Kew Green

A house of rare beauty and historical resonance, combining timeless Georgian elegance with the comforts of modern living

Call us +44 (0)20 3687 3071

Set in a magnificent position overlooking the verdant expanse of Kew Green with the graceful St Anne’s Church in the foreground, this distinguished Grade II-listed Georgian house extends over 2,400 sq ft and unfolds across five impeccably arranged storeys. Built c. 1780, the house is imbued with both great architectural integrity and an artistic provenance, having once been the residence of the eminent painter Thomas Gainsborough RA and his daughters. Situated at the very heart of historic Kew, the house benefits from immediate access to the cultural and culinary offerings of both Kew and Richmond, the latter a short riverside walk away, while the open spaces of Kew Gardens border its garden, providing an idyllic extension of the home’s leafy setting.

Setting the Scene

Built in the late 18th century when King George III lived at nearby Kew Palace, the house retains a wealth of original detail, including sash windows, shutters – a rare sash shutter has survived on the first floor – Delft tiles in the Drawing Room fireplace, and barley-sugar newel posts. It is a house of simple beauty and historical resonance, combining timeless Georgian elegance with the comforts of modern living. A south-facing walled garden, landscaped with care and seclusion in mind, lies to the rear and directly backs onto the world-renowned Royal Botanic Gardens. This outdoor space offers a rare sense of peace and privacy, perfect for summer planting or quiet retreat. For more information, see the History section.

The Grand Tour

Cast-iron railings with pineapple finials, indicative of the Georgian period, frame the approach to the house, with stone steps ascending to a fine panelled front door set within a classical porch. Flanked by simple columns and crowned with a transom light, the entrance sets the tone for the elegant restraint that unfolds within.

Upon entry, a flagged hallway leads the eye inward. To the front of the plan lies a large reception room, currently arranged as a music room, where light pours through a pair of six-over-six sash windows offering views across Kew Green. A bull’s-eye marble fireplace with a gas supply fitted serves as both a functional hearth and a focal point.

To the rear, a second, more intimate reception room, presently used as a study, looks onto the beautifully planted garden. This green retreat is accessed via a back door from the central hallway, which opens onto a decked terrace beneath a pergola festooned with mature clematis – an idyllic spot for outdoor dining or quiet contemplation.

On the lower-ground floor, a generous kitchen is thoughtfully appointed with integrated appliances and a substantial Rangemaster range cooker. A separate store room and downstairs WC complete this level, providing functionality without compromise to the elegance of the home.

The first floor reveals a lovely piano nobile drawing room, befitting the elegant 18th-century plan. Tall ceilings enhance the sense of volume, while twin sash windows frame elevated views across the leafy sweep of the Green, mirroring the arrangement below and flooding the space with light. The room is painted in Farrow and Ball’s ‘Strong White’ amplifies the room’s bright feel. A broad arch leads gracefully into a small adjoining library nook.

The room is currently arranged as a dramatic reception room, though its generous proportions lend themselves equally well to use as a principal bedroom. A doorway leads directly into a quiet bedroom which in the past has been used to extend the reception room with a more intimate sitting area. Also on this floor is a well-conceived shower room on this floor.

The second floor is home to a large bedroom with extensive built-in storage comprising two large cupboards and two long floor-to-ceiling wardrobes, accompanied by a spacious family bathroom which can be accessed directly also. Here Farrow and Ball’s ‘Blackened’ is use with ‘Strong White’ woodwork. The latter is finished with a freestanding roll-top bath and a separate shower, continuing the home’s subtle interplay of period charm and contemporary comfort.

Rising once more, the third floor comprises two further well-proportioned bedrooms, each filled with natural light and offering flexibility for family life, guests, or quiet study. Access to a large loft for further storage is from the smaller.

The Great Outdoors

The walled rear garden was redesigned and planted out by the designer Anthony de Grey in 2013. It is a richly planted sanctuary, composed with an eye for year-round interest and botanical charm. Now-mature plantings create a natural tapestry that evolves through the seasons, offering colour, texture, and scent in abundance. A decked terrace sits beneath a pergola draped in flowering clematis, providing an inviting setting for outdoor dining.

In spring, clouds of powder-blue ceanothus burst into bloom, drawing a gentle hum of pollinators across the borders. These are planted with a considered mix of hardy perennials – honeysuckle, peony, acanthus, and lavender interweave with seasonal bluebells, their naturalistic arrangement lending the garden an informal, romantic quality. Structural plantings of bay, hibiscus, and a prominent apple tree lend height to the scheme, grounding the softer layers with year-round form.

At the far end of the garden, a charming garden room painted in a dusky blue can serve as a store or perhaps provide a quiet retreat or creative workspace, nestled among the planting and oriented to make the most of the changing light throughout the day and offer summer shade.

Out and About

Kew Green is a remarkably picturesque part of south-west London. The green itself is home to a Grade II*-listed neo-classical church, St Anne’s, where artists Thomas Gainsborough and Johan Zoffany are buried. St Anne’s is also the subject of a work by French impressionist painter Camille Pissarro, ‘Church at Kew’ (1892), dating to the time that he lived at 10 Kew Green. Indeed, this house can clearly be seen in the background of ‘Bank Holiday, Kew’ from the same period.

The green sits adjacent to Kew Gardens, home to one of the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was founded in 1840 and comprises 500 acres of woodland to roam and explore. Within its grounds are several places to eat, including the delightful Orangery.

The Thames, along with its meandering footpath, are a short walk to the north. Across Kew Bridge lie Strand-on-the-Green, with its delightful riverside pubs, and Chiswick, which has on its thriving High Street plenty of day-to-day amenities along with a popular cinema. Closer to home are several cosy pubs; neighbourhood favourites include The Greyhound and the Coach and Horses. Anthony Worrall Thompson’s well-regarded Grill Off The Green is two minutes’ walk away.

There are plenty of delightful spots to stop for sandwiches and cake to the south of the house, including a family-run bakery and tea shop, The Original Maids of Honor, that dates to 1860. Several much-loved neighbourhoods are within walking distance of Kew Green, including Richmond (along with its deer-filled park) and Barnes.

A number of well-regarded schools lie in easy reach of the house. The consistently Outstanding King’s School is the local Church of England primary, was founded in 1810 and enjoys a connection with the Monarch going back two hundred years. Kew Green Prep and Kew College Prep are minutes away on foot, while Kew House School lies just across the river. For older children, South-West London’s excellent secondaries, including St Paul’s and Tiffin, are easy to reach.

Kew Bridge station (South Western Rail) and Kew Gardens station (Overground and District lines) are about 8 and 10 minutes’ walk away to the north and south respectively; the former runs a service to London Waterloo in under 30 minutes, while the latter reaches Blackfriars in just over half an hour. The M4 and the M3 are both within easy reach, along with Heathrow, a 32-minute drive – quicker when it is quiet – from Kew Green.

Council Tax Band: G

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. Inigo has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.

History

The land that 17 to 31 Kew Green now occupies was first built on in the early 17th century, when two houses were built. Almost 100 years passed before the next wave of homes were conceived.

This house is one of two homes first built in the early 18th century by master bricklayer Thomas Howlett, an ambitious local man who helped to raise the funds to build the church on the Green, St Anne’s. Howlett bought the plot after 1702, leaving the land to his nephew – also named Thomas Howlett – when he died in 1735. The younger Thomas rebuilt this house and another on the square in 1750, although no records exist of the structure that had existed before, nor of the changes that Howlett made.

In 1778, the house and its near-twin next door had come into the ownership of Joseph Hargrove Hillier, a lighterman to the King. By 1780, he had rebuilt the houses in their present-day form and in 1781 he let this one to the celebrated British painter Thomas Gainsborough and his daughters. After three years, Gainsborough moved on to Richmond Hill to be nearer to his friend (and rival) Sir Joseph Reynolds.

This house, along with its neighbour, form a single unified front elevation with a continuous 18th-century railing across its street-facing frontage. They are the only houses on the row to have the windows recessed “behind an outer nib of masonry” to slow the spread of any fire, as required by the 1774 London Building Act.

Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner wrote about the homes surrounding Kew Green in his esteemed Buildings of England series, describing this house – in his typically concise, charmingly brief manner – as “nice”.