Inside UK Real Estate Investing with Hugh Elrington of Barwood Capital

In this episode of The People of Private Capital, Hugh Elrington, Managing Director of Barwood Capital, shares his journey from CBRE to leading one of the UK’s most active real estate investment firms. We explore the evolution of Barwood’s strategies across industrial, residential, and alternative asset classes, as well as the challenges and opportunities shaping the UK property market today.

Key Topics:

• Hugh’s career journey from CBRE and Rockspring to Barwood Capital

• Lessons from investing across Europe and navigating the GFC

• Evolution of Barwood from a developer to a capital-raising investment platform

• Barwood’s flagship Growth Funds and multi-let industrial strategies

• Residential platform for high-net-worth investors and democratizing access to private capital

• Challenges of the UK planning system and housing undersupply

• Opportunities in industrial, logistics, and the “fourth industrial revolution”

• Emerging sectors: self-storage, small-scale life sciences, and student housing

• Shifts in tenant demand and ESG-driven occupier requirements

• Fundraising from pensions, family offices, and private investors

What You’ll Learn:

• How UK real estate strategies differ across industrial, residential, and mixed-use

• Why industrial is becoming more distributed and talent/infrastructure-driven

• Lessons on stock selection, portfolio weighting, and sector specialization

• How Barwood Capital balances institutional and private investors

• The importance of accessibility, diversification, and shorter-term funds for HNW investors

• Where UK real estate opportunities may lie over the next 5 years