Rachel Ellis, Sophie Pain & Tom Bihun

Rachael Ellis, 27, Sophie Pain, 28, and Tom Bihun, 26, live together at 29 Swan Street in a three bedroom ground-floor flat just off Trinity Square. These three young professionals all share a rural background, citing the village feel of life here as a major draw. Rachael is a trainee solicitor who grew up in South Derbyshire. Sophie, who works in online marketing, and Tom, an accountant, both grew up on family farms - Sophie in Northamptonshire and Tom somewhat further afield near Melbourne, Australia.

In her spare time, Rachael plays for three netball teams and embraces her inner ‘om’ doing yoga at Frame Studio in Shoreditch. Her current obsession is flowers, after a stint living near Columbia Road Flower Market and taking part in a paper flower workshop with Quill London.

Sophie is their resident domestic goddess and loves gardening and baking, her signature bake being ‘all- in-one’ chocolate brownies (recipe please?! Ed.) When she’s not in the kitchen, you’ll often catch her running along the Thames or perfecting her serve on the tennis court.

Tom is the newest member of the flat, moving in this September. Despite being new housemates, Rachael and Tom may have crossed paths a few years ago: Rachael spent a year of her degree studying abroad at Monash University in Melbourne, where Tom was in the middle of completing his undergraduate degree!

Rachael chose the flat. “I really loved the feel of it with its light rooms, big Georgian windows and high ceilings. Turning the corner out of the front door to see Trinity Square was the icing on the cake. I also liked the community feel created by the TNRA - on my viewing I heard about the Association lending garden equipment to residents. This appealed to me, having grown up in a village where everybody knows their neighbours and gets involved with local projects/ helping others.

“On one of my first weekends here I stumbled across a book sale on the square; that epitomised the Village for me - full of people keen to share their passions, hobbies and interests with others. I thought yoga at the gardens was a great idea and really hope it continues.

“The location offers the best of both worlds: I’m able to walk to work and to the fitness studio in Shoreditch, netball in Brixton etc. while enjoying the quiet of the beautiful, green square. It feels really safe and the weekend free parking is fantastic for visiting family and friends. We also love how many unique shops, cafés and restaurants there are in the area - the fact that so many of the local businesses are independent, along with the wealth of local history, gives it a really creative/ buzzy atmosphere.”