Brick Lane bristles with raucous activity, but just moments down a narrow side street you’ll find this home secreted away in the peace of regal Georgian surroundings. Cross the threshold and you’ll discover a life less ordinary. To describe Princelet Street as charming just about covers the basics. It’s more than that – it’s truly enchanting in a way that is rare for any lived-in home.

Turn into the sitting room from the entrance hall and you’re met by mysterious portraits and curious objects that sit quietly among shafts of sunlight. The open fire invites you to warm your toes from the comfort of the Chesterfield, only to be surprised by the giant urn that resides at the opposite end of the room or the armadillo that seems to shuffle from the corner of your eye. Retreat underground to the basement which holds the kitchen, full of the latest appliances and yet somehow retaining the building’s bewitching 1725 charm.

Head out of the vast glass doors to find a secret garden of almost tropical foliage split over two levels. There’s a large second sitting room holding marble fireplace and a wood-burning stove, as well as two bedrooms before you ascend to the master which resides in the rafters. Completely white-washed it is a room that exudes perfect calm – the ideal spot for a long soak in the tin bath.

Graceful proportions in the second sitting room

A playful giant urn and scuttling armadillo

Underground in the kitchen

In Arcadia in the secret garden

The master bedroom’s en suite