London is awash with spectacular properties, and The National's London luxury property series showcases the best of them. This month, the featured property is a right royal affair.
Featured property
Warwick Lodge, Pimlico, SW1 - £10 million ($12m)
The key details
Providing 7,000 sq ft of living space and 1,005 sq ft of balconies and terraces, Warwick Lodge is a seven-bedroom house on the corner of London’s Warwick Square with what is believed to be the largest garden in the Pimlico.
The property was the family home of an ancestor of Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, wife of the UK's Prince Charles.
It is for sale via agents Jackson-Stops and Radstock Property.
What's the story?
Warwick Lodge was one of three family homes in Warwick Square owned and inhabited by the Cubitt family, whose patriarch was master builder Thomas Cubitt (1788-1855).
Cubitt founded his building company Cubitt & Co in 1810 and is renowned for building parts of the Grosvenor Estate (Belgravia and Pimlico) and royal residences including Buckingham Palace (east front) and Osborne House. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is a Cubitt through her mother Rosalind, with Thomas Cubitt her great-great-great grandfather.
Together with his nephew Andrew, Cubitt designed the lodge to be the family's preferred home. He used his close relationship with Lord Grosvenor to obtain permission for the large walled garden, where the younger members of the clan played.
The Cubitt family owned the lodge until 1919.
Now Warwick Lodge, it has been fully modernised by design house Chester Jones and offers substantial accommodation over lower ground, ground, first and second floors.
What are the design features?
Warwick Lodge is a grand white-stucco Victorian house with large bay windows opening on to a walled garden measuring 70ft by 60ft, with a patio for alfresco dining and entertaining.
The house has an entrance hall, reception room and family kitchen/breakfast room on the ground floor, all opening on to or offering views over the garden. On the first floor is a large drawing room with access on to a roof terrace, and an anteroom with a step-out balcony. On its own private level on the top floor is the first of two principal bedroom suites, with a bedroom that overlooks the garden and opens on to a balcony, walk-in dressing room and a bathroom with bath and separate shower.
On the lower ground floor, patios enable natural light to cascade into the living spaces. The second principal bedroom suite has a sizeable bedroom, walk-in wardrobe, separate dressing room and a bathroom.
There are four further bedrooms and three bathrooms, a fitness suite with gymnasium, steam room, sauna and bathroom, a TV/media room, a utility room and a self-contained studio with its own kitchen, bathroom and separate access (serving as a staff flat or seventh bedroom).
What the broker says
What makes the property stand out from the crowd?
Warwick Lodge is one of the most important houses to come on to the market in the local area for some years, yet the price is highly competitive and offers substantial value-for-money compared to an equivalent house of this size and garden in Belgravia or Mayfair. Combining period and modern features, this large house offers an abundance of bedrooms, reception and entertaining space.
Are there similar homes in London?
There are other white stucco family houses built in Pimlico and Belgravia by Thomas Cubitt as part of the Grosvenor Estate, however, Warwick Lodge is unique because this was built by Thomas for his own family and the house is very unusual as it is built on a double plot and opens on to an extremely large walled garden.
Of the garden and adjoining central gardens of Warwick Square, the leafy setting is like being in the country rather than in the heart of central London. The walled garden is believed to be the largest residential garden in the Pimlico and Buckingham Palace area — only the gardens at Forbes House and Clarence House are larger.
What kind of buyer would the property most suit?
Warwick Lodge is perfect for a family and for someone wanting a London residence where they can entertain, work from home and enjoy the garden.
In recent years Pimlico and Warwick Square has captured the attention of buyers from the Gulf who had been looking at homes in adjacent Belgravia but been attracted to Pimlico because the homes and garden squares are very similar to Belgravia but better value for money.
Why is now a good time to buy in London?
With its green parks and garden squares, London remains a city which attracts buyers from around the world. As international flights have started to resume, the housing market has rebounded and prices and sales have begun to rise.
Now is the time to get on to the London housing ladder before the market becomes truly buoyant again as flights and overseas buyers return in strong numbers.
George Franks, Director at Radstock Property
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
Race card for Super Saturday
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dh918,125) (Dirt) 1,900m.
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m.
7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m.
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Astroworld
Travis Scott
Grand Hustle/Epic/Cactus Jack
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
PLAY-OFF%20DRAW
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HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
