Completing the trio of flagship hotel partnerships with the Cadogan Estate is country house Beaverbrook, which is set to open a boutique townhouse on Sloane Street in 2021.
The exciting launch was announced in August, with chief executive Hugh Seaborn saying that Cadogan was âdelighted to be working in partnership with Beaverbrook, having selected them to operate this exciting hospitality opportunity. We look forward to delivering a luxury retreat which forms part of our wider vision for Sloane Street, ensuring it remains one of the most exclusive and luxurious shopping streets in the world.â
The enthusiasm is shared by Beaverbrook owner Joel Cadbury, who told Sloane Square magazine that âthe opportunity to do this in partnership this with Cadogan is amazing, for us itâs just great to be able to play a small part in their brilliant game of monopoly.â
Having lived in and around Chelsea for many years, to say Cadbury is an admirer of Cadoganâs development of now legendary places such as Pavilion Road is an understatement. âIâm in love with Pavilion Road in every way, and I wish it had been there when I was growing up in Cadogan Square. Itâs so visionary what Hugh Seaborn has done, they really are thinking about the long term and the bigger picture.â
There is just one missing piece of the Pavilion Road puzzle for Cadbury, which he jokes heâs campaigning for. âI love the sense of the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker – I just hope they have a cigar shop one of these days, that would really make it perfect for me.â
Talking about the history of Beaverbrook in Surrey, Cadbury explains that he and business partner Ollie Vigors âset out to create something that hadnât been done in the UK before. We bought the 400 acres and home of Lord Beaverbrook, who Winston Churchillâs best friend, and the grounds we built a golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool, a fantastic gym and long the way we ended up with 35 bedrooms.â
Spa-loving readers who have stayed at the Surrey estate wonât be surprised to hear that âwe were very fortunate to bring on board the former head of Amman, and then a kidsâ club with [entertainers] Sharky and George.â
The Sloane Street townhouse will have a 60-cover contemporary Japanese restaurant, with interiors inspired by 19th century artist Hoksuai, best known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.
Here lies a synergy with the hotelâs country counterpart. âIn terms of food we wanted to take a slightly different approach to the traditional English country hotel model of one brasserie-esque restaurant and one slightly stuffy French oneâ says Cadbury.Â
âWe have our garden house restaurant, which is best described as âif the River Cafe did a garden cafe in a beautiful walled vegetable garden, surrounded by more plants than Le Manoirâ.âÂ
In the main restaurant the pair decided to break every rule and do a Japanese restaurant. âThat was reinforced by virtue of the fact that by then we had a group of founding members who, although all very from different fields, are all at the top of their fields from investment banking to tennis players like Andy Murray and Frank Lowe, the creative genius who told Tesco that every little helps.âÂ
âLord Beaverbrook only ever bought the best, so I can well imagine that he might have lived in a beautiful double townhouse on Sloane Street, overlooking the gardens. Where better?â
What was the common dining denominator within the group? âIf you asked them what their favourite restaurants were in London, all would feature Zuma, Nobu and the River Cafe in their top five. And I know Soho Farmhouse has done a little bit of that, but not as the main restaurant and not in a historic dining room where Churchill and Beaverbrook sat together signing off the drawing to create the spitfire.â
After the success of the original country hotel, how did the plan for the townhouse come about? âOllie has always wanted to do a townhouse, and it was the natural next step for our members, but also we felt weâd created a product that was relevant to London based on the popularity of the Japanese restaurant.â
Aside from the members, the new venture is also very much for the local community, âof which I am part, and where do I go to have good Japanese food with a good wine list around Sloane Square?
 Obviously there is Zuma which [Cadburyâs wife] Divia created, but itâs a big, buzzy, dynamic restaurant – so quite different to what weâre creating which is smaller, more boutiquey and more in keeping with Sloane Street.â
The hotelâs âsensational sommelier Gionvanniâ is joining Beaverbrook townhouse after 15 years at Annabelâs, overseeing a wine list that Cadbury assures is focussed on lower margins and better bottles.
The 14 suites of the townhouse will be styled and named after celebrated and well-loved London theatres, an idea that came from the brandâs creative director and âliving legendâ Sir Frank Lowe.
The group decided upon Chelsea for the city location after channelling the press baron himself. âFrankly Sloane Street is Londonât finest street in terms of retail and heritage. And Lord Beaverbrook only ever bought the best, so I can well imagine that he might have lived in a beautiful double townhouse on Sloane Street, overlooking the gardens. Where better?â