One Blackfriars, an Overview

Nicknamed ‘the boomerang’ Architect, Ian Simpsons’, curvaceous glass tower has indeed seen this development boomerang in and out of favour with ‘nimby’ locals, voter pleasing councillors and jealous developers alike!

However, thankfully far-sighted city-planners saw the potential for this 50-storey tower to becoming the gateway to Blackfriars, a new icon for the Southbank and an elegant, sexy signpost to London’s financial hub.

Having originally intended to be part hotel – part residential, One Blackfriars is now wholly residential making it one of the tallest residential buildings in Europe to date. With over 270 apartments encapsulated in this exquisite glass structure, individually designed floor-plates were required for every apartment due to the towers curvilinear build and every individual piece of glass that makes up the external skin is a unique size and shape.

With a range of studio apartments through to 4 bedroom penthouses and a superb pentuplex apartment that is truly unique, international purchasers of One Blackfriars will look beyond the tittle-tattle of jealous Londoners and recognise the opportunity to own a piece of London that is global in its outlook and design.

A History of One Blackfriars

Sitting on the site of an old supermarket headquarters, One Blackfriars replaces the pedestrian with the palatial, the mediocre with magnificent and in doing so, One Blackfriars adds a stunning new pinnacle to London’s burgeoning skyline.

It is important to note that Blackfriars as an area of London is actually on the North bank of the Thames and hence One Blackfriars being the gateway to this over Blackfriars bridge.

The name comes from the Dominican Friars who travelled to England in medieval times and moved their Priory from Holborn to the north bank into what is now the southwest part of the square-mile or City of London. 

It is fair to say that for Friars, who take on the vows of chastity, obedience and notably poverty, the ‘Black Friars’ were very wealthy but King Henry VIII’s dissolution of Monasteries saw the land repossessed and redistributed to pay for many of his military campaigns.

Today Blackfriars has seen the redevelopment of its train station which actually spans both banks of the Thames hence the oft confusion of where Blackfriars begins and ends as a distinct area.  For the residents of One Blackfriars, this split provides a wonderful dichotomy. On the North bank of Blackfriars proper, are the financial and legal powerhouses of the city. While the South bank offers a vibrant and eclectic range of cultural pursuits.

Living & Investing In One Blackfriars

As Morrissey once sang; ‘we hate when our friends become successful’ and the drama played out around the development of One Blackfriars certainly suggests he was right.

When St Georges launched their promotional video, British media went into overdrive to belittle the ad to the extent that the developers withdrew it. Yet like any high fashion or perfume advert, the One Blackfriars video simply used sexy, ambiguous images and aspirational lifestyle shots to portray a day in the life of an elegant, affluent sophisticated couple.

This was too much for a green-eyed British audience, who felt it was step too far. However as any good PR officers knows, there is no such thing as bad publicity and the furore and subsequent column inches only added to One Blackfriars desirability.

After all, we all want what others cannot have, right?

And so, One Blackfriars set out its stall as one of the most luxurious, elitist apartments blocks in London and unashamedly so. Not for the masses, the One Blackfriars website has minimal information suggesting that anyone serious about purchasing in this development will make the time and effort to find out more…

Designed by architect Ian Simpson of, Simpson, Haugh & Partners, One Blackfriars has already been nominated for a plethora of awards for its looks, infrastructure and sustainability.

What were originally going to be brash-coloured louvres that travelled up from the base of the building, are now coloured an ethereal yellow that melds into a metallic sliver and sublimely take the eye upwards over the curves of the building.

The sexy, curvature of the building is not it’s only unique feature, One Blackfriars also has a double skin, allowing every apartment to benefit from a winter garden and the space between the layers provide a natural cooling system. But with unique features comes unique problems and the buildings stunning design meant that every one of the 9,000 pieces of glazing had to be individually cut and shaped. Likewise every floor-plate is different as each storey differs slightly in size and shape.

The development is codified by a series of artist-inspired collections and interiors have been designed by award winning interiors designer Tara Barnard & Partners.

The Gainsborough Collection, which makes up the Studio, Manhattan and one-bedroom apartments, is typified by Gainsborough’s classical style with elegant finishes and handsome detailing.

English stalwart J.M.W. Turner, inspires the one and two bedroom apartments at higher storey’s of the scheme while renowned British Sculptor Barbara Hepworth was the inspiration to Tara Bernard’s interior designs for the larger apartments using warm wooden finishes, meticulously sourced materials and metallic finishes.

Finally, there is the Royal Collection, three out-of-this-world private suites occupying floors 43- 45. With 360-degree views and each taking up an entire floor, the Royal Collection is designed for those who are used to having a standard of luxury fit for a King.

One Blackfriars & Beyond

Situated on the South Bank at the entrance to Blackfriars Bridge, One Blackfriars offers exceptionally easy and quick journey times to all key parts of London. Walking distance to the City of London and only 20mins tube ride to Canary Wharf, One Blackfriars will clearly attract bankers and financiers for whom long days and hard work are rewarded with luxury living in the heart of a global city.

Overlooking the River Thames, One Blackfriars is surrounded on the remaining three sides with some of the world’s most popular cultural attractions; the Oxo Tower, Tate Modern, Borough Market, Shakespeare’s Globe all just a short walk away.

To the west but still just a short taxi ride away are London’s key shopping districts. Although the East End of London may have seen a plethora of young designers and hip-galleries pop-up. Mayfair, Bond Street and Knightsbridge still attract international designers and serious art collectors. Chloe, Victoria Beckham and Matthew Williamson all have flagship stores in Mayfair and the streets around Bond Street and St James are home to world famous Art dealers and Auction Houses.

London is very much renowned for its dreary suburbs as being the birthplaces of cool as teenagers rebel against suburban mediocrity, but make no mistake I is still Central London that keeps the buzz alive and gives those teenagers something to aspire to!

After all, exhibiting ones artwork in a gallery-cum-café-cum-boutique in Peckham may well result in a write up in the Evening Standard, but it is in the refined galleries on Cork Street where art is actually bought and sold.

But any resident of Blackfriars is more likely to have an international outlook than what’s happening in London’s suburbs. So, for those residents for whom international travel is weekly occurrence, One Blackfriars is exceptionally well-placed with City Airport being approximately a 30 minute commute and offer a 90 second car-to-plane for private jet users. Heathrow and Gatwick international airports are also easily accessed and within less than an hour’s travel time. Likewise, Eurostar is just a short cab ride away.

Ultimately residents of One Blackfriars are likely to have a number of homes across many continents and for them time is their most precious commodity. The location, luxury and long-term investment of One Blackfriars makes the obvious choice for the London home.