Loft-style flats in Watford: high-spec apartments at Vogue's former printers feature high ceilings and large windows

Long before Elton John put Watford on the map, the edge-of-London town was familiar with the world of celebrity and glamour through the pages of fashion magazine Vogue, which, along with other glossies was printed at Rembrandt House, a handsome red-brick Edwardian factory, recently converted into 43 loft-style flats with high ceilings and big windows.

The latest style statement is Watford Cross, a new scheme of 115 apartments boasting bespoke oak flooring, designer kitchens and “smart” bathrooms with digitally controlled taps and de-mist mirrors.

Watford has come to symbolise London’s outer boundary. Located in Zone 9 at the end of the Metropolitan line, it’s not possible to travel further out of London on the Tube.

In effect, it is a buffer town between the capital and Hertfordshire, with a lively commercial centre sustained by 16-minute rail links to Euston.

Prices from £317,000. Call Weston Homes on 01923 940 501.

Outside the town centre is The Staging Post, a new neighbourhood in 48 acres of parkland yet only a six-minute walk from Hounslow Central Tube station.

Prices from £322,500, with shared ownership available. Call 020 3944 7270.