The Langham Estate is a property estate in

Fitzrovia Fitzrovia ( ) is a district of central London, England, near the West End. Its eastern part is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urbanised in ...

, London, and is owned by the Mount Eden Land Limited (

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

). The company controls 14 acres of real estate in central

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. A third of its property portfolio was sold in 2024.

Background

Great Portland Street and Mortimer Street

The Langham Estate originates from an entity first established in 1925 to manage a holding of 40 acres of land purchased from the

Howard de Walden Estate The Howard de Walden Estate is a property estate in Marylebone, London, owned by the Howard de Walden family. As of 2020 the estate was reported to be worth £4.7 billion. History The estate's development dates from 1715 when speculative pla ...

in central London. The properties, acquired for £3m and located in eastern

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, then passed through various owners, including Sir John Ellerman's Audley Trust, before being acquired in 1994 by Guernsey-based Mount Eden Land Ltd for £51m. Under Sir John Ellerman, the holdings covered almost all

Great Portland Street Great Portland Street is a commercial road in the West End of London which links Oxford Street with the A501 road, A501 Marylebone Road. A mixed-use street of residents and businesses, it divides Fitzrovia, to the east, from Marylebone to the ...

, and much of streets alongside it (including

Hallam Hallam may refer to: Places * Hallam, Victoria, Australia ** Hallam railway station UK * Hallamshire, an area in South Yorkshire, England, UK ** Royal Hallamshire Hospital ** Sheffield Hallam (UK Parliament constituency) ** Sheffield Hallam Univer ...

Bolsover Bolsover is a market town and the administrative centre of the Bolsover District, Derbyshire, England. It is from Sheffield, from Nottingham and from Derby. It is the main town in the Bolsover district. The civil parish for the town is c ...

, Margaret and Great Titchfield Streets). Numerous holdings on Great Portland Street were divested over the years. The Langham Estate operates in an area noted for its media connections, restaurants, design showrooms and art galleries. The Langham Estate was described in 2017 as being one of London's ''16 Great Estates'' with its footprint of 13.8 acres of central London property. Many of the entity's original properties are still held—but now in the form of freehold as their long leases have been sold off.

Samuel Tak Lee Samuel Tak Lee or Lee Tak-Yee (; born April 1939) is a Hong Kong property billionaire. Early life Lee was born in April 1939. He was educated at Diocesan Boys' School in Mong Kok, before earning bachelor's and master's degrees in civil and en ...

of Hong Kong is said to be its owner. Mr Lee reportedly sought control of Shaftesbury PLC's neighbouring 15-acre estate until his interests in it were sold in June 2020.

Recent developments

The

real estate market has been undergoing a renewal. The area has witnessed significant increase in rents and

rates Rate or rates may refer to: Finance * Rate (company), an American residential mortgage company formerly known as Guaranteed Rate * Rates (tax), a type of taxation system in the United Kingdom used to fund local government * Exchange rate, rate ...

along with markedly higher occupant turnovers. Property values have increased in part due to changes in planning constraints, along with the impact of the Cross Rail and

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

projects, which were projected to increase commercial activity in the area. The company markets some of its properties under the banners of ''Noho'' and/or ''FitzNovia'' to describe an area just north of

and just west of

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George IV of the United Kingdom, George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash (architect), J ...

.' The company website states the company holds a "1.3 million sq feet (29 acre) mixed portfolio of office, showroom, retail, restaurant, bar, residential and storage" properties.'''' A neighbourhood plan is being developed for Langham Estate's

area. This is being done in consultation with stakeholders, the Langham Estate and other local landlords, businesses and residents. The plan focused on improving the local amenity, affordable housing provision, poor broadband data services and air pollution conditions. In August 2023, Langham Estate decided to divest itself of a third of its property holdings. These include 27 freehold assets of offices, retail, leisure, educational, medical and residential properties in northern Fitzrovia. These properties were reportedly sold for £350m in January 2024. In December 2024, The Langham Estate introduce
Fitzrovia Quarter
- a dynamic space in the western part of Fitzrovia, located within London’s West End, that is home to a thriving community of innovators, creatives, and businesses.

Gallery

File:Great Portland Street From Oxford Street Feb 2011.jpg, Many Langham Estate holdings are found at the southern end of

File:Great Titchfield Street - Margaret Street junction.JPG, Numerous buildings on Great Titchfield Street and Margaret Street are part of the Langham Estate File:Great Portland Street prior to tree planting.jpg, Langham Estate historic holding on

File:Hallam Street Marylebone - panoramio.jpg, Langham Estate properties on Hallam Street File:Bolsover Street Bikes - panoramio.jpg, Bolsover Street is the location of a number of Langham Estate properties

References

External links

Map of Langham Estate
(Mount Eden Land Guernsey Ltd) {{Real estate in the United Kingdom 1925 establishments in England British companies established in 1925 Real estate companies established in 1925 Property companies of the United Kingdom Privately owned estates in London Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Fitzrovia