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Ever walked past that tiny kiosk near the Garrick Theatre? The little round one tucked under a lamp-post, that used to be a bit of haven for cheap, last-minute tickets to theatre and music shows across the city? Well if you have, and enjoyed it, you might be pleased to know it's up for grabs. How much? Oh just 3.3 million great British pounds, plus VAT.
That's right, for more than three million pounds the kiosk could be yours. Tourist Island, it's known as. From the surface you might be scratching your head as to the price tag, as it's a mere 250 square foot on ground level, which is roughly the same size as a small (maybe very small) studio apartment. However, there's also a basement which is a much more spacious 1448 square feet (nearly six times the size), according to Metro. On the for sale sign it’s described as a freehold with 1700Sq ft of space, so the numbers add up. This also means you're paying around £1943 per square foot.
It's actually been on the market for eight months or so. Prompted by the freehold ending, TKTS presumably decided to pass the building onto another business, having taken their ticket sales online. They first used the space for ticket selling in 2011, and stopped operations in Spring 2021. The spot has recently been brought to attention as a result of good bants on the Facebook Group Londonist Urban Oddities, where people have speculated what the new function of ‘Iconic Island’ should be, and whether it'll end up on Grand Designs.
While the top-floor is pretty tiny, the basement might well be able to find some use. Back in the day it was a public toilet run by the City of Westminster Council, so there's likely decent plumbing at least.
If you fancy something a touch more modest (in price and size) how about this phone booth in Angel? For £45,000 you can have a business space on Islington's Upper Street. A nice, mainly vertical, red, heritage(?) space. A phone box. It has electricity though. Apparently it's currently producing over £4000 a year in revenue. This particular box is 8'3" high and 3ft square and was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who also designed Tate Modern among other impressive buildings.
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