First Impressions of a House - Merchant Taylors’ School 11+

The first thing I noticed about my grandmother’s new house was the blue front door. Its paint was bright enough to look cheerful even beneath a rainy sky, and a brass knocker shaped like a lion guarded the centre.

Inside, the house felt wonderfully different from our flat. The hallway was narrow, but it smelled of warm bread and furniture polish. An old grandfather clock stood beside the stairs, ticking steadily as if it were counting every visitor. Colourful rugs softened the wooden floor, while photographs of relatives I barely recognised crowded the walls.

I followed Grandma into the sitting room. Sunlight fell across a faded green sofa, and an enormous bookshelf reached almost to the ceiling. Everywhere I looked, there was something interesting: a painted teapot, a model sailing ship or a vase filled with dried lavender. It was not perfectly tidy, yet it felt welcoming.

My favourite discovery was the little window seat overlooking the garden. Raindrops glittered on the leaves outside, and I could imagine reading there for hours.

At first, the house had seemed unfamiliar. By the time Grandma offered me a slice of freshly baked bread, however, I felt as though it had been waiting for me all along.