A palatial six-bedroom apartment in the building where Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens and Napoleon III once stayed
A six-bedroom family home in the Star & Garter in Richmond – one of the most beautiful and famous buildings in Greater London – has come to the market to mark the final stage of this fine landmark's transition from hospital to residence.
The East Wing, the final chapter of the complex four-year restoration and conversion of The Star and Garter, Richmond Hill, by London Square has hit the market, two years after 86 new apartments in the main part of the building sold like hot cakes.
This Grade II-listed building – named for Edward III, who founded the Order of the Garter – was built in 1809 on the site of an 18th-century coaching inn on land belonging to a member of the Order. It was initially the opulent Star and Garter hotel, described by a contemporary as ‘more like a mansion of a nobleman than a receptacle for the public’, and attracted an astonishing array of guests including Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens and Napoleon III.
By the outbreak of the First World War it had fallen into disrepair – and it was after the conflict ended that it found a new lease of life as a wonderful home for injured soldiers, sitting atop Richmond Hill above the Thames curving round Petersham. It’s the only listed view in Britain.
With the veterans now moved on to a modern, high-tech facility in nearby Surbiton, the building’s conversion into apartments has been a great success, with 85% of them sold. The East Wing is the last of the 86 apartments to come to the the market.
The East Wing’s music room with grand piano
The East Wing is an impressive family home with six bedrooms, and 6,500sq ft of space split over two levels.
There is a reception area with 20ft-high ceilings, and a roof terrace overlooking the Thames with a panorama celebrated by J. M. W. Turner.
The colonnaded terrace
The apartment takes up the entire wing, with its colonnade of Doric pillars in Portland stone, and the buyer will be able to enjoy The Star and Garter’s concierge services, Mercedes town cars and spa, with all the seclusion that a private entrance brings.
The East Wing drawing room
The East Wing at the Star & Garter is for sale via London Square and Knight Frank.
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