Property Of The Week

RARE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A HOME IN PRIME CENTRAL LONDON ‘MODEL VILLAGE’

London is famed for its eclectic architectural styles, combining to create fantastic avenues and winding streets, with the central London districts of Mayfair, Belgravia and Chelsea home to some of the most iconic facades. Whilst visitors will often have to travel around the capital to capture these unique buildings, a small slice of Queen’s Gate, South Kensington presents a collection of some of London’s most famous building types.

A rare opportunity to live within one of these historic homes has arrived, with a duplex apartment that boasts a spectacular view directly onto the Royal Albert Hall. Providing over 2,675 square feet of space, the home at 194 Queen’s Gate has three bedrooms and is available at £5.5 million with prime London experts, Russell Simpson.

Best described as an exhibition of prime central London’s finest 19^th century architecture, located on the north-east side of Queen’s Gate, the collection of five homes, designed in the property styles that contribute to the character of Mayfair, Belgravia, Marylebone and Chelsea, sits amongst a row of white stucco-fronted townhouses.

Queen’s Gate, one of South Kensington’s most sought-after addresses, was built on land bought by the Royal Commisioners for the Great Exhibition in 1851, and the homes were developed by Henry Browne Alexander, a keen architect, and building speculator, William Jackson. Built in 1877, it is understood that this buildings on this row were all constructed around the same time, and re-fronted in the 1890s.

192 Queen’s Gate is resonant of a typical Marylebone building, a style which can be demonstrated in various buildings, especially on Marylebone High Street. Red brick interspersed by white strips ameliorates the exterior. North of 194, number 196 represents the epitome of Mayfair residential design, with Queen Anne revival-style architecture forming long, imposing terraces, perhaps best exemplified in the terracotta buildings which make up fashionable Mount Street. Adjacent to the property, number 193 is a white stucco-faced home, reminiscent of the classical-style terraces on the exclusive Eaton Square.

Number 194 itself is designed in late-Victorian style, with the 1890s refacing orchestrated by notable architect, R. A. Briggs. Its exterior combines welcoming red brick with an intricately detailed sandstone façade, creating its own unique impression amongst the ‘little London’ expressed by the adjacent properties.

The building has a varied history, as during WW1 it was used to house additional beds in the Michie hospital as an extension to other homes in use on Queen’s Gate. It became nurses’ accommodation in 1921, and then in 1922 it was redesignated as the headquarters and club for the Royal British Nurses’ Association, before later being developed into residential accommodation.

Accessed by lift, the apartment is split across the fourth and fifth floors of the building. It is incredibly spacious and comprises three bedrooms with cosy fittings and interiors, two with ensuite bathrooms. The master bedroom at the rear of the property offers views of the Royal Albert Hall and a private dressing room. The lower floor has a small well-lit reception room, making a great location to welcome guests, with sufficient space for the purchaser to convert into a fourth bedroom if preferred.

The upper floor of the apartment is laid out in a relaxed, open-plan style, with extensive floor space allowing for a large dining and sitting area. A small but well-equipped kitchen is located to the right of the terrace. Flooding the room with light, large sliding doors lead to the expansive terrace, which is the piece de resistance of the apartment, as it offers unrivalled views of the Royal Albert Hall and the Holy Trinity South Kensington church, a remarkable example of English Gothic architecture. Perfect for parties, intimate gatherings or low-key family meals on the terrace, such unspoilt views of the Royal Albert Hall are exceptionally hard to find in today’s property market.

With extensive cultural history, the home is a stone’s throw from the original site of the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. It also benefits from proximity to Science and Natural History Museums, the Victoria and Albert Museum and world-renowned university, Imperial College London. Kensington is a hubbub of independent eateries, and the Ivy Kensington Brasserie and Michelin-starred Kitchen W8 are within easy distance.

South Kensington’s SW7 5 postcode has steadily grown in value, leading the area with average property prices of over £2m as of March 2017, a rise of £400,000 on the previous year’s average sale price. The prestigious Queen’s Gate School and the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle are both under ten minutes by foot, and South Kensington (District, Circle and Piccadilly Lines) is a 13 minute walk from the property.

 194 Queen’s Gate is on the market at £5,500,000. For further information, contact Russell Simpson on 020 7225 0277 / www.russellsimpson.co.uk