Famous estate’s revamp paves way for huge furniture donation

Charities, trusts and churches around Pimlico have been donated furniture worth hundreds of thousands of pounds by the owners of historic apartments about to undergo a major refit. 

About 100 self-contained service flats in the riverside estate of Dolphin Square – which are usually available as short-term lets – are part of the first phase of a seven-year restoration programme for the whole estate which has almost 1,200 homes. 

A significant amount of homeware – including beds, sofas, televisions, white goods, electrical appliances and more – have been making their way to deserving causes. 

The garden square was built between 1935 and 1937 and its upmarket flats have attracted MPs and celebrities – such as Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies, who were implicated in the infamous Profumo Affair in the 1960s. 

The bill for the company which acquired the estate in September 2020, Axa Investment Managers, is expected to run into hundreds of millions of pounds over the course of the next decade. 

The revamp is planned to make the square “a more environmentally sustainable and inclusive home for its residents and local community,” according to Dolphin Square’s PR.

Six charities and community organisations are benefiting from the donations.

The furniture was also offered to residents in need – with nearly 500 community members taking home selected items. 

By the end of this large-scale recycling operation, not one item remained, with everything finding a new home and nothing going to landfill – a key part of Dolphin Square’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility. 

Caroline Gandy-Brown, projects co-ordinator at The Abbey Centre, one of the benefactors, said: “Thanks to Dolphin Square, our much-loved Wash-House Café has some beautiful new furniture, plants and kitchen equipment for our community to make use of and enjoy.  

“We’re so grateful for this unexpected opportunity and look forward to many more years of partnership with our wonderful neighbour.” 

Erdal Kacar, managing director of Dolphin Square said: “It’s wonderful to see these items going to such good homes within our community and beyond.  

“We’re working hard to ensure that 98 per cent of the material being removed as part of our restoration programme will be recycled, with zero waste going to landfill, and supporting communities in this way is an important part of our strategy for environmental and social sustainability.” 

Pictured top: The service apartments of Dolphin square, which are being cleared as part of a major renovation plan (Picture: Dolphin Square/Paul K Porter)