The 8th Earl of Cadogan comes a close second to the Duke of Westminster in the London property stakes. Cadogan Estates Ltd is particularly associated with the area around Cadogan Square, Sloane Street and the King’s Road in Chelsea, where the company owns the freehold on a mix of residential, retail and commercial property. It also owns property in London’s exclusive Knightsbridge.
The company’s origins date back to Sir Hans Sloane, the eighteenth century scientist, who purchased what was then known as the manor of Chelsea in 1712. On his death, the Chelsea estate was split between his two daughters, one of whom was married to a member of the Cadogan family. On the death of Sloane’s other daughter, her share of the estate was left to her son Hans Stanley who in turn bequeathed it to his sisters when he died. On their death, their half of the estate reverted to the Cadogans in 1821.
The Cadogan estate includes some of London’s most sought after retail locations and residential property in some of the capital’s most exclusive squares. In 2000 the company acquired the Duke of York’s Headquarters, a former barracks adjoining Sloane Square, which has been converted to retail, office and residential use, as well as providing a home for the Saatchi Gallery. The Chelsea estate comprises several hundred flats and houses and the company continues to develop its residential portfolio. New homes are being built at Cadogan Gardens and as part of the second phase of the Duke of York Square development off the King’s Road.
