One Year On: WhatHouse? Award-Winner City & Country

The WhatHouse? Awards – the most prestigious prizes in the UK new homes industry – is taking place on Friday 18 November and it the run-up to it, we are looking back and some of the winners in 2021, and today we’re featuring City & Country.

City & Country has been very successful at our Awards over the past few years and 2021 was no exception, with two Golds, one for Best Apartment Scheme and one for Best Renovation.

The Playfair at Donaldson’s, not far from Haymarket station in Edinburgh, is a landmark building designed by eminent Scottish architect William Henry Playfair. The former school’s majestic architecture dates back to the 1850s and City & Country has ensure that its finest details have been meticulously restored, and some repurposed for the building’s new residential role.

The judges visiting the site noted “iconic period windows flood the homes with natural light, while the former chapel has been refashioned into a grand common area akin to something from Hogwarts. The magic continues along winding stone passageways, balustrade terraces, sweeping lawns and elegant courtyards. The apartments have been painstakingly carved from the building’s original splendour, and each boasts its own unique features, from quirky mezzanines to turrets.”

They added: “It would be easy to assume that the residents of this palatial, Grade A listed building set in 16-acres of private parkland are the preserve of a certain elite. However, City & Country has been careful to create a variety of homes for a range of budgets. While most people like to say their home is their castle, The Playfair at Donaldson’s is one of the few schemes where that rings true.”

One-, two- and three-bedroom apartments are priced from £440,000, which includes secure underground parking and a concierge service. Most of the units offer a panoramic view stretching across Edinburgh to the Pentland Hills. In addition to the parkland, there are communal spaces and a landscaped courtyard, and a Club Room and Chapel Room to meet, work or relax.

City & Country is hosting a Whisky Tasting Event with Johnnie Walker on Thursday 17 November, from 6.00pm to 8.00pm. Taking place in the show apartment with rooftop views across the city, home-seekers are invited to book a place there to enjoy the whisky and to take a first-hand look at the homes and lifestyle on offer.

The 1840

The Gold for Best Renovation was awarded for The 1840, St George’s Gardens, in south-west London. Originally a hospital building first opened in 1841 on a 97-acre site, the site’s two Grade II listed buildings lie within a Grade II Registered Park and Garden, while the chapel and parish boundary posts are locally listed by Wandsworth Borough Council. It’s part of a larger development bringing the area with retail and café space, a public square, a new 32-acre park, and provision for a new primary school.

The judges commented: “This is an excellent scheme both in the overall masterplan, respect for the existing buildings and also in the landscape design. The scheme is compact and well-integrated; the courtyards display a talent for placemaking with good quality planting and landscape features. The landscape is not an afterthought but rather an integral part of the building design. Internally, the quality of the finishes is of a high standard with bold Victorian colour schemes and wallpapers carefully chosen to complement the original architecture of the place. The sensitivity and respect shown in restoring and enhancing the original details were aspects that made it a particularly stand-out scheme.”

With 80% of the first phase here sold, there are still one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for sale, with prices starting at £460,000. City & Country hosts a Meet The Maker event at this development on Saturday 12 November between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

Jennifer Rhodes-Finch, City & Country’s head of marketing, said: “We are incredibly proud of our work at The Playfair at Donaldson’s in Edinburgh and The 1840 St George’s Gardens in South West London - so to win the Gold category for Best Apartment Scheme and Best Renovation respectively at the WhatHouse? Awards last year was absolutely fantastic.

“Celebrating City & Country’s 60th anniversary this year has been a brilliant opportunity to reflect on how talented our specialist teams are but award wins like this are a reminder that we are the best at what we do – for 60 years and counting! We’re incredibly passionate about bringing heritage properties back to life and take pride in the quality of our new homes. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for this year!”

Find out more at www.cityandcountry.co.uk.