Galliard Homes is launching The Stage in Shoreditch, the £750M 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 mixed-use destination for London. Galliard Homes director of sales David Galman gave us the lowdown on the stunning new development and filled us in on the other projects Galliard has in the pipeline.

“My forefathers fought their whole lives to get out of Shoreditch, but now the whole East End is the place to be in London,” David (shown here at an event launching his other sweetheart project, Carlow House) says. He describes why: the energy, the quirkiness, the boho art scene. And right in the middle of it: The Stage. 

The Stage is designed around a new 1.28-acre public square that will showcase the sunken remains of Shakespeare’s Tudor theatre.

The central square will be bordered by 400k SF of mixed-use, including cafés, restaurants and shops with four new buildings—a 37-storey landmark 412-unit residential tower; two office buildings providing over 257k SF of blue chip commercial space and ground-level retail; and a leisure/performing arts pavilion, complete with an existing 19th century railway viaduct. The viaduct will be restored with the historic brick arches accommodating 9k SF of new shops and bars fronting the square, and the top will be 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. The remains and objects found during the dig will be carefully excavated, preserved and transformed into a cultural centerpiece within The Stage. The lobby is shown here.

With interiors by multi-award winning designer Nicola Fontanella of Argent Design, the residential tower, shown here, will provide 412 luxurious studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and four-bedroom duplex penthouses, ranging from 416 SF to 2,434 SF. The upper levels will feature panoramic skyline views.

Not all of Gilliard Homes’ projects are quite so ambitious. The company recently launched Carlow House in Camden. The project, which is 75% pre-sold, was designed to look like it was airlifted in from Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. It's going to be stunning, David says. He's particularly proud of a grand Art Deco atrium that was recently added.

The pace of business in both developments has been brisk, despite Brexit, David tells us. The smaller schemes around a £200k price point seem to be insulated from all impact.

David tells us he’s sold eight deals this week, and the company has had 15 deals across the portfolio.