Hector

Hector is 73. He’s originally from Jamaica but has lived in Battersea for most of his adult life.

Before retiring, he worked for British Rail. After years of renting a place to live, he managed to save enough to get a mortgage on the house pictured above where he has lived for the past 30 years.

Hector now owns the house. He told me that he does all the decorating himself, 'I like to start early before the sun gets too hot - I take my time and enjoy the work’. He told me that his road has changed quite a bit over the years. He used to have a lot of West-Indian families as neighbours, but Hector, his wife and grown-up daughter, are now one of the last. ‘My friends all sold up years ago when the house prices started going up - but we didn’t want to leave’. Hector's decision to stay was quite a good one because the prices have continued to rise, and his house is currently worth around £1.7m. Hector's not selling up any time soon though, ‘It’s my home and it’s got my soul in it’ he said with a smile before going back to working on his windows.