The National's London luxury property series serves to whet the appetite, and this month the focus is on an extravagant reimagining of a traditional London townhouse.
Featured property
3 Mulberry Square, Chelsea Barracks, London SW1W 8DS. Approximate sales market value: £38 million ($52.6m)
The key details
This six-floor townhouse with two basement floors and a roof terrace offers 9,947 square feet of living space. Ceiling heights of up to 3.4 metres will make claustrophobia a thing of the past.
The upper three levels of the property feature four en-suite bedrooms, including a principal bedroom with two dressing rooms, a formal reception and dining rooms. A private garden roof terrace affords far-reaching views across the capital. The London Eye and the Shard are only two of the renowned landmarks that are visible.
The lower three levels of the townhouse comprise family living space, a study, an expansive kitchen that opens on to a large private garden, a secure underground double garage and staff accommodation.
Unusually for a townhouse, there is lift access throughout, but what really separates 3 Mulberry Square from the mock-Georgian-townhouse herd is the multitude of amenities on offer. These include a gym, swimming pool, sauna, steam room and cinema room.
The property's high-specification finish includes English herringbone and marble flooring, and sub-Zero and Wolf and Gaggenau appliances in the kitchen.
What's the story?
3 Mulberry Square lies at the heart of one of London's most ambitious and expansive luxury residential developments, Chelsea Barracks. The five-hectare site includes a panoply of apartments, penthouses and houses with a full set of amenities for all residents.
As the name suggests, Chelsea Barracks was a former army barracks in the City of Westminster. Originally completed in 1862 to house two battalions, the only vestige of the complex's past life is the renovated Garrison Chapel, which has survived decades of demolition and reconstruction around it.
The renovation of Chelsea Barracks was broken down into four phases, with 3 Mulberry Square forming part of phase two. The first phase of the project included 67 apartments, 87 per cent of which have been sold. In addition to 3 Mulberry Square, the second phase of development includes 2 Whistler Square, with show houses now available for viewings for both. A restaurant is due for completion on site this year, while renovations of Garrison Chapel have been completed. A further 96 apartments are due for completion in 2023, in the final phase of the project.
All these buildings are set around seven garden squares, and come with exclusive access to The Garrison Club, which includes a spa and gym, private cinema, billiards room, residents' lounge and business suite with two boardrooms.
Chelsea Barracks was army barracks in the City of Westminster. Alamy
What the broker says
Why should someone who usually goes for an apartment consider this townhouse?
The key thing about 3 Mulberry Square is that it is a London townhouse for the 21st century.
Where London townhouses fall short in the eyes of the international community is that they are about six metres wide and often only have lifts that go up to the second floor. If somebody is disabled, then they aren't going to be a practical option. Lifts in traditional Victorian townhouses tend to be very small, too.
This wide townhouse, with its its large lift, which accesses every floor, answers all those questions.
It's also extremely difficult to to get a house in the SW1 postcode – London's most expensive – where you have the holy grail of parking, a swimming pool, gym and garden.
3 Mulberry square offers the 'holy grail' of amenities, including this inviting 20-metre pool. Savills
Why does the townhouse work for the modern businessperson?
Chelsea Barracks offers a 5,700-square-foot business suite and residents' lounge, with a billiards room attached. – the perfect form of hybrid working; an office where you live but not impinging on the privacy of your home.
Residents also get the full benefit of security and a concierge, ensuring the sort of meticulous attention to detail bound to impress potential clients.
3 Mulberry Square is on the market with Savills
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16, second leg (first-leg scores in brackets):
May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
