Royal Exchange, Kingston, KT1

Combining a peaceful riverside location with a half hour commute into Waterloo Station, Royal Exchange is a new development in Kingston upon Thames that offers the best of both worlds. Richardson House is the first phase of this collection of luxury one, two and three-bedroom apartments and is carefully designed to be in keeping with a graceful Grade II – listed frontage. The homes are modern, bright and spacious with inventive nods to tradition that promote a sense of history and place. Prices start at £575,000 for a one bedroom apartment and interest has been boosted by the ready availability of discounts ranging from 5% to more than 8%.

All the homes are arranged around a central piazza and residents will be able to enjoy private on-site amenities, such as a fully-equipped gym and screening room. The centre of Kingston is the site of an old Saxon meeting place that still hosts an outdoor market and is the focal point of the area. A healthy number of shops, pubs and restaurant are located here, no doubt boosted by the large student population from nearby Kingston University.

Train journeys into Waterloo Station take about 30 minutes via the mainline route. From there, it is a simple matter of changing to the Northern Line Underground for connections to the West End or the Jubilee Line for Canary Wharf. A dedicated shuttle service runs directly to Bank Station and the City of London.