A listed landmark in the United Kingdom—frequented by Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family—is undergoing a milestone transformation as part of a major luxury development, which officially launched its sale this month, and Newsweek got a first look at a showroom apartment.
Completed in 1825, the Grade II-listed Riding School in the St. John's Wood barracks was the historic home of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, a mounted ceremonial unit of the British Army. The King's Troop carried the late queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on a gun carriage.
Today, the building is entering a new chapter as part of St. Johns Wood Square, a sprawling new residential development centered around the Riding School in the north London neighborhood of St. Johns Wood, close to London's iconic Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, as well as the upscale areas of Marylebone and Fitzrovia.
...
The new development is also located near the prestigious American School in London (ASL), a school for students from kindergarten to high school established by an American journalist from Princeton University in the early 1950s. Its location could potentially attract American residents to the development.
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery was created by King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. The Riding School was regularly visited by Elizabeth, as well as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the Princess Royal, King Charles, and Princess Diana, says Major General Matthew Sykes, who was an officer in The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and its former Honorary Regimental Colonel.
...
Sykes told Newsweek: "Queen Elizabeth II visited The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery on several occasions, both formally and informally. The Troop was, after all, founded by her father, King George VI, and therefore it was, I believe, special to her—that and her love of horses."
Sykes was present for the late queen’s last formal visit in 2011 as The King’s Troop prepared to leave their home of over 60 years the following year.
"I remember it as a poignant occasion because it marked the end of our time in St. John's Wood, but it was also very happy," Sykes told Newsweek. "We were very proud to host her that day, and everyone turned out to see her, the officers and soldiers, our families, as well as the horses, of course. It was a private visit to one of her regiments, and she cheered everyone up enormously."
...
The restoration of the Riding School comes amid . In the United States, half the country’s 125 million buildings are at least 50 years old, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The AIA notes that research has shown reusing existing buildings can avoid 50 to 75 percent of the carbon emissions associated with new construction.
Back in June, Gordon Gill, the architect behind the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which is set to be the world’s tallest building upon completion, told Newsweek that the future of architecture lies in rethinking what we already have.
"It’s the existing building stock you have to keep your eye on…refreshing that stock and keeping them relevant, part of the sustainability legacy," Gill, the co-founder of the Chicago-based firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), told Newsweek.
The Riding School joins a host of other adaptive reuse projects such as the famed Flatiron Building, one of New York City’s most iconic landmarks that is also undergoing a milestone residential transformation.
...
First Look at the St. John’s Wood Square Apartments
Newsweek got a first-look tour of St. John's Wood Square's first showroom apartment. Apartments in the development average over 3,260 square feet, with the largest residence being over 8,000 square feet.
The interiors of the showroom apartment feature calming earth tones of mostly beige and brown, as well as wood and marble furnishings and floor-to-ceiling windows. The lofty space was adorned with luxurious touches, including toiletries from Celine, Loewe, and Dyptique, as well as abstract artwork on the walls, many of which were said to have been borrowed from the personal collection of Sir George Iacobescu, the executive chairman of St. Johns Wood Square.
...
Sir George is known as the mastermind behind the development of London's Canary Wharf financial hub. He has worked on several major urban projects, including the World Financial Center in New York City, known today at Brookfield Place, the headquarters of Merrill Lynch. He also worked on the Olympia Centre in Chicago, designed by the SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), the architectural firm behind New York City’s One World Trade Center (the tallest building in the United States) and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa (the current world’s tallest building).
While his previous work on skyscrapers has entailed building higher, Sir George’s latest development is about spreading wider, he said at the viewing of the showroom apartment.
...
Comprising 120 residences across 5.5 acres of land, including 109 apartments and penthouses, and 11 townhouses built around 2.6 acres of landscaped gardens, St. John’s Wood Square is said to be the area’s first new-build scheme of this scale. The gardens were designed by Andy Sturgeon, the recipient of nine RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Chelsea Flower Show gold medals and three "Best in Show" awards.
...
"In every great city, there are neighborhoods that embody a rare balance of heritage, beauty and promise," Sir George said in a statement. "Here, in the heart of St .John’s Wood, we have set out to create something truly special: residences that respect and complement their surroundings, while delivering an unrivalled level of craftsmanship, comfort and quality."
...
Preserving the Legacy of 200 Years of British Military History
The Riding School is being transformed into the Riding Club, a private members' club for the residents of St. Johns Wood Square, featuring 40,000 square feet of amenities, including an underground 20-meter (65.5 feet) swimming pool and spa, as well as other sports facilities, plus a cinema room and a private dining room.
...
But for years, the Riding School was used for training military horses.
Sykes told Newsweek: "The Riding School was the focal point of the barracks then, as it is now for the new development."
The major general explained: "The King's Troop has some 200 horses, and they all need training to perform at their very best on the world's stage. The Riding School was where much of this happened, whether schooling individual horses or introducing them to harness. We also had fun in there, taking part in showjumping competitions, mounted skill-at-arms, or even mounted tug of war."
...
The new roads formed as part of the development, including King George VI Avenue, King’s Terrace, Riding School Place, and the Troop Lines pathway, were all named as a tribute to the site’s royal heritage.
The school’s restoration work is being undertaken by WalterLilly—a British heritage specialist whose other historic projects have included the royal residence Windsor Castle in Berkshire, as well as the Palace of Westminster and the Natural History Museum in London—and the WilkinsonEyre architectural firm.
Thousands of original bricks from the Riding School have been carefully restored, while an additional 97,000 bricks were handmade to match the building’s historic façade. Its timber roof trusses and clock tower have also been repaired.
...
Stafford Critchlow, architect and board director at WilkinsonEyre, who led the project with associate director Ivy Chan, said in a statement: "It’s a beautiful building, but it was built as an agricultural building, without a ground-floor slab. What it did have were these wonderful tall doors suitable for a horse and seated rider to enter, a roof with a magnificent structure of 18-metre timber beams over a vast open space, and a viewing gallery."
...
Critchlow noted: "The dramatic soaring volume and beautiful beams have always had instant impact as you enter, but when we first arrived on site, you had to look hard to see just how special it was."
The first phase of St. John’s Wood Square is expected to be completed in the spring of 2028. Prices start from £5.25 million (over $6.94 million) for a two-bedroom lateral residence.
Do you have an architecture or design-related story to share? Let us know via s.kim@newsweek.com, and your story could be featured by Newsweek.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sirena Bergman and Tony Phillips.