“To live aboard a barge or a boat is to live in a way that opens you to new possibilities”. That’s not a quote from anyone famous or erudite, but from me! I’ve been selling some great converted barges and interesting boats up and down the River Thames in London for the past few years and can see that the people who choose this way of life are a little bit different – they have brighter eyes and broader imaginations perhaps. Certainly they have a great lifestyle. They also have decent heating systems, comfortable beds, regular cooking facilities, running water and wonderful showers and bathrooms. Many of them wake up with an uninterrupted view of Tower Bridge and a dead easy commute to work. On a pragmatic level they also have no Stamp Duty to pay and several of them have chosen to buy without the services of a Conveyancing Solicitor because it’s not essential to do so (although to be honest it usually does help to have a solicitor on side during the transaction).
Moonanbac | St Katherine Docks | London | For Sale | £240,000
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The new possibilities that I see all the owners enjoying are to do with a sense of freedom that comes with living aboard a converted barge. As we all know, there are few opportunities for most people to live in a spacious and secure home in the very centre of London for maybe £600,000 or so. I’ve sold converted barges recently for anything between around £500,000 and just under £1,000,000. They’ve all had two or three decent sized cabins/bedrooms, a wonderful light-filled salon/living room. Maybe also a study or area for WFH. Some have had seriously luxurious bathrooms with House of Hackney wallpaper and rain showers, range style cookers and cinema style projectors. Even the more modest ones have offered their owners a home which is not only unique but also cosy, stylish and will make their owners the envy of their friends. No poky central London flat is ever going to make people say “Wow” as they do when they board a barge and get a feel of the spaciousness and the peace and quiet you get with living on the river. No poky central London flat connects you with your neighbours in the same way or has families of new born ducks floating past your bedroom window!
Kaapsea Drai | Surrey Quays | London | For Sale | £280,000
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Barges in this class tend to be old working vessels which 100-plus years ago were used to transport goods of all sorts from coal and hard goods to tulips and luxuries around Dutch coastlines or across the North Sea. These are sturdy iron-hulled vessels which can withstand a lot of being bashed around. Not that they get much bashing around on the River Thames these days. Their broad-beamed construction makes them steady and secure when river traffic rushes past or when the weather is fierce. Many are still used for racing with full sails in the open seas – a sight that I can only imagine is wonderful. These are huge and heavy vessels, some over 32metres in length and over 6 metres wide. Imagine something of that size being raced! Imagine learning how to do that racing yourself…
There are the moorings fees to factor in and if you’re in the market for a live aboard barge, you need to build up your knowledge of the different mooring options in London. Many moorings are owned by landlords in much the same way as they own freeholds to bricks and mortar flats – they are there to make a profit for their owners. But there are some more favourable options which give barge owners more security and lower moorings fees. I’m not going to give away all of the secrets of the river here but at Unique Property Company we can guide buyers on what can initially seem like an impossible conundrum.
Norma | Plantation Wharf | Battersea | London | For Sale | £295,000
Click here for the full details…
Barges in this class tend to be old working vessels which 100-plus years ago were used to transport goods of all sorts from coal and hard goods to tulips and luxuries around Dutch coastlines or across the North Sea. These are sturdy iron-hulled vessels which can withstand a lot of being bashed around. Not that they get much bashing around on the River Thames these days. Their broad-beamed construction makes them steady and secure when river traffic rushes past or when the weather is fierce. Many are still used for racing with full sails in the open seas – a sight that I can only imagine is wonderful. These are huge and heavy vessels, some over 32metres in length and over 6 metres wide. Imagine something of that size being raced! Imagine learning how to do that racing yourself…
There are the moorings fees to factor in and if you’re in the market for a live aboard barge, you need to build up your knowledge of the different mooring options in London. Many moorings are owned by landlords in much the same way as they own freeholds to bricks and mortar flats – they are there to make a profit for their owners. But there are some more favourable options which give barge owners more security and lower moorings fees. I’m not going to give away all of the secrets of the river here but at Unique Property Company we can guide buyers on what can initially seem like an impossible conundrum.
Dunregan Houseboat | Rotherhithe | London | For Sale | £650,000
Click here for more details…
Every buyer of a barge or a boat that I’ve worked with over the past few years has been a total newcomer to living aboard a floating vessel. Some may have sailed a bit when they were kids or even dabbled a bit as adults, but none were au fait with the idea of living fulltime aboard a boat. So I’ve never regarded any question as being a ridiculous one when it comes to buying a barge and whatever I may not know, I’m very happy to find out for all new owners. The big change that we’ve seen is that in a property sector which used to be regarded as literally a ‘sinking asset’ has now become a desirable opportunity which will increase its value provided that, like any property it is properly looked after and maintained. But you’d say the same of any property investment – you need to keep up to date with running repairs and regular maintenance whether you own bricks and mortar or a huge iron hulled barge.
Twee Artsen | Hermitage Moorings | Wapping | London
SOLD by Unique Property Company
Rock | Hermitage Moorings | Wapping | London
SOLD by Unique Property Company
Dankbaarheid | Hermitage Moorings | Wapping | London
SOLD by Unique Property Company
Labor Vincit | Hermitage Moorings | Wapping | London
SOLD by Unique Property Company
Excelsior | St Katherine Docks | London | For Sale | £240,000
SOLD by Unique Property Company
What I’ve also found is that all our barge sellers have been lovely and interesting people who’ve been generous with their knowledge and usually go on to buy other boats after they’ve sold through us because once you’ve been let into the secret about how great life aboard a boat is you never want to go back to dry land!
A little bit about me.
With my family we used to own a beautiful wooden cruiser which was built in the 1960s and gave us a wonderful floating weekend place where we could go to escape from our regular lives. Admittedly we only ever lived onboard for weeks at a time rather than year-round but even so, our boat allowed us to connect not only with some interesting River folk but also with big skies and to be much more aware of nature and the weather. It was a magical few years and a time when our then young son messed around with boats and ropes and built the foundations of an awareness of nature which is still strong now that he’s an adult. We opened ourselves to the possibility of spending time aboard a boat and I can honestly say that our lives were changed for the better.
