Cadogan Estates
Cadogan Estates Ltd is a property company owned by the Earls Cadogan, one of the richest families in the United Kingdom, which also holds the title Viscount Chelsea, used as a courtesy title by the Earl's eldest son.[1] It is the main landlord in the west London districts of Chelsea and Knightsbridge, and is now the second largest of the surviving aristocratic freehold estates in central London, after the Duke of Westminster's Grosvenor Estate, to which it is adjacent, covering Mayfair and Belgravia.
Origin
The company owes its origins to Sir Hans Sloane, who purchased the manor of Chelsea in 1712, and the 10-acre (40,000 m2) site of Beaufort House at Cheyne Walk in 1737. Sir Hans left his Chelsea estate to his two daughters, one of whom was married to a member of the Cadogan family. The two moieties of the estate were reunited in the hands of the Cadogan family in 1821.
Extent & description
Many streets and squares on the estate are named after the two families, including Sloane Square, Sloane Street, Hans Place, Cadogan Place and Cadogan Square. The estate includes one of London's most upmarket retailing districts, based on Sloane Street, and also contains some very expensive residential property in some of central London's most sought after residential locations.
Recent developments
In 2000, the company purchased the Duke of York's Headquarters, a former British Army barracks near Sloane Square, which it converted to retail, office, and residential use, and which became the new home of the Saatchi Gallery from November 2007. Also acquired in 2000 (as mentioned in the Independent from 8 January 2002) was the Cadogan Hall. In March 2011, The Cadogan Estate has bought the Cadogan Hotel at London’s Sloane Street for £15.4 million. Hugh Seaborn, Chief Executive of the Cadogan Estate, said “We are delighted to have acquired the share capital of the hotel which has been a long held ambition. Our intention is that the hotel will continue to operate as it is for the time being and in due course it will be upgraded so as to better reflect the elegance of Sloane Street.” He continued, “Earl Cadogan is delighted that the hotel bearing his family name has been returned to the family estate.”
Current status
As of 31 December 2005, the company held property investments valued at £2,232 million.
See also
Other large privately owned historic estates in London include:
- Bedford Estate
- Portman Estate
- Grosvenor Group
- Smith's Charity Estate (South Kensington, SW7)
- Pettiward Estate (West Brompton, SW10 & Putney)
External links
References
- ↑ Debrett's Peerage, 1968, pp.203-4