People’s Republic of China buys site for new London embassy from Delancey

A joint venture between client funds of real estate investment advisory company Delancey and the LRC Group has completed the sale of the iconic Royal Mint Court site, to the People’s Republic of China. The sale follows an unsolicited offer from the People’s Republic of China, who intend to transform the site into their new embassy.

Located on the edge of the City, overlooking the River Thames and opposite the Tower of London World Heritage Site, Royal Mint Court occupies a high-profile and historically significant location and comprises an extensive 5.4 acres on the former Royal Mint site. Previously home to the Royal Mint, with over 10 centuries of coin production on the site,, the first coin was struck on the site in 1810, and one of Royal Mint Court’s first jobs was to strike medals for the troops at the Battle of Waterloo. In fact, the rich history of the site reaches back even further; in 1560 it was used by the Royal Navy for its first large-scale victualing yard, and in 1696 Sir Isaac Newton was appointed warden of the estate.

The freehold of the site was originally acquired on an off-market basis by clients of Delancey in June 2010 from the Crown Estate.