Spacious penthouses bring glamour to Elephant & Castle

Think posh penthouses and Elephant & Castle is not the first place that comes to mind. However, this part of SE1 is changing fast. It offers a Zone 1 location, excellent transport links — and now some of the best-value views in London.

The Skyscape Collection of apartments at One the Elephant comprises three lateral, three-bedroom penthouses, each with a vast outside space. They sit on top of a 38-storey tower set back from the river and offer a spectacular east-west panorama, with the capital’s landmarks laid out like pieces on a chessboard. Terraces extend up to 980sq ft, bigger than most two-bedroom flats, and have been designed as an extension of the inside space — a flowing area that is rare at this height. 



Prices start at £2.5 million, which is good value given the penthouses’ scale. Such a price tag in this area would have been laughed at five years ago but Elephant & Castle’s onward march seems unstoppable today. Call developer Lend Lease on 020 3675 9955.

Agreement has been reached to demolish the ghastly pink shopping centre that dominates the area. Work starts in 2016 to replace it with a new town centre, barely a mile from the Palace of Westminster and Bank of England. And coming soon is a new neighbourhood of 600 homes, many for first-time buyers, on the site of demolished Heygate council estate.