The Egyptian Ambassador’s Residence, a Georgian Grade II listed property at 75 South Audley Street in Mayfair was originally built as three houses by Edward Shepherd, made one as Bute House in 1776 by "Capability" Brown and Henry Holland.  The property was listed in 1970.

Rock Townsend were appointed by the Arab Republic of Egypt to undertake the major renovation of the property in order to repair, refurbish and reconfigure the building, including external facade repairs, roof upgrade, basement reconfiguration, and the restoration of the significant listed interiors.

Rock Townsend led a multi-disciplinary team to undertake the £2.9m project including Quantity Surveying, Project Management, MEP, Structural Engineering, Building Control, and Specialist Interiors conservation for the sensitive renovation which was completed under a Traditional contract. RT led an extensive engagement process with Westminster’s planning department and Heritage conservation officers in order to ensure the repairs and restorations were undertaken in sympathy to the original design and quality.

The property had suffered from significant back-log maintenance particularly from water ingress from the roof and aged interior plumbing resulting in many of the interiors falling into disrepair, with evidence of general structural timber rotting, lath and plaster damage, and the precious Ground and First floors main function rooms interiors at risk.

The project included the restoration of the principle rooms on the Ground and First floor, the latter of which had been implemented in a lavish Louis XVI style for Izzet Pasha, the first Egyptian resident of the property in 1926. The rooms included one of only two ceiling mounted ceiling tapestries in the UK at the time in the ground-floor Boudoir, as well as the famous "Allegory of Venus and Time" fresco accompanied by four roundels in grisaille by Venetian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo installed in the Blue Drawing Room ceiling in 1876 and which had been forgotten about until rediscovered in 1964 by a Louvre connoisseur (now hanging in the National Gallery). Gold leaf restoration and specialist decorations were coordinated by RT to re-establish the original grandeur of these magnificent rooms.

In order to ensure the continued preservation of these interiors, significant repairs to rain-water goods, gutters, and windows was initiated including the replacement of the roof finish together with upgraded insulation to reduce ongoing energy use, utility bill costs and carbon emissions.

 Sensitive repairs were made to the existing structure, including external decorations and stone repairs, and stone façade cleaning. Internally, the plastering, and marble fireplaces were refurbished and redecorated, and basement room layouts rationalized with new kitchens, showers and wcs installed throughout. All existing end of life heating, plumbing and electrical works were replaced together with leak-detection and new fire detection to ensure the prevention of future damage to the property. Fixtures and fittings were stripped out and replaced with specially commissioned interiors and bespoke joinery designed by Rock Townsend.

Summary

Client: The Arab Republic of Egypt

Floor Area: 1400 SqM

Project Value: £4.5m

RT Team: Mark Gabbey, Richard Sharp