Decorating Emperor's Gate

Emperor's Gate is a prestigious garden-fronted terrace in South Kensington, SW7, laid out in the 1860s as part of the large-scale Italianate development west of Gloucester Road. The street comprises a formal row of rendered stucco townhouses four and five storeys high, with full-height pilasters, cast-iron balconies and arched ground-floor windows that are characteristic of the Kensington estate development of the period. It sits within the Collingham and Harrington Road Conservation Area and is popular with international residents drawn by its proximity to the South Kensington museums.

Emperor's Gate properties present tall, exposed stucco facades that require specialist access equipment and careful surface preparation to achieve uniform coverage across four and five-storey elevations. The strong urban character of the street means that any repainting must closely match the established cream palette approved by the Royal Borough's conservation officer.