Highgate mum sets up office in treehouse

Unpopular features of the workplace usually include buzzing strip lights and sore throat-inducing air conditioning. But one Highgate woman s daily toil is accompanied by birdsong and squirrels among the boughs. Victoria Harris has built a two-storey treeh

Unpopular features of the workplace usually include buzzing strip lights and sore throat-inducing air conditioning. But one Highgate woman's daily toil is accompanied by birdsong and squirrels among the boughs.

Victoria Harris has built a two-storey treehouse (pictured) in her back garden, complete with internet access and a hi-fi.

"It's wonderful when the pear tree is in blossom," said Ms Harris, 36, who runs her own personal training business. "I can pick a pear out of the tree while I'm surfing the web, although I might wash it first.

"I love it. It's like something from Hansel and Gretel. You often get squirrels on the roof. I suppose it's a new habitat for them. I even do my online supermarket shopping here."

The treehouse, which features Gothic-style glass windows and a balustrade, is made of cedar.

When she's not surfing the web from her hideout, Ms Harris likes to relax listening to her hi-fi as a reward for having successfully negotiated the rope bridge and ladder.

She has a radiator for the winter months and loves to use the treehouse, which is eight feet off the ground, as a retreat from the house. Her children, four and six, also love to go there to play with friends - just like in The Simpsons.

It cost around £25,000 to build the hideaway and Henry Durham, from High Rise Treehouses which is based in Highgate, said there are about 20 similar structures in gardens around the village.

"This house was unusual because they had a lovely and large amount of space to use," he said. "This house is a great mix - it's for adults and children both.