UK residential developer Galliard Homes has joined hands with top developers Cain Hoy and McCourt and Chinese real estate group Vanke to launch a £750-million ($1.07 billion) mixed-use project - The Stage in Shoreditch, UK.

The project, being developed in co-ordination with The Estate Office Shoreditch, will see the transformation of the 2.3 acre site of William Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre, where Romeo & Juliet and Henry V were first performed, into a new tourist and retail attraction for London.

On the doorstep of three major economic hubs – the City of London, the Old Street Tech City Enterprise Zone and Hoxton, The Stage is located off Curtain Road in the heart of hip and trendy Shoreditch.

With a masterplan by award winning architects Perkins + Will and interiors by Argent Design, The Stage is designed around a new central 1.28 acre public square that will showcase the sunken remains of Shakespeare’s Tudor theatre, said a statement from Galliard Homes.

The new central square, one of the largest to be created in the capital, will be bordered by 400,000 sq ft of mixed use space including cafes, restaurants and shops with four striking new buildings - a 37-storey landmark residential tower providing 412 private sale apartments and penthouses; two office buildings providing over 257,000 sq ft of “blue chip” commercial space and retail premises at ground level and a leisure/performing arts pavilion - complete with an existing 19th century railway viaduct located on one side of the new square.

The viaduct will be restored with the historic brick arches accommodating 9,000 sq ft of new shops and bars fronting the square and the top of the viaduct landscaped into a park with a tea/coffee house overlooking the square.

The historic remains of the Elizabethan Curtain Theatre, dating back to 1577, have been discovered some three metres below the surface of the development.

It is planned that the remains and objects found during the dig will be carefully excavated, painstakingly preserved and transformed into a cultural centerpiece within the development, stated the top UK developer.

Under current plans there will be a heritage centre where visitors will have a chance to walk on a glass platform just above the theatre remains, view objects from the dig and watch augmented reality of scenes from Shakespeare plays.    

Under current plans, the glass ceiling of the centre (which is below ground) will form part of the new public square, enabling visitors to look down onto the remains of the theatre.

Steps leading down to the centre form part of a 200 seat sunken amphitheatre where plays can be performed or people can sit and relax.

London’s oldest Shakespearean playhouse, the Curtain Theatre was opened in 1577 and was home to William Shakespeare’s Theatre Company.

It is believed to be where Shakespeare’s plays ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Henry V’ were first performed and where Ben Jonson’s ‘Every Man in His Humour’ was performed in 1598 with Shakespeare himself in the cast.

Queen Elizabeth I would on occasion visit the theatre and after her death in 1603 the new King, James I, became the theatre’s Royal patron.

In 1622 the theatre closed because of an economic downturn and almost 400 years later in 2011 excavators from the Museum of London Archaeology rediscovered the remains of the theatre buried beneath a disused Victorian goods yard. Now the remains of the theatre will be preserved and form part of the exciting new future that is The Stage.

The Stage will be launched for sale on March 17 with a starting pric of £695,000 ($994,635) for its residential units. For the next three days, the sales and marketing suite will open daily from 10am to 5pm, located at The Viaduct, Fairchild Place, Shoreditch EC2A 3EN.

According to Galliard Homes, the 37-storey residential tower at The Stage will provide residents with the best new address in London and an exceptional lifestyle choice and long term investment opportunity.
Rising 413 ft in height the tower has floor to ceiling glazing, balconies, high speed elevators, 32nd level Sky bar and lifestyle amenities and business meeting/hosting facilities.

Twin angled glazed canyons cut into and rise up the façade enabling natural light to cascade into adjoining apartments and the communal areas within the building.

With a specification and interiors by multi-award winning designer Nicola Fontanella of Argent Design, the tower will provide 412 luxurious studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments and four bedroom duplex penthouses, ranging from 416 sqft to 2,434 sqft in size with the upper levels benefiting from panoramic skyline views.

For the specification and design of the interiors, Argent Design have been inspired by the vibrant unpolished street-scene charm and café culture style of Shoreditch. This hip and trendy industrial aesthetic has been cleverly harmonised with luxurious West End and Manhattan style finishes creating a look which is a striking unique fusion of cool and fashionable meets luxurious and refined.                  

The bedrooms have deep and cosy wool mix carpets, floor to ceiling fitted wardrobes with featured mirrored centre panel and mood lighting.

The studio apartments cleverly maximise space and light by doing away with lots of internal walls and instead having spacious open interiors and the use of bespoke clear and frosted glass feature sliding walls to form the dedicated bedroom space.

The larger apartments have spacious kitchen/dining areas and master bedroom suites with ensuite bathrooms and some with walk in dressing rooms. Other features include extended height laquer internal doors, tile televisions to bathrooms in larger apartments, comfort cooling and programmable mood lighting to living and bedrooms and video security entry system.

Galliard Homes said The Stage provides residents with a range of exclusive lifestyle facilities. These include 24 hour concierge services; a business centre with advanced I.T. business suites and boardroom; private 20 seat screening room with tiered seating, panelled walls and feature doors with inlay detailing and a fully equipped games and recreational lounge.  

Over 320 feet above ground, on the 32nd level, is the stunning Sky bar and drinks terrace. The cocktail bar opens onto a spacious rooftop terrace which provides panoramic views of the surrounding cityscape.

Situated directly adjacent to the residential tower within the Hewett building will be the new luxurious health club at The Stage. Inspired by the famous Cistern Basilica in Istanbul, the luxurious spa will include spa treatments, steam room and sauna.

Residents at The Stage will benefit from complimentary three year fitness club membership with luxury health club operator arranged by Galliard Homes.

All these facilities will combine to provide residents with outstanding lifestyle opportunities. After morning coffee and breakfast in their apartment residents can go downstairs and enjoy a stroll in the new London square and visit the local cafes and shops.

They can then visit the health club and exercise in the gymnasium or relax in the spa. After lunch in one of the local restaurants they can host a business meeting in the business centre or have drinks in the Sky bar before going to the boutique cinema to watch a movie. In the evening they can have dinner in one of the local restaurants or enjoy supper at home in their apartment.

The main construction works for The Stage are anticipated to commence in April 2016 with final build completion scheduled for the first quarter of 2019.

Stephen Conway, the CEO of Galliard Homes said: "The Stage will provide a world-class new destination for London. At its heart will be a new central square, one of the largest public open spaces to be created in the capital, bordered by historic and new buildings providing cafes, restaurants, shops, offices and new homes."

"For apartment purchasers it offers the best new address in London and an exceptional lifestyle choice and long term investment opportunity," he added.-TradeArabia News Service