Grosvenor Waterside, an Overview

Built around London’s shortest canal, Grosvenor Waterside has brought vibrancy and some of London’s most desirable apartments to an area that had become a depressed waterway that once served the Victorian industry.

Comprising of currently eight buildings, the Grosvenor Waterside development created a whole new neighbourhood offering luxurious living accommodation is arguably one of the best postcodes in London. Nestled in Chelsea, Westminster & Pimlico borders the River Thames providing the ‘fourth wall’, Grosvenor Waterside is a tranquil residential site with enviable proximity to some of the best restaurants, theatres & shopping districts in London.

A History of Grosvenor Waterside

The Grosvenor Canal was built by the Chelsea Waterworks Company in 1823, (though a tidal creek had already existed for some years) and the Western Pumping Station tower still remains in situ. Fans of London’s waterways tend to write with a bias towards industrial development forcing the waterworks out, and yes, the Grosvenor Canal’s life was certainly affected by the rise of the railways, not least the advent of the first railway bridge across the Thames in 1860 suddenly providing over-ground access to areas of London that had previously relied on the Waterways.

What critics fail to report however is that the Chelsea Waterworks had already moved site in 1856 due to new legislation on water purity requiring them to move further up the Thames to Surbiton.

The two factors together left an increasingly unattractive site and although it operated as a canal right up until the 1990s, it served the community very little purpose other than allowing rubbish barges to load up there.

For Galliard Homes to come along and develop the site into a desirable, waterside neighbourhood can therefore only have been a good thing bringing with it much needed central London housing, a rejuvenation of the immediate area and a series of attractive and stunning specially commissioned art installations.

Living & Investing In Grosvenor Waterside

From the very outset the developers of the site, St James, enlisted a number of architects to design a range of buildings to create a new neighbourhood that would instantly establish itself within the environment and yet retain individuality.

The result is a mix of buildings that use a variety of colourful materials with a series of layouts that would suit a mix of lifestyles from aspirational first-time buyers, savvy second home investors and modern metropolitan families.

One of the most attractive aspects of Grosvenor Waterside is its commitment to utilising the arts within the environment evidenced by the amazing, large-scale commissioned pieces that help make the development so spectacular.

To call ‘Thames Stone & Negative Fall’ by renowned sculptor Ekkehard Altenberger, a water feature is somewhat of a misnomer. No pebble bubble fountains here! Thames Stone & Negative Fall is a magnificent waterscape in the continual renewal of itself and reminds viewers of the canals functioning history.

Likewise, Clare Woods’ stunning etched exterior panels on Bramagh House and Wood House help bring together two separate buildings and reiterate the softness of the surrounding green trees.

Finally, Richard Wilson’s Shack Stack, provides a light tongue-in-cheek nod to the history of British back gardens, his stack of cast aluminium allotment sheds taking up pride of place in Grosvenor Watersides central square, striking up an interesting intervention of the artist’s vision and contemporary architecture.

For those seeking to purchase art, the Future Space Gallery is situated within the development and hosts work by the nearby Chelsea College of Art students, (one of the most well-respected art colleges in the world) as well as more established artists from all over the globe.

Certainly Grosvenor Waterside will appeal to those with a high degree of visual sophistication and an appreciation of modern architecture’s ability to generate a community spirit over the facelessness of other anonymous glazed monoliths.

Grosvenor Waterside & Beyond

The appeal of Grosvenor Waterside is obvious. Quiet waterside residences, many with views overlooking the canal itself or even the Thames, yet with an SW1 location that boasts the best restaurants of Chelsea, the political heartland of Westminster and the interior designers of Pimlico all being on the doorstep.

Actually on the doorstep of Grosvenor Waterside is interior designer Staffan Tollgard’s London showroom. Staffan is quoted as using; ‘the Swedish expression of the ‘red thread’ to explain the design narrative that underpins every project.’

One could say there is a red thread of design narrative running throughout the Grosvenor Waterside development. Residents and visitors are greeted with Richard Wilson’s Shack Stack in the main square may already be familiar with his work as it is Wilson’s ‘Slipstream’ that dwarfs the interior of Heathrow’s terminal two.

Likewise, Clare Woods’ artwork is increasingly sought after for private residencies and would certainly enhance the meticulous interiors of any of the Grosvenor Waterside apartments.

But actually, it is perhaps the design narrative that you, the owners of Grosvenor Waterside make of such places. Residents of Grosvenor Waterside are likely to be an international crowd taking inspiration for their homes, from their travels and experiences; from eating in the best restaurants and vacating the best destinations to frequenting the trendiest bars or lunching with this season’s hottest designers.

As a result, Grosvenor Waterside is a development that is evolving. It is an almost organic environment that encourages interaction with neighbours, with art and with the environment, an experience that very few modern developments offer its occupiers and one not to be taken for granted.