William Whiteley, a dreamer and a draper, began his retail empire in west London in 1863.
Over the next five decades, despite a suspicious number of fires that caused rebuilds and changes of address, it expanded to become one of the world’s pioneering department stores.
The culmination of his ambition was a purpose-built store in Queensway – a stone’s throw from Hyde Park and Kensington – which opened in 1911 and was claimed to be the largest shop in the world, boasting that the discerning shopper could buy anything from a pin to an elephant.
However, it came too late for him – he was killed in 1907 by a man claiming to be his illegitimate son and the store had been purchased by American retail entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge of the eponymous Oxford Street department store.
After thriving for generations, even being cited as the “common knowledge” location to buy a dress in the 1964 film My Fair Lady, it befell the same fate as many focal point stores in cities across the UK and lost its lustre.
Now, seven years after it closed its doors, it has risen once more, this time as a £1.5bn development of luxury homes and a hotel in a neighbourhood that is awash with regeneration. It features studios to five-bed apartments, townhouses and penthouses.
The facade of the historic building has been saved, along with other notable features such as a dome and grand staircase, while the rest has been rebuilt in the same style to become 139 unique homes – including 14 Six Senses serviced apartments – and a 109-room Six Senses Hotel, the first in the UK.
The homes range from £1.5m for entry-level apartments to £40m for the grandest. About 70 per cent of the homes have been sold, with residents already moved in, leaving about 30 homes still available at the address, which is now known as The Whiteley.
The building has been brought to life by development manager Valouran and joint venture investment partners MARK and CC Land. It has been designed by Foster + Partners and includes 19 commercial units, an Everyman cinema, Third Space gym and restaurants around a central courtyard which will be open to the public.
It has achieved £3,600 per sq ft, a 200 per cent premium over the surrounding Bayswater area, according to estate agent Savills.
After wealthy British families, perhaps enchanted by the nostalgia of the address, the target market is Americans used to Manhattan-style apartment followed by Middle East purchasers who make up about 10 per cent of the inquiries.
While Knightsbridge and Mayfair may be thought of as more likely destinations for the world's wealthy, those who actually look to live in London on a fairly permanent basis tend to head west.
Charles Leigh, sales director at The Whiteley, points out that Queensway is little more than a stone's throw from Hyde Park and one of the most expensive streets in the UK capital, Kensington Palace Gardens.
“Many of our buyers feel a sprawling home in an area like Holland Park no longer suits them best, but want to remain near their friends, and appreciate the luxury amenities available here,” he told The National, listing a 20-metre swimming pool, padel court, library and spa plus grocery stocking, wine sommelier expertise and storage as well as pet care and dog walking.
The shopping street of Queensway itself is an unloved road that has become home to low rent souvenir stores and cafes, but is undergoing a £3bn revival, demolishing a series of buildings, widening pavements and upgrading tube stations.
Duplex
Repurposing, rebuilding or simply replacing often landmark buildings used for decades as retail spaces and turning them into modern accommodation is a challenge being taken up in many cities as department stores have fallen out of favour with shoppers.
One of the major hurdles is light – you can be a long way from a window in a building intended to display thousands of items.
One solution is mezzanine bedrooms. While they may be rare in the UK, they are commonplace in cities such as New York.
A three-bedroom apartment at The Whiteley, priced at £13.5m, which The National visited, features a mezzanine with bedroom, living room and bathroom with its own entrance, perched above the rest of the living quarters which feature dramatically high ceilings.
For The Whiteley, restoring the building's facade was vital while it recreated the rest of the building.
Alex Michelin, founder and chief executive of Valouran said they had taken a “meticulous approach” to restoration and reinvention to balance the building’s storied past with modern luxury living.
“Preserving the wonderful 100-year-old facade was paramount, ensuring the building’s heritage remained a defining feature of The Whiteley. Internally, we reimagined spaces to meet the expectations of today’s ultra-high-net-worth buyers – creating 139 unique apartments, all of which are aesthetically connected by voluminous spaces, exquisite detailing, and natural light.
“The Whiteley offers valuable lessons in high-end urban regeneration by highlighting the importance of not just restoring a historic building but also transforming a wider neighbourhood.
Pleasure dome
Another apartment still available is a £24m four-bed situated inside the building's historic clock tower, with terrace inside its glass dome. Its interior has been designed by Italian brand Maxalto.
A bespoke clock face was added to the tower, creating a room with a six-metre ceiling, a striking floor-to-ceiling bookcase and leading on to a terrace with views across London.
Mr Michelin describes the apartment as a space that “exemplifies quiet luxury, architectural integrity and enduring Italian design”.
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
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A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
%3Cp%3E1.%20Chad%3Cbr%3E2.%20Iraq%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pakistan%3Cbr%3E4.%20Bahrain%3Cbr%3E5.%20Bangladesh%3Cbr%3E6.%20Burkina%20Faso%3Cbr%3E7.%20Kuwait%3Cbr%3E8.%20India%3Cbr%3E9.%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E10.%20Tajikistan%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%202022%20World%20Air%20Quality%20Report%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
UAE%20SQUAD
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