David Davidson had a house he dreamed of buying, should he ever get the chance. It was on North Road, in Highgate, about 300 metres away from where he lived, on Southwood Lane. It was large, with a big garden, driveway and garage, where he could indulge his passion for cars. It belonged to an architect that he “vaguely knew” from his golf club. So when the house came up for auction in 1980, David bought it.
“It was his dream house because of its size and features…It was in Highgate and had lots of space for cars,” says his son, Oliver. “He took a bit of a punt, went to the auction and bought it.”
Built in the late 17th century, the house is Grade II-listed, with seven bedrooms and 3,943 square feet of space. Set behind wrought-iron entrance gates, it is a brick building with sash windows and a grand, Doric portico entrance.
When David bought it, the property was comprised of two neighbouring houses which had been connected. David separated them, and eventually sold the smaller, adjacent house.
“I was terribly excited,” says Oliver, who was nine when he and his two youngest sisters — his eldest two sisters had already left home — moved in with their parents and dog. “It’s a very spacious house compared to what we’d had before. It’s quite rambling, with a slightly odd arrangement of the rooms — I remember writing a story about it at school.”
For Oliver, though, it was the 82-foot garden that captured the imagination. “We spent a lot of time in the garden. I was always having birthday parties and tea parties,” he says. “The garden was my strongest emotional recollection of the house.”
Inside, the house is spread over three floors, with sprawling cellars (one is used as a workshop space). There is a grand entrance hall, used as a reception room, with an ornate feature fireplace. There are two further reception rooms, plus a dining room and cosy, cottage-style kitchen downstairs, while the house’s seven bedrooms lie on the two floors above.
“We always came to the Aga in the kitchen when the weather was cold,” says Oliver. “It’s quite a small kitchen for the size of the house, but it was always full of people. The kitchen was always the focal point.”
Oliver, who still lives nearby, moved out of the house at 20, returning for big family Christmases. The house also hosted numerous parties throughout his family’s 44 years there. “It’s quite a good house for parties — you can easily get 50 or 60 people in,” says Oliver. “As a young boy, I was always having to serve drinks and olives.”
The garage which had originally enticed David was used to tinker with cars “in various states of repair” over the years, says Oliver. A 1902 Oldsmobile was suspended from the ceiling, with his father’s prized Aston Martin stored underneath.
With David now 95 and Oliver’s mother having passed away, the time has come for the family to sell the house. After 44 years with the Davidson family, it has been listed with Savills for £6.75 million.
“Sales such as this one so rarely come to the market, and it presents an exciting opportunity for someone to own a slice of local history,” says Savills agent James Diaper.
“With its splendid historic façade, period features and walled gardens, it really does feel like a country home in a popular London village which is also incredibly well-connected.”
Both Diaper and Oliver feel that the property is likely to attract another family in search of a long-term home. “It would suit a family that wants to live in an old house. I and my sisters were very happy there as children…It’s not a grand house, it’s a good family house,” says Oliver.
“I think it’s going to be difficult for us to drive past it, not knowing what’s going on inside,” he adds. “There are so many happy memories there. It just feels like the natural evolution for the house.”
