When you stroll through the cobblestone streets of West London, you’re immediately enveloped in a world of sumptuous wealth and wallet-emptying luxury.
Majestic townhouses stand tall - seemingly watching over avenues adorned with exotic cars and bespoke boutiques.
Tourists and locals alike revel in the shadow of iconic landmarks, beckoning for a rendezvous under their gilded entrances.
And yet this region - synonymous with timeless sophistication, velvet-rope exclusivity, and a certain elegant flair - wasn't always the Instagram highlight reel of affluence you see today.
-------
How The Windsors Went From German "Old Money" To British Royalty: • How The Windsors Went ...
-------
The “Old Money” British Family That Owns Half Of London (NOT The Windsors): • The “Old Money” Britis...
-------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction
1:24 1. A Welsh-Irish Welcome To Wealth
5:19 2. The Cadogan Buy Up Britain
9:15 3. The Modern Cadogan
-------
The origins of the Cadogan mega empire we know today begin in the mist-shrouded crags of Ireland in the year 1671.
Here, history would see the birth of William Cadogan - a figure shaped for a destiny replete with intrigues and complexities.
Born to Henry Cadogan - a barrister - the Cadogan paternal line had a background that wasn't limited to the courtroom.
Henry's lineage, in fact, was tinged with the gunpowder and steel of the English Civil War.
His father - William’s grandfather - had worn the no-nonsense attire of Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army - an outfit that didn't just change the rules of engagement in Britain-it rewrote them entirely.
And we mustn’t forget the first matriarch of the Cadogan family, Bridget Waller - William’s mother.
Her own father - Sir Hardress Waller - had executed a different kind of verdict-one that led to the beheading of King Charles I (of England), and shook the very thrones of England.
Thus, in a parallel vein to one of the other mighty “Old Money” real estate families of London we’ve discussed on this channel - the Grosvenors - who boast a military lineage reaching back to William the Conqueror - the Cadogans too had war in their blood.
The key distinction, however, was the specific chapter in which the Cadogans had penned their military involvements - the tumultuous, landscape-altering English Civil War.
Thus, it was as if William Cadogan - from his first breath as the leader in a centuries-long dynasty of familial power - was destined for grand maneuvers.
As the wheel of time turned, the Cadogan name would be etched into an unexpected sector of society-real estate.
Vast expanses of prime West London property would eventually come under the Cadogan purview - a monumental shift from their days of military and political machinations - yet a continuation of a legacy of influence and grand strategy.
You see, in the societal context of the sixteen hundreds and seventeen hundreds, land was more than dirt and grass-it was the currency of power.
Now, as the 18th century began, the Cadogan dynasty was on an unstoppable trajectory - each strategic decision marking another square on a chessboard of affluence and influence.
A member of the family’s marriage with Elizabeth Sloane in 1717 was thus more than a mere blending of two blue-blooded families.
It was a quantum leap - a tectonic shift in the Cadogan family's destiny.
You see, Elizabeth was not just the daughter of Hans Sloane - a man who served as physician to the British royals and was a cornerstone of the Royal Society - she was a passport to an empire of wealth.
Indeed, Sir Hans Sloane's collection of items eventually formed the foundation of the British Museum, the British Library, and the Natural History Museum in London - and his 166 acres of prime Chelsea land were nothing less than a wellspring of future opportunities.
For example, a pivotal moment would come in 1777 - courtesy of Charles Sloane Cadogan, the 1st Earl Cadogan.
With the kind of audacity reserved for men of his ilk, he gave birth to Hans Town-London's first 'New Town'-a revolutionary residential district designed with panache.
Now, in the early 20th century, the Earls of Cadogan found themselves at a historical intersection.
Chelsea was undergoing a metamorphosis - morphing from a semi-rural idyll into a vibrant, cosmopolitan district.
This was a period of electric change - artisans and bohemians flooded the borough, painting its streets with hues of creativity.
Outside the immediate precincts of Hans Town, the Cadogan touch was omnipresent.
Draycott Place began to resemble a stage set for elegance - boasting row houses and small mansions adorned in high white-stuccoed facades and red-brick exteriors.
Cadogan Terrace emerged as an idyllic enclave - a suburban dream encapsulated within London's pulsing heart - complete with lush gardens nestled between residential jewels.
4 июл 2024
