroque architecture in the UK, with significant buildings by Christopher Wren, Inigo Jones, Nicholas Hawksmoor and John Vanbrugh.
But it's also a young, funky area, home of world-renowned artists and writers, with a great street market at weekends, good shops, a good cinema... and the aforementioned pubs, two of which are among the best in London! The place has everything from baroque to rock'n'roll - composer Thomas Tallis lived and worked in Greenwich, David Bowie stayed here often and he, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed rehearsed in a little building just down the road. It's a gay-friendly area, with two celebrated gay pubs within a short walk. Local band Squeeze wrote a song about our street! We're also a five minute walk from the Thames and the Cutty Sark.
Greenwich has some of the best transport links in South London: the DLR, which links with the Central and Jubilee Line, and British Rail, which takes you to the West End in around 20 minutes. Greenwich is in Zone 2. The Globe Theatre, Tate Modern etc, are a 15-minute train ride away. You can also take the boats from Greenwich Pier (especially good for getting to London's art galleries and museums, and the Tower of London), and the cable car over the Thames, with a magnificent view, is a 10-minutes bus ride away.
Outdoor Activities
Leisure
Cultural Activities
Transport Nearby
Neighbourhood Services
Our home exchange - places to go and things to do while staying in our home
Our house is in the centre of Greenwich, with some of London's finest small shops nearby, and an amazing selection of eateries and other tourist sights.
Our favourite restaurants
Cafés & bars
Special places to shop
Leisure and cultural activities
Walks or jogging paths
Health or fitness clubs
Interesting day trips
Our home exchange - here are our Preferences and House Rules
We are experienced exchangers, with 18 exchanges over the last eight or nine years via homeexchange, and more before that via sunswap. We have always loved the experience and collaborated closely with our guests, so we can each find the kind of markets, foods, etc that we like. We welcome kids and ask for the normal consideration you'd expect from us.
People we've exchanged with have always been considerate, and we're grateful for that, and understanding of the accidents that happen. We ask you simply to tell your children to be careful and not draw on or scratch items, and to tell us if there are any problems. We're happy with smaller dogs in the house.
Conditions
Use of Personal Car
Home Exchange Type
Became a member in: 2019
Renewal Date: 31/Mar/2023
Paul is a writer and lecturer, Lucy an art director and Curtis, born 2000, is a surfer dude.
Affinities
Wine Lovers,
Foodies,
The Arts,
Music Lovers
MoreLessAffiliations
Teachers / Education Professionals,
Artists / Entertainment Industry
Claude & Monique
France
Over 70 years of home exchange experience
Local home swap representatives around the world to assist you
Travel, save and feel at home around the world!