Help to Buy in London: The Essex Brewery conversion brings 158 new flats to Walthamstow

For many years Walthamstow was associated with the bottom rung of the property ladder, but steady improvements and a town centre face lift are encouraging people to settle, including artists priced out of inner east London.

One of the area’s highlights is William Morris Gallery, historic home of the influential Victorian designer and poet.

Walthamstow has a history of crafts and manufacturing and a new purpose-built “people’s workshop” on Blackhorse Lane aims to encourage more locals to learn skills such as furniture making.

For a small fee, anyone can rent a space or studio at the workshop. But the old industrial legacy is disappearing. A former brewery site has made way for The Essex Brewery, 158 new flats from £379,995.

Many are available through Help to Buy, requiring a deposit of five per cent. Call Crest Nicholson (020 3640 7577).