sidesHomeowners Jim and Angela share their favourite memories of this end-of-terrace four-bedroom house located on Camelford Road, Greenbank.
As a popular pocket at the top of Greenbank, Camelford Road drew the attention of homeowners, Jim and Angela, when they were looking to purchase a “fixer-upper” back in 2015. The couple were craving more space and a renovation project they could put their own stamp on. ‘It was a whirlwind first year, as my wife gave birth to twins the week after we purchased the property,’ recalls Jim, a local builder and developer. ‘We set about making the place as habitable as possible, and then completed further works such as rewiring, installing a new boiler, new radiators, insulating the loft, installing a new roof and completely redecorating throughout,’ he explains.
Fortunately, with Jim’s working background the couple had a good understanding of what works needed to be carried out to improve the property. ‘We always knew we wanted a project,’ Jim continues. ‘This place was a rental before we purchased, so we had our work cut out. But to buy somewhere completely finished would have felt like a missed opportunity for us, and we really wanted to make the property our own.’
The spacious four-bedroom house benefits from plenty of natural light, featuring double bay windows at the front of the property, and timber bi-folding doors leading out to a west-facing rear garden. But the most impressive aspect of this family home is the open-plan kitchen-diner. ‘It’s a great space we can all spend time together in. I can be cooking, and we can still be interacting as a family,’ says Jim. ‘I would say, however, that my favourite room is the front living room. Once we’ve put the children to bed, me and Angela can come and relax in here with a glass of wine, start up the log burner and watch a film on the drop-down projector. It really feels like a space for grownups.’
As for the area itself, Greenbank is arguably best known for its local shops, pubs and independent cafés. ‘When we first looked around the area, The Greenbank pub is what sealed the deal for us,’ says Jim. ‘There are also great little eateries, such as Este Kitchen. Bristol Sweet Mart, over on St Mark’s Road is an amazing Asian supermarket, providing some weird and wonderful fusion ingredients as well as delicious fruit and vegetables. They have a great service where you can purchase pre-packaged curries, which we love.’
With the Chocolate Factory development opening just across from the property, there’s promise of more local businesses appearing in the area. ‘We’re a little sad we won’t be here to see how the area develops. Not only are there plans for apartments, but also retail premises, a yoga studio and hopefully more cafés and bars.’
‘We’ve never lived anywhere with such a great sense of community as Greenbank. We know the majority of the people on our street and love being able to walk the kids to a brilliant school just around the corner whilst enjoying the green space in the cemetery,’ says Jim. ‘Having all of the amenities of Bristol city centre on your doorstep is a real winner. Yet, on a Sunday morning with the doors open onto the garden you could almost imagine you’re in the middle of the country as this little corner of Greenbank, with its one-way street setup, it’s so quiet. We’ll really miss it.’
Boardwalk Property Co. sold this four-bedroom property on Camelford Road, Greenbank for £485,000. For more outstanding properties for sale in Bristol, check out our current listings.
