2018 BC (before Covid) was a year of mixed emotions. There was a royal wedding (but no day off work to celebrate it), the UK saw the arrival of The Beast From The East AND the longest heat-wave EVER, and for a few weeks, the nation believed that football was actually coming home (spoiler alert: it didn't).
And then something really sh*tty happened. The iconically flamboyant Kensington Roof Gardens closed.
Don't remember the Roof Gardens? Let us refresh your memory. There was a time when this was London’s only rooftop private members club. Owned by Richard Branson since the early 80's, it was as glamorous as it comes. Hidden 100 feet above the busy Kensington High Street, this Grade II listed venue was the rooftop playground for London's chic elite - we're talking the likes of Madonna, Kate Moss and Kate Middleton rubbing shoulders with the 4 resident flamingos in any of the three themed gardens complete with an actual running stream, over 100 species of trees, and buildings modelled on the Alhambra palace.
When it closed, London felt a little emptier for it. But then the Evening Standard sparked rumours of a return. You love to hear it. Apparently, the site's landlords had hooked up with a property agent to look for a new leader who would restore the rooftop to its former extravagant glory, with the hope of an early 2020 opening. Well, we all know what happened early in 2020. *sigh*
Now, of course, it looks like we're coming out the other side of the Pandemic and epic alfresco venues have never been more en vogue, so we're pretty stoked that, according to a commercial real estate website, the 1.5 acres of Kensington Roof Gardens have now been sold and will finally open as a restaurant and members club this year. Hell yeah!
No date has been confirmed yet, and they're keeping the buyer's identity on the DL for now, but we predict this might just be the greatest case of Flamingos rising from the ashes - and that's the kinda resurrection we're all about.