I have let ivy grow wild over my £4m home for 25 years but I'm finally chopping it down... selfie hunters love it but there are downsides I won't miss

A woman who allowed ivy to completely take over her £4m townhouse for 25 years has finally decided to chop it down.

Clare Kitchen, 58, said her mother planted the reddish creeper in the garden of her home in upmarket Parliament Hill near Hampstead Heath, west London in 1999.

It has run riot since, covering windows and becoming a a social media sensation, stopping passersby in their tracks with its striking appearance.

From the outside the building is a sight to behold with thousands of reddish leaves climbing up the walls and concealing the bricks beneath.

Despite its popularity with fans, Clare has now decided it's finally time for a change and intend to strip the vine away so they can paint the walls.

She told MyLondon : 'It's the only one like it in the road and that's because my mum planted it all those years ago.

'But this year it seems like its a bumper crop, it's got really wild and we haven't done much work on it so it's got a bit overgrown. It goes red in the autumn, that's the time to really catch it for a photo'.

Clare added: 'Birds love it and the spiders, yes they do,' but the spiders do 'sometimes unfortunately get in.'

Parliament Hill is packed full of mansions with homes fetching up to £6million.

Asked whether she thought the vines could cause damage to her home's value, Clare replied: 'It probably does, yes, because it can get into small crevices. But it stops the rain coming in so I haven't got any leaks. It's like an insulator in the house.'

But, she added, there were many benefits including: "It keeps the house very cool in summer,

The decision to hack back the ivy has sparked mixed responses from neighbours.

Some had become fond of the 'mysterious' and iconic house but others thought it was an 'awful nuisance'.

Maria Seagrave, 52, who is a gardener living next door, thinks it's going to be a hard task to kill the vine and reckons it will cost the owners at least £400.

But she understands the decision and added that the plant - a Virginia Creeper - is 'not good for the brickwork' and could, in time, decrease the value of the property.

She told MailOnline: 'It starts getting in, like lots of these creepers, like Ivy, they start sort of hanging on to it and then sometimes they can get in between the bricks It pushes the bricks out.

'It starts growing in the spring and then it just takes over you if you don't, keep on top of it.'

She added that since the house went viral on Reddit an influx of people visiting her road has captured her attention.

'I've noticed loads of people taking photos because it is a feature I suppose lots of people walk by and stop because it does look, you know, stunning.' she added.

Although most of the online discussion about the house has been positive there are some who aren't fans of the house and think it looks unkempt.

Mrs Seagrave said: 'I like it but I'm sure some people think 'oh my god you know why did you let it go to that state' but it's actually just what the plants do. It's a natural thing.'

Fellow neighbour Virginia Dimitrio has lived in Hampstead for eight years and thinks the property adds character and an air of mystery to the lively street.

'Every time I look at that house I'm thinking, who lives in there? Why are they such a recluse? It's like Dickens it reminds me of Great expectations,' she said.

Carmel Dennehy – who has lived in the area for seven years - says her young daughter is fascinated by the property.

'It's curious because lights occasionally go off and on, so I wonder whether people live there or not.

'My daughter's quite intrigued. She's only eight years old and she always asks, why is it like that? And would that damage a house?'

But, although it's provided the mother and daughter with an interesting conversation topic, Mrs Dennehy doesn't object to the house losing its creeper.

'I don't want to judge what someone does with a house.

'It's a big curiosity when you pass it, probably the most curious house as to who lives there and have they decided to let it be like that?

'I worry about the damage to the building because ivy getting in affects the rendering. So just on practical levels I wonder about it. It's probably a good idea to try and get it off,' she said.

Pensioner, Ann Jones, reckons it will be a 'shame to take the whole thing down' and thinks it 'would be nicer if it was kept'.

Adam Karagianis - a dog walker who passes the house several times a day agrees. 'I think it's a shame they're going to cut it down. I think it looks really lovely.

'It's really quite nice. Especially now it's autumnal and all very red. It'd be a shame to see it go.

'I like it but I think some people worry about it kind of getting into the brickwork', he said.

Ken Hoyt, 60, will also be sad to see the last of the plant but understands it must be 'difficult to maintain' and can do 'significant damage'.

'I think it's beautiful. I love ivy that covers things. I love anything like that. It's so mysterious the way it's climbing and creeping,' he said.

'But it's so difficult to maintain. So I wonder how they do it.

'It would be sad to cut it down because I think it's lovely and I love the way it turns with the seasons.

'It would be a bit different walking past it when it is all gone but it'll be interesting too, to see the house naked. I don't think I ever have.'

Harold, 80, supports the creeper's removal and says it must be an 'awful nuisance' for the residents.

'It must be hard for people who want to open the windows and the ivy probably gets inside he said.

'There are some other windows there that are completely covered there. That must be an awful nuisance. It's a bit excessive'.

Lina Kouzmetsova, 45, has lived on the idyllic street for ten years and explained she thinks the house is amusing because its so 'leafy' it's as if it stole all the leaves from one of the bare trees nearby.

'It's quite sad that it's going but maybe it's for the best because I'm not sure if the roots are actually growing into the house and making structural damage.

'I think it's fun and has character, but it must be very dark inside because you don't really get lots of sunlight coming through the windows,' she added.

Ms Kitchen and he mother came to a joint decision to kill the vine so they can paint the house cream or white and do some work on the outside.

They plan to do this next year so the house will go out with a bang after blooming one final time.

When asked if they might regrow the vines, Clare told My London: 'Possibly not, I think we've probably had enough of vine for some time'.