The Shard: Through the glass ceiling

By Andrea Watson
Posted: 2012/01/20

LIKE it or not, London's latest landmark the Shard can't be ignored, probably not even from space. Piercing the sky above the big loop of the Thames at London Bridge, this monument to late

However, this change began long ago, in the Eighties, with Terence Conran's redevelopment of the abandoned tea warehouses along Shad Thames into Butler's Wharf, a complex of restaurants and shops and some of London's first luxury loft apartments.

To this has been added a host of other attractions such as the Tate Modern, Hay's Galleria, the Design Museum and Globe Theatre, all tuned to lure tourists bored of beefeaters and ravens south over Tower Bridge.

In Borough and Bermondsey they can enjoy yet more historical curios in the form of the cobbled streets of Shad Thames and Rotherhithe Village, Old Kent Road, the last eel pie and mash shop, the antiques market, Borough market and Jamaica Road.

After the narrow and shadowy streets of the City, the area offers air and open space, courtesy of Potters Fields, one of the last riverside green spots, Bermondsey Spa Gardens and London's only floating gardens, created on the decks of houseboats moored by Shad Thames.

Part of the attraction for businesses in Borough and Bermondsey is that they still, on the whole, offer relatively affordable commercial rents, although how long that will last is anyone's guess. Yet restaurants, shops and small enterprises here are only minutes from the City with its sky-high prices.

When Jay Jopling's lease on his White Cube Gallery in Hoxton expired, he went to Bermondsey Street, opening last autumn. Representing Tracey Emin and Damien Hurst, the gallery is the latest upgrade for an area which, like aged rock stars, keeps making comebacks.

Thanks to a massive regeneration programme, the shortage of decent residential property is being rectified. Appealing to City workers, completed projects are selling fast. In October, when White Cube opened, developer Vision Homes reported all 23 flats were reserved at its Grange Road site, making it Vision's fastestselling development.

Grange Road is the first of Vision's SE1 Collection and all but one of the 31 units have been sold to owner-occupiers.

Giles Underhill, Vision sales manager, said: "SE1 is a much sought-after area. Proximity to the City, together with regeneration of the South Bank and the Elephant & Castle, have firmly put Bermondsey and Borough on the map.

"The Shard has become the beacon of the area's rising status and popularity. These factors, as well as soaring prices and a lack of supply north of the river, are making SE1 a solid buy for investors and an increasingly popular residential quarter for young professionals."

Andrew Southern, development director of the Hadley Property Group, echoed this. He said: "Bermondsey is one of those rare locations that ticks all the boxes. It's central with excellent transport links, great views and London at your fingertips."

WHARF STYLE
Number 6 Canada Wharf, Rotherhithe Street, Surrey Quays, is on the market with Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward at £389,950. It is part of a Grade II listed converted warehouse, offering riverside living, with two double bedrooms, balcony, under block parking, communal gardens, roof terrace and concierge.
INFORMATION: KFH Surrey Quays branch: 020 7231 3800/www.kfh.co.uk
GOTHIC APPEAL
A one-bed apartment in a converted Victorian Gothic church is on the market though Chesterton Humberts priced at £265,000. Near Bermondsey tube station, it has a large open-plan reception area and original stone arch. The agent also has a three-bed end-of-terrace house with a conservatory and patio garden in Bermondsey priced at £389,995.
INFORMATION: www.chestertonhumberts.com
SPECTACULAR VIEWS
Bermondsey Central SE1 is a complex of 90 one, two and three-bed apartments by the Hadley Property Group. Located on Maltby Street, it is minutes from London Bridge, Bermondsey and Tower Bridge, offering spectacular views of Canary Wharf, the City and South Bank.
INFORMATION: www.bermondseycentralSE1.com
BOROUGH LIVING
On a former warehouse site off Long Lane and looking towards the Jam Factory Development, Sadler's Yard in Borough comprises 37 flats in a new five-storey block. With 31 apartments on offer, developer Vision Homes reports huge demand. Prices range from £325,000 to £675,000.
INFORMATION: 0845 230 4480/ www.visionhomes.co.uk