Respectable for dons: 22 Davenant Road is a North Oxford classic

As well as its leafy side roads and beautiful period houses, North Oxford is famous for its proximity to some of the city’s best schools and for one family, that was what attracted them to the area when they bought their house in Davenant Road. Although it seems like yesterday, that was 19 years ago and now, their children having grown up and moved on, the Lindgrens are downsizing.

There’s every chance that the new owners could be another family with children in a nearby school, which would be apt especially as No 22 has always had strong links to Oxford’s education community. It was built by Trinity College in the 1930’s as two apartments to accommodate married dons. “Bizarrely, Davenant Road was seen in those days as the last street north of the city that was considered respectable for dons,” says Carole Lindgren. “It seems hard to imagine, given that North Oxford is now one of the most desirable places in the city!”

By the time the Lindgrens bought the house in the 1990s, it had long been sold by Trinity then transformed to a family home, although the internal layout remained fairly untouched. “The upstairs layout mirrors downstairs, which is unusual,” says Carole, “but it gives it a sense of symmetry you don’t always find in houses of this period.”

The house has five bedrooms, including a large sitting/dining room and a huge family room. An elegant period conservatory enhances the south side; there is off street parking and a large, secluded garden. “It’s a great house for socialising, for children’s parties and so on. While they were growing up, there were always people coming and yet there was enough space,” she adds.

“Because we are so close to the schools and the city, the children could get anywhere they needed to as they got older. We didn’t have to be an ‘on tap’ taxi service for them!”

The Lindgrens have preserved the period character, creating a comfortable family home, and Carole has a strong vision of how it could be transformed further. “There is a growing trend for contemporary living, and this house offers great potential. You could change the internal layout and expand into the loft to create a really spacious contemporary home,” she says.

Whether or not the house undergoes another transformation, one thing the new owners can be assured of is that north of Davenant Road is definitely very respectable these days.