The price of freedom

As you might expect in the monthly newsletter from a firm of Chartered Surveyors and estate agents we are keen to bring you the news that the London property market is back in business! Sales of homes in the Capital jumped 90% when compared to April last year according to the Land Registry with sales of properties between £1m and £1.5m were up a staggering 240%! Prices in Kensington & Chelsea were recorded nearly 20% higher than last April and are now officially above the lows of the credit crunch.

But there is a price to pay for the luxury of being able to build a businesses like W. A. Ellis and I am reminded of it almost daily. Soldiers based at Knightsbridge don't just entertain the tourists who come to London but risk their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan prosecuting our Governments plans. Too many have paid the ultimate sacrifice and many others have been injured.

I'm very grateful to the Commanding Officer Colonel Lockhart for the insight he has given us this month into life at our local barracks. He and his troops not only give us the chance to get on with our daily lives but also provide a source of immense pride. We civilians may not always give the impression that we are grateful for the sacrifices made by our soldiers but passing the column of troopers as I do so often as we go about our business in Knightsbridge reminds me of the debt we owe .

Lucy Morton

Managing Partner

"We're back in business!". The regular Month in Numbers shows that prices in London are up (19%), that the total number sold is up (102%), that the number sold over £2m is up (116%) and the volume of new homes for sale is also up (79%).

Read more here.