Christina who, I hear you ask? Christina Rossetti – the sister of the Pre-Raphaelite rake who’s currently swaggering around like a nineteenth-century member of Duran Duran in the Beeb’s deeply silly series Desperate Romantics.

Auntie would have you believe that Dante Gabriel and his mates were a wildly unconventional crew hell-bent on shaking up the Victorian establishment, but when it came to poetry none of them could hold a candle to the prodigiously talented – and until quite recently, almost completely forgotten – Christina.

Christina lived much of her life in London, but from April 1853 until March 1854 she ran a school down in Frome in Somerset – this house, one of terrace of three that made up the school, is currently on the market for £325,000.

Lovers of Pre-Raphaelite art will be keen to view it, if only for the fact that it contains the remainder of a mural which was painted by Christina’s brother Dante and William Morris when they visited.

As for Christina – she used to be best known for writing the line “in the bleak mid-winter” but is now rightly acclaimed for her extraordinary poem Goblin Market, “a sensuous fairy story, and a heady tale of repressed sexuality and sisterhood,” as the critic Peggy Reynolds puts it.

It’s well worth checking it out – Dante Gabriel did beautiful illustrations for it (below). The two together are a reminder that the Beeb’s rather desperate Carry on Up Yer Pre-Raphaelites is just no substitute for real thing.

It’s always good to see estate agents making the most of the internet – so hats off to Greenstone Estates in North West London for their admirable video guides to St John’s Wood, West Hampstead, and Little Venice.

I’ve watched them all and they’ve got it just about right: very professional job, and no hard sell.

If you’re an agent, or know of one, who’s making really good use of new media let us know and we’ll happily feature them.

In the meantime, here, for your viewing pleasure, are Greenstone’s guides:

Remember I told you about the little hobbit remark that London Mayor Boris Johnson made? Well, while it was all very amusing, I wasn’t expecting to come across a home that really does look like it was designed with a hobbit in mind.

Take a look at this low impact woodland home. It’s like Bilbo Baggins could actually live here! And despite Boris thinking us Londoners are far too good for hobbity little places, I really like this home.

It’s lovely, and it takes being eco-friendly to the max. It’s part of the land. It’s deliberately dug into the hillside for low visual impact. It works with the environment instead of just being plonked on top of it. That’s not something to be sniffed at, Mr Johnson!

Having a home that’s unique, but all the while considerate of its stunning landscape, is a rather special quality in architecture. Think about all those buildings that change a landscape. Some things don’t actually need changing.

Simon Dale is an architectural inspiration. He’s created a stunning property, one that is eco-friendly and actually compliments its landscape. Those hobbit homes aren’t looking like such a bad idea now, are they, Boris?

Here’s a video of Simon Dale talking about his property:

When viewing a house for sale, what you’re seeing, more often than not, is not a blank canvas. It’s still someone else’s home, even if they are trying to sell it, and their tastes, choices, and furniture will be all over it. It can be difficult to ignore that bright orange sofa that dominates the room, or to see the potential of the spare bedroom because it’s full of a whole load of junk.

So, how do you see past these things and start appreciating what the space has to offer?

- Remember that the furniture can be moved. It might feel like a cheeky thing to ask, but most sellers shouldn’t mind if you want to move the coffee table out the way, so you can see how the room would look without it. Especially if it’s your second or third visit – they’ll know you’re serious and if it can help clinch the sale, why would they say no? And for you, furniture can really change a room, so moving it around could help you realise the room’s real potential.

- Think about the spare room. Often the most curious room in the house, people use a spare bedroom for all sorts of purposes. Remember that you don’t have to stick to the current function of the room. If you won’t use it as a bedroom much, don’t waste it on this sole function. Is there space to make it a study with a sofa bed? At least you’d get more use out of it that way. Try to imagine it empty so you know how much space you really have to play with.

- Look under the stairs and along the hallway. How much stuff is there? What can you do with that space? Storage space is important!

- Think about the outside of the house. Can you extend if you need to? Is there space for a shed? Think about what you can do with the land you’ve got, not just what you can do with the house.

- Is there anything that’s there that you don’t need? If they’ve got a tumble-dryer taking up space and you’ve got a combined washer-dryer at home, that suddenly frees up kitchen or utility space.

And if you’re selling, what should you be doing to show off the space you have?

- Beat them to it and move the furniture! You might need your coffee table as a foot rest/drinks holder/magazine rack, but if the room looks bigger without it, get it out of sight!

- Got a whole load of junk in your spare room? Get rid of it! Turn that room into something useful. Don’t let a potential buyer do all the work, show them how easy it is to use the room.

- Tidy up. Yes, you might have had fifty viewers over the last couple of weeks and you’re fed up of feeling like you live in a show home, but if your house is messy it’ll look smaller and far less attractive. Go and tidy up! Do it now!

- Do something about that ‘corner’. You know the one I mean. Every house has one. That place things go when you’re not really sure where else to put them. Get it sorted. Even if you just invest in some pretty storage items, this will help.

There’s always more space in a home than people realise. But if you can see it, you’ll be able to see how that space can be used. If you’re a viewer, you need to see past what’s on the surface. If you’re a seller, it’s your job to make that easy for people.

Boris Johnson has a wonderful way with words, don’t you think? Not content with making silly jokes about bendy buses, he’s now decided to liken London homes to those a hobbit might live in. “For too long we have built homes to indecently poor standards – fit neither for Bilbo Baggins nor his hobbit friends – and that is indefensible.”

He might have a point, but I’m not sure he manages to make it very eloquently. For a start, I haven’t seen any elves along Southbank searching for a bit of finger bling, have you? No pointy-eared ladies on horses or dragons either. But, joking aside (I’ll try to refrain), the plans that Johnson is talking about actually sound quite positive.

Here’s what’s on the horizon:

• More space in between houses. It might sound obvious, but it’s not something people think about often. Living in a city, it would be really nice to have a bit more green and it would mean not falling over your neighbour as soon as you leave your front door.

• We can look forward to a bigger mix of shapes and sizes as well. Boris doesn’t want the houses to all look the same (expect a lego analogy in his next press conference).

• Bigger spaces! Yes! This is what we want! Because let’s face it, you can’t do anything with that little box room, can you? Nothing. Except maybe hide that ring those hobbits are looking for…

• There are also plans to make houses better ventilated, lighter and airier. Basically just all-round better places to live. That actually sounds pretty good.

• Oh, of course they’ll all be eco-friendly too. But seeing as that’s tacked onto the end of every new government scheme, it’s not that exciting anymore, is it?

All of this sounds great and any improvement to London’s property market is a brilliant thing, but am I going to stop making jokes about Boris and hobbits? What do you think?

Ever wondered what the most common cause of death in London is (a tumour)? Or how many Metropolitan police officers there are (32,976, to be precise)? Then you should check out Focus on London – an annual set of statistics covering all sorts of information about life in the capital.

The most interesting facts are the property-based ones. Did you know, for example, that the cheapest average property prices can be found in Barking (always happy to hear that there is at least somewhere in London that’s cheap to live), and the number of people moving out of London to live elsewhere has halved since 2004?

The most worrying fact? Apparently the area with the lowest life expectancy is Greenwich, with men expected to live to 74.9 and women living to a ripe old age of 79.8. The highest life expectancy is in Kensington and Chelsea, where those lucky devils can expect to live until they’re 87.

This wouldn’t worry me so much if I wasn’t typing this from Greenwich… Are my days numbered because of where I live? Should I stay here until I’m 70 and then go west just to make sure I get an extra few years? That seems quite extravagant. Plus I’ve never been a fan of west London.

I wonder what it is about Greenwich that causes such an early demise. Is the Maritime Museum really that dull? Or maybe it’s that walk up to the observatory that does it. It’s really, really steep, after all.

Deciding to rent out your property, or a room, is a big decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. But according to new research, nearly 50 per cent of so-called accidental landlords have admitted they have no idea of the legislation involved in renting out a property.

The change in market conditions over the last year has resulted in more people choosing to rent out their homes rather than sell them, in the hope that the market will stabilise and prices will rise again over time. Whilst this is certainly a good option to explore if you don’t need to sell straight away, it is crucial to understand the letting laws.

A survey conducted by the Deposit Protection Service, involving over 1,000 property owners renting out their homes, found that many of the accidental landlords were guilty of being clueless about the law. Forty-eight per cent of them admitted they hadn’t fully checked out the laws involved before they rented out their property.

One in five said that legislation was the most challenging aspect of becoming a landlord – even more so than finding a suitable tenant to rent their property to.

As there are several laws and statutory obligations involved for a landlord, it’s important to check them out in advance and ensure you know exactly what’s involved before taking the plunge and renting out your home. If you’re considering becoming a landlord, check out our letting guide and guide to being a landlord to make sure you understand exactly what you’re getting into.

Here’s a handy tip for anyone moving areas and looking for a new job as well as a new home.

Jobsite have launched a very clever twitter service that allows you to receive personalised job tweets. It’s the first personalised job feed on Twitter – most other services just send a generic feed to all their followers. You set the criteria – location, salary, keywords – and the frequency, and they’ll send you private tweets matching your requirements. Brilliant.

So if you’ve finished searching for your dream home and you’ve now got to start searching for a dream job, this should make it a lot easier – allowing you to concentrate on the big move!

In the past, chapels were dotted around the UK in abundance, and were busy buildings serving the needs of a regular bunch of local parishioners. Things have changed, however, and many small chapels are no longer able to keep going, due to dwindling numbers. As the buildings have become redundant, many have been sold off to become private houses.

Although perhaps not an idea loved by everyone, at least selling off the chapel buildings has allowed some of their charm, architecture and original features to be preserved, rather than being left to deteriorate and fall into ruins. In fact, many of the chapels have been converted exceedingly well and have become stunning homes in their own right.

If you want to convert a chapel yourself, then you need to be aware of the potential issues surrounding listed buildings. Many chapels have of course already been converted – often into truly stunning homes – and buying a ready converted property at least means you don’t have to face the job of converting it yourself!

Converted chapels on the market

Aby, Lincolnshire
In the village of Aby, in Lincolnshire, you could purchase this Victorian chapel which has been converted into a four-bedroom house.

Many of the original features of the chapel have been retained, including Gothic arched windows and doors.

Under its Welsh slate roof, the property boasts an impressive entrance hallway and a large open-plan first-floor lounge. The chapel also comes with a lake, orchard and woodland. It’s on the market for £499,000.

East Grinstead, West Sussex
This stunning property in East Grinstead, West Sussex, was originally the chapel in the Old Convent.

A Grade I-listed convent, it was of important architectural and historical interest and the conversion, in the 1980s, was undertaken sensitively, in order to preserve as many of the original features as possible.

The four-bedroom, four-bathroom house has impressive Gothic arches, a stained-glass window, a pulpit, two large stone fireplaces and a fab old oak staircase, which was salvaged from the Bishop of Lincoln’s Palace. £995,000.

Mayfield, Kent
This is a home that definitely makes you go ‘wow.’ The Grade II-listed chapel in Mayfield, Kent, has been restored to form a two-bedroom apartment.

It has retained its stunning stained-glass windows, stone carvings and gold patterned ceilings, and the new additions have been added in a way that doesn’t deter from the original aspects.

The building is light and airy, with a spiral staircase leading up to a mezzanine with two en-suite bathrooms. Downstairs, there’s a modern kitchen and large open-plan living area. An amazing conversion, it’s on the market for £1,300,000.

There was an interesting article in the Telegraph recently suggesting that historic, unusual and quirky homes are currently high on the agenda for people wanting to rent properties.

Some of the experts quoted, including from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), claimed that one of the effects of the recession is that more people are renting properties whilst they wait to buy and are particularly keen on giving unusual homes a try.

As a big fan of extraordinary homes, I can understand their charm. Whilst the long-term upkeep and maintenance of some old homes can be a bit of a burden, at least when you’re renting you don’t have to worry about this and can get on with enjoying the experience of living in such a property. If you decide a quirky home isn’t the ideal long-term housing solution for you, then you can move on to something else.

If you’re looking to rent while the housing market stabilises, want to try out a different style of living (large country pile instead of chic city apartment) or simply love the idea of living in a unusual property, then here are some inspiring UK rental properties.

The Manor House

Live like the lord or lady of the manor in this Grade II-listed, seven-bedroom detached manor house.

Part of the house is believed to be Georgian in origin and it’s located on the edge of the village of Catherington, in Waterlooville, Hampshire.

The accommodation is spread over three floors and outside there are large gardens and even a heated swimming pool.

The monthly rental is £2,200.

The Tower

Ruxley Tower, in Claygate, Surrey, is definitely an extraordinary property. Accommodation is arranged over six floors (four bedrooms, three reception rooms and three bathrooms) and there’s a terrace and viewing gallery at the top of the tower.

There are stunning panoramic views over the Surrey countryside, west towards the Chilterns and as far east as London.

There are lots of unique features and it offers a great chance to live in a truly unusual property.

Ruxley Tower is available to rent for £4,500 a month.

The Chapel

This four-bedroom converted chapel is located in Old Dalby, Leicestershire and is available for unfurnished rents.

The historic building has been sympathetically converted, retaining many of its original and period features, and now provides a good-sized home.

The converted chapel is available to rent for £950 per month.

The Castle

The historic Clyne Castle in Wales has been split up into apartments, giving more people the chance to live in this splendid building.

A two-bedroom third-floor unfurnished apartment is available to rent for the princely sum of £895 per month.

The Mill

In East Hanney, South Oxfordshire, this former silk mill has been sensitively restored to form several apartments.

A first-floor, three-bedroom apartment is currently available to rent and benefits from three en-suite rooms, a bespoke curved kitchen and bright living spaces.

The mill is able to generate its own heat and electricity and the apartment comes unfurnished.

It’s available for a monthly rent of £2,250.