The Knightsbridge Estate is Building a Community in the Heart of London
By
10 months ago
The Knightsbridge Estate is a Great British Brand 2023
The Knightsbridge Estate is an entry in our Great British Brands 2023 book.
The Knightsbridge Estate: A Great British Brand 2023
The ambitious redevelopment of the northern end of The Knightsbridge Estate is reaching its conclusion. It’s nothing less than a complete reinvigoration of a historic part of London for the 21st century. At The Olayan Group, as owners of the Estate, we can see that business in the area is improving, as we begin to recover from the pandemic.
Knightsbridge in general relies on tourism and, with tourists coming back, footfall numbers are now up above pre-Covid levels, so it is definitely moving in the right direction. As the landlord, we at the Estate are working hard to maintain good relationships with our tenants.
The highlight of 2022 was the opening in July of Apple’s new flagship store. It occupies a prestigious five-bay, double-height site on Brompton Road between Burberry and the new entrance to Knightsbridge Underground Station. Apple says that this is the most sustainable store it has yet created. The terrazzo flooring, for example, is made entirely from responsibly sourced materials.
Apple is also keen to present the new store as a resource to the local community, by staging events, talks, and seminars. This is something close to our heart as Knightsbridge is a magnet for tourists but also a thriving community with a large local population.
This year will see the Estate’s 33 residential rental properties come to market, ranging from one- to four-bedroom apartments, fully fitted out by interior designers Taylor Howes. We’re offering the apartments for rental as we are very keen that it should be a ‘lights-on’ living community rather than a moribund investment property. At the same time, the restaurant is under offer and the office space is filling up. The future for the historic Knightsbridge Estate looks bright.’
Jonathan Shelton, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate – Europe, Olayan Group
Brand Timeline
1800s
The buildings that make up the Estate date back to the late 19th century.
2010
The Estate is purchased by the current owners, The Olayan Group.
2016
Planning permission granted to redevelop one third of the Estate.
2021
Burberry opens its flagship store at 1 Sloane Street.
2022
Apple opens its flagship store on Brompton Road.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Hooper’s Court, home to a new 67,000 sq/ft office building, is named after John Hooper, a prominent local 18th century market gardener.
- The honeysuckle design on the enamel tiles at One Hooper’s Court, as well as on the tiles in the pedestrian walkway, is also inspired by John Hooper.
- The northern end of the Knightsbridge Estate looks totally unchanged from street level, but behind the period façades is an entirely new building.
- The entire development is serviced by an elaborate, subterranean service yard three levels below ground.
- Knightsbridge Underground’s original entrance on Basil Street, is now the portal to a rooftop restaurant. The entrance was relocated with the invention of the escalator.
THE KNIGHTSBRIDGE ESTATE
Brompton Road, London SW3 1DE
+44 (0)20 7290 2388
