West St Leonards & St Leonards Warrior Square

WEST ST LEONARDS AND ST LEONARDS WARRIOR SQUARE Though the stations are only three minutes apart, many trains do stop at both. St Leonards was created by James Burton and his son Decimus as stylish early speculative development. It was conceived by them as a dignified residential area, but time has taken its inevitable toll. A string of fish-and-chip shops and restaurants overlook the sea front. Conservationists are beginning to pamper the bits they can such as Victorian Southwater, which has attracted lottery funding. People from South London and Tunbridge Wells tend to move here for the sea air and comparatively low prices – though the serious retirement area is to the west, at Bexhill-on-Sea. Studio flats start at only £40,000, with smarter one-bedroom units at £65,000 to £85,000. A sea view can affect prices in boom time, but in a time of glut it tends not to make much difference. Three-bedroom houses of any period tend to cost between £150,000 and £180,000. There are also some very large six-bedroom Victorian houses built by James Burton in more salubrious areas such as Upper Maze Hill and The Green. A six-bedroom, four-storey detached house with sea views and in need of restoration would cost £360,000.