St Johns Building, an Overview

St John’s building forms part of a series of luxury residential apartments surrounding the peaceful St John’s Square. The building and its neighbour, Westminster Green were formerly part of the Westminster hospital, the Queen Mary’s nurses home and a medical training school all built in the mid-1930 with the foundation stone being laid by the then Prince of Wales (briefly King Edward VIII).

Overlooking the tranquil St John’s gardens this popular and very green corner of Westminster offers a welcome respite from the anonymous, grey political buildings in this bustling heartland of England’s seat of power.

However, in turn, its proximity to so much of what London has to offer makes St John’s Building a hugely desirable address with the political, financial and commercial districts all being no more than a short walk, jaunty bike ride or easy commute. Unsurprisingly, apartments in the development are rarely available and are immediately snapped up when they do come up for sale.

A History of St Johns Building

Looking out across the lush greenery of St John’s Gardens and taking in the almost literal, affluent air, that pervades Westminster’s political district, it may be hard to imagine that this was once a desperately poor borough. With no infrastructure, merely outposts of land surrounded by marshlands, Westminster of old was in constant threat of flooding from the River Thames.

Thankfully that was nearly three hundred years ago!

In the early 1700s, St John’s Gardens was the cemetery for the nearby St John’s Church and was consecrated in 1731. However, its low fees attracted so many burials that space was soon at a premium and the fees were raised. Despite this, the burial ground remained popular and in 1853 had to refuse further internments as the ground was overcrowded.

It was then left to deteriorate until the 1880’s when local residents were granted the right to turn the grounds into the attractive gardens we see today.

Although its slightly macabre past is remembered on a plaque in the gardens, this green space now offers a pleasant, tree-filled public area for office workers to lunch and relax in on lazy summer days.

The area itself offers some of Westminster’s most popular, private residential buildings. Attracting MP’s and ambassadorial staff for whom the convenience of being a short stroll away from work, mixed with the accessibility of London’s West End ensures that the premium for space that was once taken by those who had passed away is now very much taken up by those living life to the full!

Living & Investing In St Johns Building

Westminster has always held its own against the super-prime London areas such as Mayfair and Chelsea. But in recent years what has previously been an area-weighted more towards commercial buildings Westminster has increasingly found itself becoming an ‘insiders-property-safe buy’. New residential projects have replaced drab government buildings and more and more restaurants are opening their doors beyond Monday to Friday to serve the growing needs of Westminster residents.

Of course, those who bought in St John’s building when it was first redeveloped around 2008 will already understand just what a great investment and desirable address St John’s Building is. That is not to say however that current investors have missed the boat. Continued redevelopment of the area and apartments in the building coming up for resale with prices reflecting their need for refurbishment, St John’s building still makes a savvy portfolio purchase as well as an attractive home.

Made up of one, two and three-bedroom apartments the development has all the facilities that one would expect from such a residency. This includes a knowledgeable and helpful concierge service, a fully equipped gym with a spa and sauna and the use of an exclusive business suite.

Residents are of an intelligent, metropolitan demographic, most likely owning property across the UK if not the world. Popular with senior civil servants and MP’s, St John’s Building provides a city-dwelling alongside their constituency residence.

St Johns Building & Beyond

St John’s Building will be appreciated by those who seek a home in Westminster and are enamoured of its 1930s styling. Residents of St John’s Building are likely to have reached the pinnacle of their careers but still have their feet firmly on the ground. As such they appreciate the fact that on their doorstep is a Doctor’s surgery, a reputable dentist and dry cleaners. A bit unglamorous perhaps but it is such facilities that make living in Central London a pleasure and a convenience. After all, what is the point of enjoying the best that life has to offer if one has to be inconvenienced by not having life’s practical needs met locally?

With supermarkets and an ever-increasing selection of designer and High Street shops in nearby Victoria, a mere 10 minutes walk away. The drudgeries of day-to-day living can be combined with the occasional luxurious treat and still leave time for one to explore what London has to offer further afield. And what an offering that is…

…Tate Britain is no more than a five-minute walk away and should one ever be invited, Buckingham Palace is not much further. Indeed quite a number of the world’s best art galleries, museums and leisure attractions are all within the immediate vicinity. Owners & occupiers of St John’s Buildings are going to be hard-pressed to find a reason not to make this their primary residence and will share their SW1 postcode with some of London’s most iconic landmarks.

Whether it is a short hop in a taxi, a lively bus ride or leisurely stroll, many of London’s most popular Theatres are within easy reach, as is the City and Canary Wharf. Mayfair still remains a key destination for exclusive designer brands such as Stella McCartney and the unwaveringly yet surprisingly popular Victoria Beckham. Christies, Sotheby’s and Phillips all have auction houses in the area and SW1 also boasts many of the UK’s finest art dealerships. While nearby Bermondsey and slightly further Shoreditch may rival each other for the coolest eateries and galleries, Westminster is still the most regal and well established.

Marylebone High Street at the time of writing still sits near the top of the hotspot pecking order with the Chiltern Firehouse managing to keep the cool celebrity flame burning though some are seeing the more unlikely Peckham in South London as dousing that fire.

At the end of the day, for St John’s Building owners none of this really matters. SW1 still remains the postcode that most of London revolve around. As London’s most important buildings are hardly likely to relocate any time soon, then it’s unlikely that St John’s building will ever lose its allure. Westminster’s foundations are built on establishment and heritage rather than faddish, media-driven property cycles.