What’s it got that we love?
De Beauvoir is a tiny village in east London, squeezed between Hackney and Islington. It’s not well known – and residents like it that way. There’s a real sense of peace and seclusion here, along with a fascinating backstory. An expanse of archery fields until the late 16th century, De Beauvoir was conceived by William Rhodes, who aimed to develop an eastern Belgravia. In the 1830s, Richard Benyon de Beauvoir scaled down that idea, instead building smaller noble houses around the lush centrepiece of De Beauvoir Square.
Something of Rhodes’s vision remains in De Beauvoir’s discreet sense of grandeur. “It’s a village within the city,” says Jen Holmes, head of residential sales at Savills Hackney. “Residents benefit from amazing rail connections, with Dalston, Haggerston and Canonbury stations close by, as well as easy access to the City.” Pubs, cafés and restaurants – and the Regent’s Canal at its southern edge – attest to its charms, while the “high street”, Southgate Road, is a destination in its own right. De Beauvoir Town has regained a sense of self while remaining a delicious secret.
How’s the shopping?
De Beauvoir has a few gems. The N1 Garden Centre is a Saturday favourite, and not far from De Beauvoir, you’ll find the bustle of Dalston Lane. “Walk east to Broadway Market for vintage clothing and handmade homewares,” says Holmes.
