When you look at London’s skyline, you’d think it’s owned by hundreds of different people — but the reality is, a handful of landlords own a massive chunk of it, and they’ve been doing it for decades.

First up, you’ve got The Crown Estate. It dates back over 260 years and, while it’s linked to the monarchy, it’s run independently, with the profits going back to the Treasury. In London alone, they control about 10 million sq ft, mainly around St James’s and Regent Street. Most of it’s retail and office space, with a bit of leisure thrown in.

Then there’s Grosvenor Group, tied to the Duke of Westminster’s family. Their London estate covers about 300 acres across Mayfair and Belgravia. They’ve been around since 1677 and still own a huge mix of top-end residential, commercial offices, and a bit of retail. They’re all about creating places where people live and work, not just building rows of office blocks.

British Land is another major name. They started in 1856 and today own over 20 million sq ft across the UK, with a big chunk in London. They’re behind places like Broadgate, Regent’s Place and Paddington Central. While offices are still their main focus, they’ve been mixing it up a lot more with residential, leisure, and retail to keep things buzzing outside office hours.

You’ve also got Landsec (Land Securities Group). Set up in 1944, they now own about 24 million sq ft, including big bits of Victoria, the West End and the City. Traditionally strong in offices and shopping centres, they’re now putting a lot more effort into mixed-use schemes — bringing in residential, restaurants, and leisure spaces alongside their commercial sites.

And then there’s Canary Wharf Group. They came onto the scene a bit later, in the late ’80s, turning the old docks into a new financial district. Today, they own around 16 million sq ft, mainly in Canary Wharf and now expanding into areas like Wood Wharf. It’s been heavily office-focused historically (banks and law firms mainly), but recently they’ve pushed hard into building residential, retail, and leisure to create more of a 24/7 neighbourhood.

Bottom line: London’s big landlords aren’t just thinking about offices anymore. They’re all building proper mixed-use destinations — places where people work, live, shop, and go out — and that’s only going to continue over the next few years.