The Vale Living

The Vale Living Elegant, contemporary, high-spec apartments to rent for retirement living at the Vale. Expertly designed for maximum comfort and easy entertaining.

Secure, gated development. Lounges, bar, restaurant and cinema room. Bespoke support services available.

The first art workshop of 2026 at The Vale Living turned its attention to apples. With a nod to the exhibition ‘Anna Arc...
12/01/2026

The first art workshop of 2026 at The Vale Living turned its attention to apples. With a nod to the exhibition ‘Anna Archer: Painting Light’ which is presently showing at The Dulwich Picture Gallery, our group members were encouraged to begin their work by focusing on form. Anna Archer’s work is known for its bold use of colour and her exceptional ability to capture light like no other. These were our next steps.

Students set to work, starting with simple circles in pencil. The apples were painted on a background of delicate, striped linen fabric with successive layers of colour gradually added to create the fresh, green apples.

With gentle music playing in the background, courtesy of Classic FM, our apprentice artists, including one resident’s daughter visiting from Australia, became absorbed in their work. There was still plenty of time to chatter (very much part of the enjoyment and purpose of our sessions) about artistic ambitions and personal hopes for the year ahead. There is clearly very much to look forward to.

In the meantime, many walls throughout The Vale Living are now awash with bowls of tempting green apples, brought to life with reflected light.

Anna Archer: Painting Light continues at The Dulwich Picture Gallery until 8 March. Further information at: www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk.

After all the demands of a hectic pre-Christmas week, our residents enjoyed the opportunity to channel their creative ta...
22/12/2025

After all the demands of a hectic pre-Christmas week, our residents enjoyed the opportunity to channel their creative talents into a soothing and therapeutic flower arranging session.

Little white ceramic pots were begging to be filled with a mix of greenery, fragrant blooms and a touch of sparkle. The finishing touch was a country-cottage style leather gift tag.

As always, with some expert guidance from their tutor, participants rose to the challenge and produced a selection of charming arrangements that made the perfect gift and a delightful display to grace any Christmas table.

On behalf of all our residents and staff here at The Vale Living, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy, peaceful New Year.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas at The Vale LivingChristmas is well on its way and there has already been a ...
16/12/2025

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas at The Vale Living

Christmas is well on its way and there has already been a positively festive whirl of events at The Vale Living.

🎄🎅Residents donned their sparkling finery to enjoy a delightful, early Christmas dinner. The opportunity to ease down a bit came the next day in the form of a yoga session. Gentle exercise, stretching and deep breathing helped to relax but also re-energise both bodies and minds. Nothing was too demanding – not even the ‘tree’ pose that brought everyone together to create a cheerful forest of human Christmas trees. Our Christmas carol singing is always a highlight of The Vale Living’s yuletide calendar and so it proved again. It was a pleasure see our yoga and dance teacher Kathryn attend and join in the singing. We also welcomed longtime friend, Father Steffan, from St. Peter’s, together with the choirmaster, to lead the session. The repertoire included a beautifully sensitive rendition of ‘Silent Night’, as well as ‘We Three Kings’ with a solo from one of our residents. Volume levels rose for a hearty rendition of ‘Hark the Herald’, before a full-throated finale of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’. Laughter, conversation and good cheer continued as everyone made their way to the Bistro, where the celebrations carried on over an enjoyable and sociable lunch.🎄⛄❄️

Bags of Christmas FunResidents at The Vale Living demonstrated that art can be practical as well as beautiful as they le...
05/12/2025

Bags of Christmas Fun

Residents at The Vale Living demonstrated that art can be practical as well as beautiful as they learned how to use stencils to decorate useful tote bags.

Under the encouraging guidance of our artist-in-residence, they had a practice run to transfer and colour in the stencils on paper before moving on to their ‘Fab Dab A Do’ Christmas bags.

There was much fun to be had as they had to concentrate on doing several steps in a set order. Some succeeded in dabbing on the colours better than others, but the final results, featuring designs that ranged from Christmas trees and fairies to penguins and big, striped cats, were a great success. Indeed, Andrea was so thrilled with hers, she couldn’t wait to use it for her shopping the next day.

As with all of our art classes, there was a lot of chatter, enjoyment, laughter, creativity and new skills learned.

Oh La La - French Evening at The Vale Retirement VillageResidents at The Vale Retirement Village were treated to a wonde...
02/12/2025

Oh La La - French Evening at The Vale Retirement Village

Residents at The Vale Retirement Village were treated to a wonderful French-themed evening this week, filled with charm, laughter and the unmistakable spirit of Paris!

The dining room was transformed into a little slice of France, with tables dressed beautifully and residents donning glittery French berets for the occasion. One of the highlights of the night was Michael, who came dressed as an “Onion Johnnie” - complete with strings of onions and classic Breton flair. His outfit certainly added authenticity and plenty of smiles!

Guests enjoyed an exquisite menu featuring French favourites including rich, tender Coq au Vin and a perfectly caramelised Crème Brûlée for dessert. The aroma, flavours and presentation transported everyone straight to a candlelit bistro by the Seine.

The evening was filled with shared memories, cheerful conversation and more than a few attempts at French phrases “Bonjour!” “Magnifique!” “Très bien!” echoed around the room, as residents reminisced, laughed, and soaked up the atmosphere.

It was a beautiful celebration of food, culture and community.

A big thank you to our team and residents for making the evening so warm, joyful, and truly magnifique!
Vive la France at The Vale!

As the trees turn to shades of amber and burnt umber, The Valees latest art master class used the seasonal, falling leav...
18/11/2025

As the trees turn to shades of amber and burnt umber, The Valees latest art master class used the seasonal, falling leaves as its inspiration.

Using the flame-coloured foliage on the tree in the grounds of The Vale and the leaves from the oaks on Streatham Common, our artists learned how to put down a ground for their painting. One person suggested using a sponge to create the dappled backgrounds. The resulting, stippled, effect proved to be perfect. The students then learnt brush stroke techniques to carefully overlay the delicate oak leaves.

Painting like this brings benefits for everyone, helping with cognitive skills and maintaining dexterity in hands, fingers and wrists. Of course, working in a group, as our residents do, also brings the social advantages of a shared experience, joy and pride in an end product plus a cup of coffee in the Bar & Bistro.

There was lots of laughter as participants remembered the Tony Hancock film The Rebel, which portrays him as an amateur artist who moves to Paris in a bid to be taken seriously as a professional. The song, Autumn Leaves, also sprang to mind and the group was about to launch into before realising that they only knew the first line.

As the session drew to a close, the completed artworks drew much admiration from all and everyone looks forward to our next class.

The Hills Around Streatham — A Journey Through TimeRome was famously built on seven hills but did you know that our own ...
06/11/2025

The Hills Around Streatham — A Journey Through Time

Rome was famously built on seven hills but did you know that our own local area has five?

Emma Fleming of the Streatham Society made a welcome return visit to The Vale to enlighten an audience of around 30 people on the fascinating history of the uplands that surround us. We were also joined by Lee and Kirsty from local law firm, Anthony Gold Solicitors, proud supporters of a number of local community initiatives.

The five hills in question were Streatham, Brixton, Herne, Tulse and Sydenham. Emma captivated us with tales of the ghostly figures that have haunted these slopes to the origins of the names. ‘Herne’ is likely based on herons, Brixton is mentioned in folklore as Brixistane, a Saxon name meaning ‘the stone of Brixi’ and ‘Streatham’ derives from ‘Street Hamlet’ (on the street).

Continuing the journey through time, Emma took us forward a few centuries to the Crystal Palace in Victorian times and onwards to the modern day art deco buildings of Streatham High Road. There was lots of discussion about the changing name of the local night club from the Locarno to the Cats Whiskers to The Studio. Several residents had tales of their own to share about this local dance venue.

Conversations and recollections continued over a delicious lunch and this, being a Friday, was a perfect way to start the weekend.

Spooky Fun at The Vale Living’s Hallowe’en Dinner. Hallowe’en never goes unmarked at The Vale Living Retirement Village ...
05/11/2025

Spooky Fun at The Vale Living’s Hallowe’en Dinner.

Hallowe’en never goes unmarked at The Vale Living Retirement Village where our residents love a themed evening and a chance to dress up.

With the Bar & Bistro transformed with cobwebs, pumpkins and ghastly, glowing lights, it was like a scene from a film as a variety of witches, wizards and ghouls appeared after dusk.

Spectacular home-made hats were a particular focus of conversation as our spooky guests sat down to devour a suitably themed, delicious menu.

There were fiendish jokes, cackling laughter, tales from times gone by and even some croaky voices as the evening wore on. Suddenly, before the official witching hour of midnight struck, our spirit gathering mysteriously melted away leaving only the echoes of a ghostly gathering and the distant sound of laughter.

🌟 A Life Well-Lived, Together 🌟Step into The Vale and you’ll feel the buzz of community straight away. From our welcomin...
20/10/2025

🌟 A Life Well-Lived, Together 🌟
Step into The Vale and you’ll feel the buzz of community straight away. From our welcoming Bar & Bistro—where friendships are made, birthdays celebrated and themed dinners enjoyed—to our library, craft room, cinema and lounge, life here is full of activity, laughter and connection.

Residents enjoy yoga, art, quizzes, coffee mornings, and trips out to museums, galleries and local walks. We’re proud of our strong community links too, with groups like Streatham Seniors and the Streatham Festival.

As one resident puts it: “The Vale feels like a family. The friendly atmosphere hit me the moment I walked through the door.” 💛

The Streatham Festival got underway at the end of last week and, as has been the case for the past couple of years, The ...
14/10/2025

The Streatham Festival got underway at the end of last week and, as has been the case for the past couple of years, The Vale Living had a presence thanks to its art group.
Our proficient artists collaborated on another piece of work spelling out the name ‘Streatham’ in a series of decorative panels that also played homage to aspects of life in our little ‘village’. These include the Ice and Leisure Centre, the Odeon cinema and The Railway pub.
The festival was officially launched by The Mayor, Cllr Adrian Garden (pictured with our Operations Director, Urszula). More than 70 people attended and many of them were literally queuing up to have their photos taken with our art installation. They also enjoyed the music provided by ‘Fruit in a Tin’ as well as the chance to network.
Vale resident, Michael, popped along on Sunday to view the art on show and gave it all the ‘thumbs up’.
The Festival runs until 19 October so there is still time to enjoy the music, events, dining and of course the art. The Vale’s contribution forms part of the Art Trail around the area.
For further information visit: www.streathamfestival.com

Here at The Vale, we can find almost any excuse for a celebration and with The Great Gatsby recently delighting London’s...
12/10/2025

Here at The Vale, we can find almost any excuse for a celebration and with The Great Gatsby recently delighting London’s theatre goers, what better inspiration for a get together?
And so it was that residents entered into the spirit of the ‘Roaring 20’s’ with a Gatsby dinner. Guests turned out in their flapper dresses and tuxedos to dine on chicken consommé, lamb chops Lyonnaise, king prawns, and grilled apricots with honey and mascarpone (other dishes were available).
Never one to disappoint in the costume department, Michael went the extra mile to add a touch of decadence to his ‘tux’ with a scarlet bow tie, handkerchief and cummerbund. Surely this was Jay Gatsby’s return?
Needless to say, everyone was delighted, dined well, had a wonderful evening and there was no need for carriages past the stroke of twelve.

The standard of art being produced by our regular group of painters and creators just keeps getting better and better, a...
11/10/2025

The standard of art being produced by our regular group of painters and creators just keeps getting better and better, as can be seen by their latest works.
Our most recent tuition session saw them working, once again, with acrylic paints on canvas to produce a range of delightful roses and flower heads, in full bloom. These were based on a selection of photographs taken at The Rookery, Streatham Common, by their art tutor, Diane Robertson.
The results speak for themselves and will, no doubt, soon adorn several apartment walls around The Vale.

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93 Knollys Road
London
SW162JR

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The Vale Living

The Vale Living. Luxury retirement apartments available to rent in South London.

At The Vale, we've been able to utilise our knowledge and passion that we have gained from building and managing purpose built and bespoke luxury retirement villages and care centres for over 30 years. But our experience in providing high quality accommodation and care for older people goes back much further.

It was in the early 1980s that our chairman, Dr Nick Dhandsa, a trained physician at St Thomas’ Hospital, London founded a company called ANS plc. ANS was an innovator and in the 1990s, offered assisted and independent living in 200 purpose-built units on its care campuses around the UK which are the origins of our sector today.

An apartment at The Vale enables you to live a truly independent life in your very own secure environment and community. Our facilities include a garden bistro bar and restaurant, library, hobby room, wellness suite and on-site hairdresser facilities. If you require additional care in the future, our team is on hand to provide the support you require and to give you security and peace of mind that we are here to help as you need.