£7.6M Grade I listed Georgian Gatehouse with planning permission, in London's St James's, for sale
Fri 18 Sep 2026
Located at 16 Arlington Street in St James’s, close to the new southern extension of The Ritz, is The Gatehouse, a Grade I Listed mews-style property providing 2,838 sq. ft. of lettable office space is for sale freehold with Mayfair and St James’s specialists Wetherell. The purchase will include a large lower ground kitchen, bedroom and en suite bathroom permitted for temporary overnight director and employee accommodation under a Certificate of Lawful Use, and extant planning permission for the addition of a new boardroom extension approached from the ground floor to 1st floor glass box.
Built in the 1730s, The Gatehouse was originally part of the London home of the Duchess of Rutland, between 1914-1918 serving as part of the Rutland Hospital for Officers, before returning to residential use, and finally becoming office premises with overnight accommodation from 1934 onwards.
The Gatehouse, which once served as the grand entranceway to the Duchess of Rutland’s neighbouring mansion Rutland House (now the HQ of the Royal Over-Seas League), is arranged over four floors, providing recently refurbished light-filled office accommodation, with offices and meeting rooms over ground and two upper floors. The property is complete with renovated sash windows, air-conditioning, stripped wooden flooring and spotlighting, within the Grade I Listed historically important façade and shell designed by James Gibbs, one of Britain’s most influential architects.
On the lower ground floor, the Certificate of Lawful use permits the space for temporary overnight accommodation for the director or employees of the company - 830 sq. ft. of space providing a reception room and fully fitted kitchen/dining room, both opening onto a lightwell terrace and a bedroom/study, with outdoor access and an en suite bathroom. It offers a practical option for cutting travel time ahead of early morning meetings and a welcome place to stay after late night events.
On the west side of Arlington Street, The Gatehouse is moments from the new southern extension of the iconic Grade II* Listed Ritz Hotel, where high-profile guests including royalty and heads of state can often be spotted. Owned by Qatari businessman Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri, who acquired it in March 2020 for around £700 million, current works form phase one of a sumptuous £300 million makeover on a rear extension built on the site of the demolished 22 Arlington Street, next to the main hotel and William Kent House. The new building will add a second entrance, a Winter Garden housing a second restaurant, a second bar, a spa with between eight and eighteen treatment rooms, a swimming pool and gym, and additional bedrooms, taking the hotel's room count from 136 to between 145 and 155. Phase One is expected to complete in 2026, after which Phase Two will see the hotel close entirely for a full refurbishment, with full completion expected by 2028; the hotel has remained open and trading throughout construction to date. The project is also targeting BREEAM Excellent certification and net zero carbon, including heat-extraction partnerships with Green Park tube station.
The Gatehouse’s own entrance is arguably as impressive, with immense double-height doors set into a carriageway arch, lead onto a private cobbled courtyard. This partially glass-covered courtyard could be used as a private area for receptions and launches, or alternatively as two car-parking bays.
The Gatehouse’s original owner was Mary Howard, the 8th Duchess of Norfolk. She married Thomas Howard, the 8th Duke of Norfolk, when she was just 16, in 1709. Despite living a grand, sociable London lifestyle in St James’s, the pair were said to have had an unhappy relationship, and in 1730 decided to live apart.
After the Duke died in 1732, the Dowager Duchess regained full control of her huge personal inheritance – and between 1734 and 1740 built Rutland House, the architect James Gibbs creating a truly radical design. Instead of the usual mews and stabling at the rear, the Dowager Duchess’s new mansion would be approached via a front gatehouse and courtyard – The Gatehouse today – providing the residence with complete privacy from prying eyes. When Mary died in 1754 at the age of 62, her body lay in candlelit state for three days at the home, with the horse-drawn hearse leading her out through her beloved Gatehouse.
During the First World War, its then owner, Violet Manners, the 8th Duchess of Rutland (whose late husband, the 8th Duke gave the home its name), converted the house and gatehouse into a hospital for wounded officers. When Violet sold Rutland House to the Royal Over-Seas League in 1934 – an organisation that supports international understanding and friendship through social, musical, artistic and welfare activities – it underwent a drastic remodelling.
It’s now time for the building to have another forward-thinking owner, and they will be able to capitalise on the building’s compelling history, as well as its potential – planning permission has been granted to enhance the courtyard, with designs to add extra glazing, and a possible boardroom on the first floor, creating a stunning statement arrival space. This addition would increase the buildings gross internal area by a further 613 sq. ft. and net internal area by 592 sq. ft.
Peter Wetherell, Founder and Executive Chairman of Wetherell, says: “Nationally treasured Grade I Listed buildings are extremely rare to find, let alone one that offers immaculately refurbished office space and overnight director accommodation in the heart of St James’s. The Gatehouse is an exciting opportunity, and as a neighbour to The Ritz, currently undergoing a lavish refurbishment, it is part of a new chapter in London’s evolving history and the ideal space for a private office, family office or hedge fund.”
The Gatehouse is extremely well connected, just a short walk away from a selection of underground stations including Green Park 0.3m (Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria), Piccadilly Circus 0.4 (Bakerloo, Piccadilly), Hyde Park Corner 0.6m (Piccadilly), St James’ Park 0.6m (Circle, District), Bond Street 0.7m (Jubilee, Central, Elizabeth) and Oxford Circus 0.7m (Bakerloo, Central, Victoria). Mainline rail network services are just over a mile away at Victoria, where trains run to Gatwick Express. The Heathrow Express from Paddington and Eurostar connections from King’s Cross-St Pancras are easily accessible.
The Gatehouse is available to buy for £7,600,000 (freehold). For further information or to arrange a viewing, please contact Wetherell on Tel: 020 7529 5566, or visit www.wetherell.co.uk