Garden square development offers award-winning homes near London

Londoners seeking high quality houses for sale within easy commuting distance of the capital are being advised to look north to St Albans’ prestigious Gabriel Square development.

The award-winning scheme of 80 new homes is ideally located just five minutes from the city’s station, with connections to London St Pancras taking 20 minutes.

Arranged around a stunning central garden square, the collection of 52 three and four-bed townhouses and 28 one, two and three-bed apartments and duplexes has been described as a modern classic.

The high-end development is built on the three-acre site of the former print works, Eversheds, and named after the Gabriel Bell in St Albans’ 600-year-old Clock Tower.

Features include secure underground parking, Control4 Smart Homes Technology and light oak engineered flooring.

Gabriel Square’s high spec interiors were designed by Conran & Partners and include Poggenpohl kitchens complete with Corian worktops and splashbacks and Neff integrated appliances.

The bathrooms are finished to an equally high specification, with bespoke Laufen basins, wall hung WCs with concealed cisterns and – in the case of the penthouse en suites – Organic Techni freestanding baths.

From the start, developer Meyer Homes set out to redefine the garden square with this unique new development, blending high quality contemporary and traditional materials with a wide range of plants to create a relaxing setting unlike anything seen before in St Albans.

Inspired by London’s grand garden squares, the result is a green oasis within a city environment that provides a sense of community for residents to enjoy together.

It features specially commissioned sculptures and wall art by renowned British sculptor David Harber, a winner at the Chelsea Flower Show in both 2016 and 2017.

Harber designed the 10.8m long stainless steel and glass sculpture adorning the left-hand wall at the London Road entrance to the development, which symbolises unity and togetherness among the people of Hertfordshire.

He also designed the mirror-polished stainless steel Torus and the eye-catching bronze Armillary sundial within the garden square.

James Moody, managing director at Meyer Homes, said: “Our ethos is to make sure we are connecting our buildings with the local area and its people.

“Our collaboration with David Harber at Gabriel Square has achieved just that – there are a lot of cultural values that we share with a garden and the sense of home.”

Crowned Home of the Year (in a multi-unit scheme) at The Sunday Times British Home Awards 2017 and Best Out of London Home (under 100) at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards 2018, Gabriel Square hasn’t been short on industry recognition.

The prestigious new build development also won gold in the Best Interior Design category and silver for Best House at the national WhatHouse? Awards 2017.

And where better than St Albans – an affluent cathedral city, with a rich history dating back to Roman times – for such a special scheme?

 

• Why buy a house in St Albans?

The city regularly features on ‘best place to live’ lists, and was named as one of The Evening Standard’s 25 ‘commuter hotspots’ in 2017.

With its quality houses, thriving high street and vast range of pubs and restaurants it has long been viewed as one of the best areas to buy a property near London.

Buyers can escape the chaos of city life without compromising on lifestyle or transport links in this thriving commuter-friendly haven, which offers Londoners a bit more bang for their buck – and so much more besides.

As well as its many outstanding state schools, it is also home to three prestigious independents: St Albans School, St Albans High School for Girls and St Columba’s College.

Fine dining can be enjoyed in a host of popular restaurants, including award-winning Thompson St Albans – which has three AA rosettes – and St Michael’s Manor, which has two.

Attractions on the doorstep of Gabriel Square include the restored art deco Odyssey cinema, Prime steak restaurant and Charlie’s independent café.

While the one-bed apartments at the development have now sold out, a limited number of homes are still available for sale, with prices starting from £635,000 for the last few two-bed apartments.

• For further information, contact the Gabriel Square sales office on 01727 226881 or email info@gabrielsquare.com

Alternatively, visit the Gabriel Square website at https://gabrielsquare.com/