Key Chelsea landlord Earl Cadogan dies

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Jun 14, 2023

The owner of Cadogan Estates, Earl Cadogan, has died at the age of 86. He joined the family firm in 1974 after a career in finance and after his father retired in 1979 set about a major transformation.

The company said “he had the foresight and determination to commence a reorganisation of the Estate so that it could take a more active and creative approach to managing the area”. 

He changed the business from being “a traditional collector of ground rents from long leaseholders, to providing the foundations that allowed them to become masters of their own destiny, carefully curating the mixture of occupiers of the shops and restaurants and initiating improvements in managing the whole Estate in a cohesive way for the long term”. 

The business bought Harvey Nichols in order to “gain control of this anchor at the northern end of Sloane Street”.

It added that “with his encouragement, the barracks on the King’s Road was acquired and developed, creating the celebrated Duke of York Square which now provides a focal point for Chelsea”. That square has become a key venue for a variety of events since then.
 
Also a philanthropist, he had a big impact on local charities. But his impact on retail was even bigger, given his stewardship of some of the key shopping areas in London. They include Sloane Street, which is a kilometre of some of the world’s leading luxury fashion brands, and the King’s Road that’s home to a variety of chains and indies. In total, the estate is landlord to over 300 shops.
 
He’s been succeeded by his eldest son Edward, who becomes the 9th Earl Cadogan. And the estate said that “true to the spirit of long-term stewardship, Lord Cadogan has passed on a business that is in much better fettle than when he inherited it and set on a clear and confident course for the future”.