The Smythe family of south Bristol, of Ashton Court fame, owned large areas, tracts of land to the south of the City and later today I inspected a very pleasant house built on such land. It was like a model development, where there were wide roads and wide pavements, large gardens, by today’s standards and reasonably good sized rooms. It had been occupied by this vendor for the past 25 years. He had kept it well improved and in good condition. He had replaced the roof and when he did so, he introduced new floor joists so that the roof space could be utilised. He had constructed a permanent staircase all in keeping with the original, so copying the balustrading and it can now be used as a bedroom. But, and here’s the BUT, it does not meet current Fire Regulations and as my Client wishes to buy and then let it, there could be problems if his tenants then use it as such. So, unfortunately, not such a model house, even though it’s in a model development…   more »

I’ve had a bit of a day today! I arrived at this top floor flat and was about to enter the kitchen when I saw a notice pined to the door, saying that there was a rabbit in the kitchen – please keep it in there. It escaped, not once, not twice, not even three times, but four times I had to get the wretched thing back in the kitchen. I have never seen a rabbit a top floor flat; are the owner’s going to eat it I wondered? What with the rabbit and the rain I was getting a bit fed up, but the flat was otherwise in reasonably good condition. However, fairly severe condensation has attacked the rear roof rafters, but fortunately I found that the bathroom extractors, probably for all the flats vent into the rear roof void, which faces north, so exasperating the condensation, and not to the exterior as it should do. Villiers??? Oh, that was the family name of the Clarendon’s, surely everybody knows that…   more »