Imagine living here on the edge of the Thames in a house that is not only beautiful but a couple of centuries old and shaped by the memory of generations of notable previous inhabitants. And not only that, there are three fine pubs within a literal stone’s throw. I want to join that club. Where do I sign?

Strand On The Green was an old and pretty Thames side village that retains something of its rural charm despite being hemmed in inland by the sprawling city and having its river frontage squeezed between two bridges; the self-consciously classical stone Kew Bridge and the hefty but imaginative green painted iron Kew Railway Bridge that transports tube and overground trains across the river.

The houses are largely beautiful, as I mentioned, and of great variety. If you were to draw up a list of London’s loveliest houses (now, there’s an idea…) half a dozen of these would have to be included on it.

Strand On The Green even has a Beatles connection. The City Barge pub was one of the locations used in the film Help! And across the river is the towpath where Ringo wandered in A Hard Day’s Night. (Nearby Chiswick House was the location for the Paperback Writer/ Rain films.)

What more could you want in life than good beer, beautiful architecture, the Beatles and a river view watching the rowing boats and paddle-boarders glide by? A lovely place to visit, yes. But I probably do want to live here.

Strand On The Green House , No 1 Strand On The Green. Not ugly.

Some of the houses towards the east of Strand On The Green

Looking back from the east towards the Kew Railway Bridge.

Looking like the Angel of the West, a detail of the Kew Railway Bridge

The splendidly solid Kew Railway Bridge

Solid under-girth of the Kew Railway Bridge

Safety Boat and Ducks

Paddle-boarders on the Thames

Compass House, 61 Strand On The Green and a leaning lamp post.

The cute bench shelter, Compass House, 61 Strand On The Green

Ship House, possibly the oldest house on the Strand. Originally the Ship Public House.

River House

49 Strand On The Green, a little green door.

The window of the former Malt House

Picton House

Gulls hover above the beach

Magnolia House

Prospect House by Thomas Cubitt

Kew Bridge

The Railway Cottage

Clayton House

Looking east towards Kew Railway Bridge.

The wall at the end of Strand On The Green.

Mucky boats

A lovely panoramic view of the houses of Strand On The Green