Lord Cadogan Dies aged 86
Lord Cadogan, the billionaire businessman, peer and head of the landed estate which owns the Chelsea Estate has died, aged 86.
Charles Gerald John Cadogan, the 8th Earl Cadogan, served in the army prior to working at Schroders. He joined the family business in 1974, after which he started to reorganise the 93 acre landed Estate, which includes the King’s Road and Sloane Square.
In a statement, the Cadogan Estate said: “He led a full life. He found enjoyment and amusement readily and was wonderful company, gregarious and voluble. He described himself as a ‘countryman’ and whilst his family business has been very successful under his stewardship, he felt most comfortable in the role of philanthropist.”
After attending Eton, Lord Cadogan became a second lieutenant in the First Battalion of the Coldstream Guards. He then spent 16 years working in the City at Schroders. The experience he acquired at Schroders gave him a grounding on which he would draw on when leading the Estate.
After his father the 7th Earl Cadogan left the Cadogan Estate in 1979, he oversaw a shift in focus of the Estate.
The statement said: “He changed the business from being a traditional collector of ground rents from long leaseholders, to providing the foundations that allowed them to become masters of their own destiny, carefully curating the mixture of occupiers of the shops and restaurants and initiating improvements in managing the whole Estate in a cohesive way for the long-term.”
Lord Cadogan cared “intensely” for Chelsea. During his leadership, the business acquired the iconic Harvey Nichols store which gave the Cadogan Estate control of the anchor tenant at the northern end of Sloane Street. Meanwhile, the Estate also bought and developed the barracks on the King’s Road where it created the Duke of York Square.
The Estate said: “He was particularly enthusiastic about supporting those who were committed to the community or who had served with distinction in Kensington and Chelsea. Cut price rentals for flats continue to be provided to nurses, teachers and police officers; he insisted on the provision of grace and favour accommodation for a myriad of deserving people including retired bishops, vicars and charity workers, so that they could see out their retirements peacefully and rents are still frozen for the elderly on the estate.”
The 8th Earl of Cadogan was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2012, when he was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire’ for his philanthropy. Lord Cadogan was also a great football supporter having been a past Chairman, and a director of Chelsea Football Club for 20 years.
He is survived by his wife Dorothy, three children and seven grandchildren. He is succeeded by his son Edward who becomes the 9th Earl Cadogan.
Last week, the Cadogan Estate posted a £263m increase in its portfolio to £5.1bn in its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2022.