Ice cold: £1.5 million homes launch on site of famous former ice cream parlour

Get the scoop on the just launched Marine Ices development, which will feature 19 apartments ranging from £650,000 to £1.5 million

The location on Haverstock Hill is great, with Chalk Farm station and the Roundhouse theatre just metres away - Credit: Bellis Homes

The Haverstock Hill development that occupies the former site of Camden’s famous Marine Ices has officially launched.

The ice cream parlour closed the doors of its iconic ship shaped shop in 2014, relocating 300 yards down the road to the Old Dairy Mews.

Developers Bellis Homes persuaded the owners to let them use the name as a nod to the heritage of the site.

Henry Fordham, director of Bellis Homes said: “We really loved the story behind the Marine Ices building and its connection to Camden as well as the location of the site, it’s perfectly situated between a number of landmarks, travel links and local amenities.”

How the old ice cream parlour used to look before it moved down the road - Credit: Archant

Founder Gaetano Mansi bought his Italian traditional recipes with him when he moved to Camden in the 1900s.

When he worked as a grocer on Drummond Street market he experimented with leftover fruit to make tasty sorbets.

In 1931 he opened Mansi’s Café at the site on Haverstock Hill, and successive generations of the Mansi family ran the business until it was sold in 2012 to the Ponti’s group. The new parlour is now run by the Myatt family. Queues for the Italian style gelato used to stretch down the road, and Bellis Homes are clearly hoping Londoners will line up for the apartments as they once did for sweet treats.There are 19 one, two and three apartments up for sale, ranging from 566 sq ft to 1,221 sq ft and complete with large balconies and oak panelled front doors. Prices start at £650,000 and the most expensive home is marketed at £1,500,000.Bellis Homes predict that prices in the sought after NW1 poscode will rise by 33 per cent by 2021, proving it’s not just Mr Whippy’s 99p flakes that are suffering from price inflation. Originally there had been plans to install a three screen cinema at the base of the development, but despite receiving planning permission there were no buyers.Instead Bellis Homes are now in negotiation with a food retailer, hoping that buyers will benefit from the “Waitrose effect” where proximity to an upmarket food retailer reportedly provides a halo effect on house prices. Even without the cinema there will be plenty of culture on hand for the new residents to enjoy. Conveniently situated opposite Chalk Farm station, the Roundhouse theatre is right on the development’s doorstep. There’s so much culture in Camden Town – discover it with our guide to the area.

Marine Ices Apartments are available from £650,00 to £1.5 million, for more information, contact Bellis Homes on 01279 424 733 or visit their website here.