London leavers: 'We must be the only people to move out of London and get a smaller garden'

 (Rebecca Douglas)
(Rebecca Douglas)

Moving from south-east London down to the Kent coast is a well-trodden path. “It's a bit of a cliche, isn't it?” laughs small business owner Marie Pontefract, who relocated from Hither Green to Broadstairs in 2019.

It was spending every other weekend around Thanet with husband Nick, chief strategy officer for Sport England, and their son Albie, now nine, which planted the seed for a new life by the sea. Marie, who was working as a designer for a high street fashion chain at the time, recalls seeing Ablie “completely transform on the beach, having the space to be a crazy little toddler.”

The push came when the continual threat of redundancy coupled with a toxic workplace culture saw Marie signed off with stress while pregnant with daughter Pearl, now four: “We decided enough was enough, it was time for a change.”

 (Rebecca Douglas)
(Rebecca Douglas)

The couple initially had their sights set on Margate. “It had the buzz and the creativity that Hackney had when we lived there,” says Marie. But an elegant townhouse in Charles Dickens’ favourite holiday destination stole their hearts.

Rumored to have been built for Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, they bought it for £570,000 on selling their double-fronted property for £698,000 in Lewisham.

Just five minutes’ walk from both the beach and the train station, its petite garden was the only compromise: “we must be the only people to move out of London and get a smaller garden,” admits Marie.

 (Rebecca Douglas)
(Rebecca Douglas)

But the reduced mortgage was the boon, allowing Marie to entertain other creative avenues while on maternity leave. In 2020 she launched Albie & Pearl, a curation of joyful vintage homewares.

The proximity to Dover puts the adventure into buying trips to Belgium and northern France, where she sources Art Deco revival and Hollywood Regency style pieces from flea markets.

This spring she opened a boutique in her adopted hometown, and has been overwhelmed by the sense of community. “It’s so lovely, people just pop in to say hi, and all the fellow independents show support. It’s brilliant feeling like you belong somewhere,” she says.

 (Rebecca Douglas)
(Rebecca Douglas)

Working as a shop owner comes with a unique set of challenges, but she hopes her new vocation will show her children that there are “different ways to do things when it comes to work.”

She misses the diversity of London’s food scene — Vietnamese and sushi being the main gaps — but is enjoying seeing her children grow up with a greater sense of freedom. “There's more physical space here, and we spend more time together as a family,” she says.

 (Rebecca Douglas)
(Rebecca Douglas)

Ironically, the Pontefracts avoid the summer day-trippers they once were by only heading to the main beach, Viking Bay, for early morning walks or late afternoon barbeques. “Of course we’ve done the full DFL bingo and got a dog as well,” she chuckles.

Describing the sea air as “medicine”, she has yet to invest in a DryRobe. “I barely swim in August! But I admire everyone who does. Maybe one day.”