What the dickens?

ANY future owner of 10, Ovington Square, London SW3, once home to Dickens’s publisher Frederic Chapman, is very likely to experience the best of times, not the worst of times. Much is unrecognisable from Dickens’s day, not least the swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym and plant room in the basement—and a little shop called Harrods is just around the corner. With lift access to all five floors, it has five bedrooms, two with en-suite bathrooms, four reception rooms, a balcony, terrace and access to the communal square gardens. £15.75 million through Alexander Millet (020–3968 1080).

It may be small, but this one-bedroom Georgian hideaway is packed full of charm. Eastgate Lodge is on the edge of the Grimston Park estate in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, and features a wroughtiron spiral stair leading to an underground living area with glass roof and French doors into a sunken garden. It’s on the market with Hunters (01937 588228) for offers over £215,000