It’s no secret there’s a housing supply shortage in the UK right now, with a fifth (22%) of homes selling in a week of going on the market, according to property platform Rightmove. But there’s a niche of unique properties that are still in ample supply, especially in London – you just have to look to the city’s waterways to find them.
Floating homes along London’s canals offer a romantic, calming way of life, filled with nature and offbeat views of the capital. And due to their ‘escapist’ vibe and relative affordability, the capital now has networks of flourishing floating communities.
From a newly built narrowboat on Regent’s Canal to a New England-style barge in Wandsworth, here’s our pick of the best houseboats on the market right now. And contrary to popular belief, not all are small – but neither are they always a ‘budget’ option.
Matrix Island – a 1930s steel barge in Wapping
5 bedrooms; £2.5m via Riverhomes
Lateral space abounds in Matrix Island, a 5,000-sq-ft monochrome boat house with a sweeping living room, lit by a wall of glazing. It has a sunken double-height seating area, with a suspended wood-burning stove overlooked by an upper gallery. Its streamlined kitchen has a dark grey tone and fine metal accents. Other perks include a sauna, a vast covered terrace, and a newly created study. Owners will need deep pockets, though: mooring and maintenance fees at St Katherine’s Dock are £36,000 a year.
Matrix Island is also available as a short term let priced at £3,750 per week.
Matrix Island – a 1930s steel barge in Wapping
5 bedrooms; £2.5m via Riverhomes
Lateral space abounds in Matrix Island, a 5,000-sq-ft monochrome boat house with a sweeping living room, lit by a wall of glazing. It has a sunken double-height seating area, with a suspended wood-burning stove overlooked by an upper gallery. Its streamlined kitchen has a dark grey tone and fine metal accents. Other perks include a sauna, a vast covered terrace, and a newly created study. Owners will need deep pockets, though: mooring and maintenance fees at St Katherine’s Dock are £36,000 a year.
Matrix Island is also available as a short term let priced at £3,750 per week.
Matrix Island – a 1930s steel barge in Wapping
5 bedrooms; £2.5m via Riverhomes
Lateral space abounds in Matrix Island, a 5,000-sq-ft monochrome boat house with a sweeping living room, lit by a wall of glazing. It has a sunken double-height seating area, with a suspended wood-burning stove overlooked by an upper gallery. Its streamlined kitchen has a dark grey tone and fine metal accents. Other perks include a sauna, a vast covered terrace, and a newly created study. Owners will need deep pockets, though: mooring and maintenance fees at St Katherine’s Dock are £36,000 a year.
Matrix Island is also available as a short term let priced at £3,750 per week.
Matrix Island – a 1930s steel barge in Wapping
5 bedrooms; £2.5m via Riverhomes
Lateral space abounds in Matrix Island, a 5,000-sq-ft monochrome boat house with a sweeping living room, lit by a wall of glazing. It has a sunken double-height seating area, with a suspended wood-burning stove overlooked by an upper gallery. Its streamlined kitchen has a dark grey tone and fine metal accents. Other perks include a sauna, a vast covered terrace, and a newly created study. Owners will need deep pockets, though: mooring and maintenance fees at St Katherine’s Dock are £36,000 a year.
Matrix Island is also available as a short term let priced at £3,750 per week.
A minimalist narrowboat on Regent’s Canal
1 bedroom; £100,000 via Aucoot
Olive is a contemporary 59-ft-long houseboat created by its owners and designers Pringle and Booth in 2019, with an Aussie-meets-Scandi vibe: think lots of natural tones and pale wood joinery with recessed lines. Inside the pale green-hued vessel, graphic grout lines lift the terracotta and white tiles while gold metallic accents add richness to the fresh palette. There are wood-trimmed and brass and cladding accents, a black wood-burning stove to keep things warm, plus two solar panels for off-grid living.
A minimalist narrowboat on Regent’s Canal
1 bedroom; £100,000 via Aucoot
Olive is a contemporary 59-ft-long houseboat created by its owners and designers Pringle and Booth in 2019, with an Aussie-meets-Scandi vibe: think lots of natural tones and pale wood joinery with recessed lines. Inside the pale green-hued vessel, graphic grout lines lift the terracotta and white tiles while gold metallic accents add richness to the fresh palette. There are wood-trimmed and brass and cladding accents, a black wood-burning stove to keep things warm, plus two solar panels for off-grid living.
A minimalist narrowboat on Regent’s Canal
1 bedroom; £100,000 via Aucoot
Olive is a contemporary 59-ft-long houseboat created by its owners and designers Pringle and Booth in 2019, with an Aussie-meets-Scandi vibe: think lots of natural tones and pale wood joinery with recessed lines. Inside the pale green-hued vessel, graphic grout lines lift the terracotta and white tiles while gold metallic accents add richness to the fresh palette. There are wood-trimmed and brass and cladding accents, a black wood-burning stove to keep things warm, plus two solar panels for off-grid living.
Historic Dutch barge in Wapping
2 bedrooms; POA via Unique Property Company
Made in Holland, this bright, 1,320 sq ft barge has comfortable, wide proportions and a skylit living room in a ceiling braced by steel beams. Books are stashed in rounded, recessed spaces and there are metal-edged portholes and a wheelhouse clad in varnished wood. Twee Artsen or ‘Two Doctors’ in Dutch is located in the community-run Hermitage Moorings, off Wapping High Street, which has reasonable outgoings.
Historic Dutch barge in Wapping
2 bedrooms; POA via Unique Property Company
Made in Holland, this bright, 1,320 sq ft barge has comfortable, wide proportions and a skylit living room in a ceiling braced by steel beams. Books are stashed in rounded, recessed spaces and there are metal-edged portholes and a wheelhouse clad in varnished wood. Twee Artsen or ‘Two Doctors’ in Dutch is located in the community-run Hermitage Moorings, off Wapping High Street, which has reasonable outgoings.
Roderick James renovated 1929 boat in Wandsworth
4 bedrooms; £850,000 via River Homes
Architect Roderick James renovated this 1,930 sq ft Dutch barge, giving it New England-style makeover with whitewashed cladding, shiny metal accents, and contrasting battered wooden flooring – and a wooden bath. Across its main living space, there’s an open tread staircase, high, wide pitched ceilings, and spiral radiators. Interiors are illuminated by downlighters that add atmosphere at night. Part of Riverside Quarter and residential mooring, ‘Maria’ comes with access to the development’s pools and amenities.
Roderick James renovated 1929 boat in Wandsworth
4 bedrooms; £850,000 via River Homes
Architect Roderick James renovated this 1,930 sq ft Dutch barge, giving it New England-style makeover with whitewashed cladding, shiny metal accents, and contrasting battered wooden flooring – and a wooden bath. Across its main living space, there’s an open tread staircase, high, wide pitched ceilings, and spiral radiators. Interiors are illuminated by downlighters that add atmosphere at night. Part of Riverside Quarter and residential mooring, ‘Maria’ comes with access to the development’s pools and amenities.
Roderick James renovated 1929 boat in Wandsworth
4 bedrooms; £850,000 via River Homes
Architect Roderick James renovated this 1,930 sq ft Dutch barge, giving it New England-style makeover with whitewashed cladding, shiny metal accents, and contrasting battered wooden flooring – and a wooden bath. Across its main living space, there’s an open tread staircase, high, wide pitched ceilings, and spiral radiators. Interiors are illuminated by downlighters that add atmosphere at night. Part of Riverside Quarter and residential mooring, ‘Maria’ comes with access to the development’s pools and amenities.
Roderick James renovated 1929 boat in Wandsworth
4 bedrooms; £850,000 via River Homes
Architect Roderick James renovated this 1,930 sq ft Dutch barge, giving it New England-style makeover with whitewashed cladding, shiny metal accents, and contrasting battered wooden flooring – and a wooden bath. Across its main living space, there’s an open tread staircase, high, wide pitched ceilings, and spiral radiators. Interiors are illuminated by downlighters that add atmosphere at night. Part of Riverside Quarter and residential mooring, ‘Maria’ comes with access to the development’s pools and amenities.
Roderick James renovated 1929 boat in Wandsworth
4 bedrooms; £850,000 via River Homes
Architect Roderick James renovated this 1,930 sq ft Dutch barge, giving it New England-style makeover with whitewashed cladding, shiny metal accents, and contrasting battered wooden flooring – and a wooden bath. Across its main living space, there’s an open tread staircase, high, wide pitched ceilings, and spiral radiators. Interiors are illuminated by downlighters that add atmosphere at night. Part of Riverside Quarter and residential mooring, ‘Maria’ comes with access to the development’s pools and amenities.
A 1950s motor barge in Canary Wharf with an art deco deck
6 bedrooms; £1.8m via River Homes
Moored on the wide Thames Quay on the Isle of Dogs, this 8,000-sq-ft motor barge has a smart wooden interior (made of a mix of American red oak, pine, hickory, pecan and poplar) and teak doors handcrafted in Holland, built around realms of entertaining space. The boat dates from 1957 and its centrepiece is an art deco-style, open-air terrace, with shutter windows, which has the space to host a pop-up restaurant and other events. It’s in good shape (it has a brand-new navigation system) and floats against the backdrop of east London’s futuristic skyscrapers.
A 1950s motor barge in Canary Wharf with an art deco deck
6 bedrooms; £1.8m via River Homes
Moored on the wide Thames Quay on the Isle of Dogs, this 8,000-sq-ft motor barge has a smart wooden interior (made of a mix of American red oak, pine, hickory, pecan and poplar) and teak doors handcrafted in Holland, built around realms of entertaining space. The boat dates from 1957 and its centrepiece is an art deco-style, open-air terrace, with shutter windows, which has the space to host a pop-up restaurant and other events. It’s in good shape (it has a brand-new navigation system) and floats against the backdrop of east London’s futuristic skyscrapers.
A 1950s motor barge in Canary Wharf with an art deco deck
6 bedrooms; £1.8m via River Homes
Moored on the wide Thames Quay on the Isle of Dogs, this 8,000-sq-ft motor barge has a smart wooden interior (made of a mix of American red oak, pine, hickory, pecan and poplar) and teak doors handcrafted in Holland, built around realms of entertaining space. The boat dates from 1957 and its centrepiece is an art deco-style, open-air terrace, with shutter windows, which has the space to host a pop-up restaurant and other events. It’s in good shape (it has a brand-new navigation system) and floats against the backdrop of east London’s futuristic skyscrapers.
A 1950s motor barge in Canary Wharf with an art deco deck
6 bedrooms; £1.8m via River Homes
Moored on the wide Thames Quay on the Isle of Dogs, this 8,000-sq-ft motor barge has a smart wooden interior (made of a mix of American red oak, pine, hickory, pecan and poplar) and teak doors handcrafted in Holland, built around realms of entertaining space. The boat dates from 1957 and its centrepiece is an art deco-style, open-air terrace, with shutter windows, which has the space to host a pop-up restaurant and other events. It’s in good shape (it has a brand-new navigation system) and floats against the backdrop of east London’s futuristic skyscrapers.
A 1950s motor barge in Canary Wharf with an art deco deck
6 bedrooms; £1.8m via River Homes
Moored on the wide Thames Quay on the Isle of Dogs, this 8,000-sq-ft motor barge has a smart wooden interior (made of a mix of American red oak, pine, hickory, pecan and poplar) and teak doors handcrafted in Holland, built around realms of entertaining space. The boat dates from 1957 and its centrepiece is an art deco-style, open-air terrace, with shutter windows, which has the space to host a pop-up restaurant and other events. It’s in good shape (it has a brand-new navigation system) and floats against the backdrop of east London’s futuristic skyscrapers.
A 1950s motor barge in Canary Wharf with an art deco deck
6 bedrooms; £1.8m via River Homes
Moored on the wide Thames Quay on the Isle of Dogs, this 8,000-sq-ft motor barge has a smart wooden interior (made of a mix of American red oak, pine, hickory, pecan and poplar) and teak doors handcrafted in Holland, built around realms of entertaining space. The boat dates from 1957 and its centrepiece is an art deco-style, open-air terrace, with shutter windows, which has the space to host a pop-up restaurant and other events. It’s in good shape (it has a brand-new navigation system) and floats against the backdrop of east London’s futuristic skyscrapers.
