Beauchamp Estates has announced the unveiling of The Buckingham at 7-9 Buckingham Gate, presented by owners Tai United. 

Behind a Grade II listed Nash-style façade, The Buckingham is a new ultra-prime residential scheme of six lateral two and three bedroom apartments, including duplexes, looking directly onto Buckingham Palace, forming London’s most distinguished address. 

The magnificent Italianate white-stucco property at 7-9 Buckingham Gate was originally built between 1859-1861 as three grand mansions; designed by architect Sir James Pennethorne (a protégé of John Nash); who also designed the south wing of Buckingham Palace with its famous ballroom. The builders were George Trollope & Sons, who had also worked on Buckingham Palace. 

In 1837 Queen Victoria ascended the throne and instead of using St James’s Palace had chosen to make the former Duke of Buckingham’s London residence (purchased by the Royal family in 1761) her official and principal Royal residence: Buckingham Palace. 

Following Queen Victoria’s move to Buckingham Palace, the road and 12 acres of land on the south front of the palace – then known as Stafford Row – became one of the most sought after addresses in the capital. The original houses on the Row were demolished in 1851, replaced by a terrace of palatial Nash-like mansions and renamed in 1861 as Buckingham Gate.  

With the Sovereign as their immediate neighbour, it is perhaps no surprise that the residents of Buckingham Gate were some of the wealthiest people in London at that time. No 7 Buckingham Gate became the London home of Edwin Wyndham-Quin, the 3rd Earl of Dunraven & Mount-Earl (1812-1871). Edwin’s mother Caroline was an heiress whose father Thomas Wyndham was one of Britain’s richest landowners. 

After the Earl died No 7 was sold to Lady Margaret Ethel Gordon, daughter of the Marquis of Huntly, and her husband George Ormsby-Gore (1855-1938), the third Baron Harlech, whose country estate was the magnificent Brogyntyn Hall in Shropshire.  

No 8 Buckingham Gate was the London home of Sir Robert Gore-Booth (1805-1876), 4th Baronet, an Anglo-Irish landowner. His son, Sir Henry, and grandchildren, inherited No 8. One granddaughter, Constance Markievicz, was a founder of Fianna Fail and was born at Buckingham Gate; whilst another granddaughter Eva Gore-Booth was a leader of the Suffragette movement. More/

No 9 Buckingham Gate was owned by Sir William Payne-Gallwey (1759-1831), who was a Lieutenant-General and Governor of India, the property inherited by his son, Sir William, 2nd Baronet, MP for Thirsk. In 1915 the family sold No 9 to Herbert John Gladstone, Viscount Gladstone (1854-1930), son of the famous Prime Minister William Gladstone. Viscount Gladstone was Governor-General of South Africa.  

In 1920 No 8 became the first premises of the London Housing Commission and later served as multi-let offices. In 1930, No 9 became the HQ of the Royal College of Defence Studies, which instructs senior officers of the Armed Forces in international security matters at the highest level. 

In 1925 No 7 was sold to French fashion millionairess Marie Callot Gerber, a rival of Coco Chanel and the head of House of Callot Soeurs, the fashion house established in 1895. By the 1920s, House of Callot Soeurs was one of the world’s leading luxury fashion houses providing dresses, capes and ball gowns to clients around the world. The fashion house employed 600 people, had annual sales of four million Francs, and boutiques in Paris, Nice, Biarritz and Buenos Aires. 

Under first Marie, and from 1928 her son Pierre Callot Gerber, No7 Buckingham Gate served as a glamorous London base for the family and the fashion brand. The lower floors acted as a venue for entertaining clients, fashion shows and new season photo-shoots. The upper floors provided workshops for the seamstresses and a pied-a-terre apartment for the Gerber family. 

During the 1930s the fashionability of House of Callot Soeurs declined, the expensive ball gowns no longer appealing to modern career women. Sales slowed and in 1935 the Gerber family ceased using No 7 for fashion shows although it remained their London property. In 1937 they had to merge the fashion label with House of Calvet led by Marie-Louise Calvet. During WWII the House of Calvet/Callot was badly hit by the French occupation, resulting in the Gerber family selling No 7 Buckingham Gate in 1945 with the fashion label closing in 1952. 

After 1945 all three mansions served as office or government premises, finally becoming available in 2008 for refurbishment and restoration. Now, after a meticulous three year restoration project, 7-9 Buckingham Gate, has been brought back to life and transformed into The Buckingham, one of London’s most distinguished new residential addresses.

Behind the five storey Grade II listed Italianate façade there are now a collection of impressive grand two and three bedroom apartments ranging from 1,718 sq ft to 5,189 sq ft in size, each designed for contemporary London living, complimented by a range of amenities including secure underground parking and 24-hour concierge and security.

Situated directly opposite Buckingham Palace, The Buckingham’s new apartments sit at the very heart of London’s most famous and distinguished addresses. Each residence has a spacious entrance hall opening onto a magnificent double reception room, with generous ceiling heights and windows allowing the light to cascade into the living spaces.  

The larger apartments have a second sitting room, separate dining room and/or library. The family kitchen / breakfast rooms/areas have bespoke custom-designed kitchens with a central island and highly specified integrated appliances. The luxurious bedroom suites have walk-in dressing rooms and marble ensuite bathrooms. 

Each residence has its own distinctive character, with unique layout and interiors, each with a bespoke interior design. The project has retained all the historic prestidge of these important heritage-protected  buildings, with original details either restored or meticulously replicated. 

The original Regency-style rooms have been meticulously restored, with features including cornice, ceiling roses and wall mouldings. The grand fireplaces in the most significant living spaces have either been restored or replaced, with the utmost attention to detail and authenticity. 

With lift and staircase access, the apartments have the latest home entertainment and security systems, complete with comfort cooling and underfloor heating. CCTV security covers the entire perimeter, with feed to the concierge and security room. 

Gary Hersham, Head of Beauchamp Estates says: “The Buckingham is one of the most prestigious ultra-prime apartment schemes to be unveiled in London, with the residences looking directly onto Buckingham Palace. The magnificent Nash-like Italianate building was originally designed by one of the architects involved in the creation of Buckingham Palace and now as modern homes each of the apartments provides exceptional lateral living, with generously proportioned rooms.” 

Marcus O ‘ Brien, Senior Negotiator at Beauchamp Estates Private Office says: “The apartments at The Buckingham are located on the south-east side of St James’s, a Royal retreat, which has the benefit of two Royal parks – St James’s and Green Park – and borders Mayfair and Belgravia. The grand white stucco mansions and buildings that border Buckingham Palace are some of the grandest in the capital. They offer discerning buyers the opportunity of acquiring homes with outstanding lateral space, generous ceiling heights and large rooms, which are not always readily available elsewhere.” 

Buckingham Palace Quarter, a new research report by Beauchamp Estates, with independent data analysis by Dataloft, the leading market intelligence group, highlights that the Quarter, bordered by Buckingham Gate to the north and north west, Palace Street to the south west and Wilfred street to the south east, has outperformed many other areas of prime central London over recent years in terms of residential value growth and performance. 

In the last two years, average £ per sqft values in the Quarter have risen by 26.3 per cent, compared to 9.1 per cent for Mayfair, 3.6 per cent for Knightsbridge and 0.8 per cent for South Kensington. 

To the South of the Buckingham Palace Quarter Crossrail 2 will improve connectivity and Victoria is being transformed into a brand new destination with a new flagship shops, a Curzon cinema and theatres complete with two Covent Garden style pedestrian boulevards lined with cafes and restaurants.