ch history of belgravia

Past & PresentKnightsbridge London

thehistory

of belgravia

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the history of belgravia

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Today, Knightsbridge and Belgravia are known

for exclusivity, fashionable shopping and

luxurious houses, but the early history of the area

couldn’t have been more different. Images of

shopping at Harrods and walking down Sloane

Street are replaced by open fields dominated by

market gardens and at night it was a popular

place for thieves and highwaymen.

The early history dates back to the 11th

century when it was recorded as ‘Kyngesburig’ or

‘Kyngesbrigg’ - Kings Bridge, which is believed to

originate from the association with Edward

the Confessor. The King held the lands here and,

it is believed, built a bridge for the monks of

Westminster, who were given portions of the land

around Hyde Park and the River Westbourne.

However, the name of Knightsbridge has also

been attributed to the story of two knights who

were heading across the bridge at the River

Westbourne. The two knights fought to the death

and from that time it was commonly known as

the ‘Knights Bridge’. The early bridge over the

river that gave the area its name formerly sat by

today’s Albert Gate.

Early Knightsbridge

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the history of belgravia chestertonhumberts.com

During the 16th century, the area where

Belgravia is situated today was simply known as

Ebury Farm and covered 430 acres of meadows

and pastureland. The estate was acquired by the

Grosvenor family in the 17th century, when Sir

Thomas Grosvenor married the young heiress,

Mary Davies in 1676. The Grosvenor family can

be traced back to Gilbert le ros Veneur (meaning

Chief Huntsman), a nephew of Hugh Lupus,

Earl of Chester, who was a nephew of William

the Conqueror. When Mary Davies married into

the Grosvenor family, she brought to the

marriage extensive land holdings across today’s

Mayfair, Belgravia and Pimlico, which still make

up a large part of the estate today. However,

in the 17th century, the area was only marshy

ground unsuitable for building so very little was

done to the land. In the 18th century some

building began to appear on the outskirts of the

area, with the oldest houses in Ebury Street,

constructed in 1720. By the turn of the 19th

century more houses had been built along

Knightsbridge to the north and Grosvenor Place

to the east.

Up until the early 19th century the land behind

Knightsbridge, Sloane Street and Grosvenor

Place was still open fields and marsh land known

as ‘Five Fields’. The name originated from the

way tracks and paths divided the area into

separate sections. During the day, the fields were

used for market gardening, apparently

well-known for asparagus, as well as watercress

from the banks of Westbourne River, and grazing

animals and hanging out washing. However, at

night, Five Fields became a notoriously

dangerous area. The lack of lighting and buildings

meant it was a popular haunt for highwaymen

and footpads (thieves on foot), with many stories

recorded about robberies and murders in Five

Fields. The open fields were also a popular

destination for duels. The only road to cross the

area was the King’s private road and where the

road crossed the river was a bridge known as

‘Bloody Bridge’ due to the number of attacks

and murders that took place there. The infamous

fields were also used for cock-fighting, as well as

bull and bear-baiting.

One of the other main features of Knightsbridge

during this time was the taverns and it was

well-understood that many of the innkeepers

were in the pockets of thieves who frequented

the area. To travel across Knightsbridge, people

would gather in an organised group to walk from

Hyde Park Corner to Kensington, and a bell

sounded for the imminent departure of a group

for those wishing to have the security of safety in

numbers through Knightsbridge.

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Early Belgravia


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The name Belgrave originates from Belgrave

outside of Leicester, where the landowners, the

Grosvenor family had an estate. However, the

name ‘Belgravia’ was invented from the fact that

Belgrave Square sat within the heart of the new

grand building scheme by Cubitt. But, the name

took some time to be accepted, as Hermione

Hobhouse explained in Country Life that in the

early period a letter addressed to “Thomas Cubitt,

Eaton Place, Belgravia”, was sent to Vienna ‘on

the grounds that such an outlandish name could

only belong to an Hungarian province’. The area

has also been called ‘Cubittopolis’ as, still today,

it is seen as one of Thomas Cubitt’s greatest

achievements. However, this does distract from

the fact that many other architects and builders

were involved in the development of Belgravia.

Of course, Thomas Cubitt held a lot of

responsibility for the building of Belgravia, but

estate surveyors from the Cundy family were also

heavily involved, as were architects, Seth Smith

and George Basevi. In fact, the first plans for

building on the Grosvenor estate in Five Fields

dates from around 1812 when the estate surveyor,

James Wyatt drew up plans for the area. In 1813,

a further plan was put forward by Alexander

and Daniel Robertson. Large parts of this plan

remained, even after the Robertson’s themselves

were no longer involved in the project.

The first building agreements were in 1821,

well-timed with the recently renovated

Buckingham House for George IV by John Nash.

It is worth noting that the buildings would not

have originally been finished in the cream colour

as they appear today, but rather imitation yellow

ochre of Bath Stone, which was the stone used on

Buckingham Palace.

On 18th March 1825, an agreement was made

between Lord Grosvenor and Thomas Cubitt for

the development of most of the estate, less a few

specific areas which were given to Seth Smith

whose premises were in Davies Street and who

had done considerable work in Mayfair, as well

as Joseph Cundy, the speculative builder brother

of the estate surveyor and a few other smaller

builders. In 1826 it was Cubitt, with the approval

of the Grosvenor Estate, who obtained the

Grosvenor Place and District Improvement Act,

with 36 Trustees responsible for paving, lighting,

policing, drainage etc.

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Cubbitopolis

Cubitt was not only a builder, but he was the

first to establish a building business that was able

to supply all the building trades, as well as the

architectural designs for a house. Along with his

brothers, William and Lewis, the Cubitt’s took

care of land drainage, sewerage, roads, lighting,

gardens, as well as the construction of the houses

and mews. They employed their own trades-

men – bricklayers, masons, carpenters, plumbers

as well as painters and decorators. The Cubitt’s

were also known for the good workmanship and

efficiency, further establishing them as the high

quality builders of the age. Cubitt became known

as ‘the emperor of the building trade’, but he

continued a modest lifestyle, refusing a title from

Queen Victoria, and in particular he continued to

call himself ‘builder’ instead of ‘architect’ or ‘land

surveyor’ as was more socially acceptable.

One other key feature of Cubitt’s legacy in

Belgravia was his ingenious way of overcoming

the problems with the swampy ground. Firstly,

Cubitt dug up the top layer of clay and used it to

make bricks, and secondly used earth taken from

the recently excavated St Katherine’s Dock to

level the ground and allow for the foundations of

houses to be built on gravel.

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Master Builder - Thomas Cubitt

Estate Surveyors - The Cundy’sThe Cundy family had a long association as

estate surveyors for the Grosvernor’s, with three

generations managing the estate from 1821 until

1890. Thomas Cundy I (1765-1825) was estate

surveyor from 1821 until his death in 1825, but

during that time he produced and submitted the

definitive plan (though there were later additions

and alterations) for Belgravia. His son, Thomas

Cundy II, junior (1790-1867) replaced his father

and his role was to provide plans for developers,

and sometimes individual builders, and to super-

vise the progress of ongoing work. He oversaw

many aspects of the development, including

checking the measurements of the buildings

on site and monitoring the quality of the work.

Thomas Cundy, junior was also responsible for

the designs of three estate churches: St Paul’s

Wilton Place (1840-43), in Perpendicular style;

St Michael’s Chester Square (1846) in decorated

Gothic style; and the church of St Barnabus in

the street of that name, off Pimlico Road (1848-

50) in pure Gothic style.

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The history of belgravia chestertonhumberts.com

Belgrave Square is the centre piece of Cubitt’s

development. Lord Grosvenor, 1st Marquess

of Westminster commissioned Thomas Cubitt

to oversee the development of his estate, but in

Belgrave Square the development was handled by

the Haldimand Syndicate. George and

William Haldimand, along with Alexander Louis

Prevost took over much of the building of the

terraces of Belgrave Square with architect George

Basevi. George Basevi is known as being Sir John

Soane’s finest pupil, as well as the cousin of Prime

Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. He was the architect

of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, and

suffered an untimely death, falling from

scaffolding at Ely Cathedral in 1845.

The building of the terraces took place from 1825

until 1828, although building in the square was

still ongoing into the 1830s. At the time of

completion, Basevi’s designs were the largest

terraced houses in London: four storeyed and

stuccoed and featuring Corinthian pillars or

pilasters and elaborate stucco decoration in the

course above the attic. However, the facades are

not identical with slight variations in each, while

still giving the impression of a grand uniform

appearance.

Although the designs for the terraces and villas

of Belgrave Square were completed by others,

Cubitt was responsible for the central gardens

and the vital infrastructure, including the sewers,

roads and pavements. Cubitt insisted on using

only the best materials available and ensured the

highest standard of workmanship.

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The history of belgravia

Belgrave Square


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Four Corners

The four corners of Belgrave Square were

uniquely laid out for separate large villas. Three

of the plots were leased to tenants who employed

their own architects, although the fourth villa, in

the north east, was abandoned with the building

of Grosvenor Crescent. However, No.49, on the

angle of Grosvenor Crescent, slightly compen-

sates for the loss. It was designed by Cubitt for

Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea and

completed in the late 1840s. It later became the

home of the Duke of Richmond, and today is the

residence of the Argentine Ambassador.

In the north western corner, No.12 was leased

to Earl Brownlow, who employed Sir Robert

Smirke to design the house. It later became the

home of the Earl of Ancaster and today, it is the

Portuguese Embassy. No.24, in the south western

corner, was leased to Brighton developer, Thomas

Kemp, who employed H.E. Kendall to design

his house. The house, later known as Downshire

House, was completed in 1834, but Kemp was

forced to let it rather than live in it himself, and

in 1837 it became the home of Viscount Hill,

Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. It

later became the home of Lady Harriett

Drummond; the Right Honourable Lord Pirrie;

the Marquis of Tweeddale; and in the 1850s was

the home of Earl Ducie. It has been altered a

number of times and today is the Spanish Em-

bassy. In the south eastern corner, No.37, known

as Seaford House, was leased to the 3rd Earl of

Sefton, who employed Philip Hardwicke to de-

sign his house. It was constructed by Cubitt and

completed in 1846. It later became the home of

Lord de Waldon, who renamed it Seaford House

after an ancestor. Today it is the Royal College of

Defence Studies.

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Ordnanace Survey map 1869

Since its completion, Belgrave Square has been a

highly sought-after address in London. Almost

immediately houses were taken by high-ranking

politicians, military men and aristocrats. In fact,

there were so many notable residents it is difficult

to record them all here, but below is a selection

of illustrious names who have lived in Belgrave

Square.

General Sir George Murray, Quartermaster-

General to the British Army during the

Peninsular War lived at No.5, which also later

became the home of philanthropist, 7th Earl of

Shaftesbury. No.6 was the home of the 7th Duke

of Bedford; Lord Newton and later the Earl of

Pembroke. Today, Nos.9 and 10 is the Institute

of Directors, but it has also been home to the 5th

Earl of Essex, who lived at No.9 with his second

wife, opera singer, Kitty Stephens, in 1838, a year

before he passed away. The Countess of Essex

continued to live in the square for another 40

years, until 1882. No.10 was the home of French

ambassador, M. Drouin de Lhuys, in 1850.

It later became the home of Viscount Baring; the

earl of Eglintoun; and cricketer, Lord Hawke.

The square has also been home to the Earl and

Dowager-Countess Beauchamp; geologist, Sir

Roderick Murchison; 1st Earl of Ellesmere; the

Earls of Faversham; Henry Labouchere, Baron

Taunton; and Lord Crewe. No.18 is the official

residence of the Austrian ambassador and nearby

at Nos. 21-23 is the German Embassy. The south

east terrace (Nos. 25-36) features two Coade

Stone reliefs with allegorical cherubs of 1796.

They were installed in 1968 from the former

Danish-Norwegian consulate in Stepney.

Nos. 29 and 30 Belgrave Square have been the

former homes of British Prime Ministers, with

Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman at No.29 and

Charles, 2nd Earl Grey at No.30. No.36 was the

home of Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess

of Kent, who lived in the house in 1840 while

waiting for apartments to be prepared for her in

Kensington Palace. The house, known as Ingestre

House, was also later home of the Dowager

Marchioness Conyngham, as well as Colonel

Douglas Pennant. Other residents have included

the Earl of Albermarle; Earl Fortescue; the

Archbishop of York; the Duke of Connaught;

and the Earl of Ilchester.

No.43 was built for the Earl of Bradford, and

formerly known as Bradford House, before

becoming the home of Charles McLaren Esq.

No.44 was the home of the Honourable Percy

Wyndham; No.45, the Duke and Duchess of

Montrose; and No.48 was the home of Viscount

Combermere. The square was also home to Sir

William Molesworth; Sir Charles Wood, later

Lord Halifax; and the Duc de Bordeaux, better

known as the Comte de Chambord, who with his

mother, held court here in 1843.

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Distinguished Residents


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21st century Belgrave Square

Along with many large houses and villas in

central London, the effect of two World Wars,

higher taxes and death duties meant that few

could afford to live in these large houses any

longer. In the late 20th century many of the

houses were converted for institutional and

commercial use, in particular Belgrave Square is

an extremely popular location for embassies. In

fact, there are said to be over 20 embassies in this

area alone. Belgrave Square is also the home of

many Societies and Associations, including the

Royal College of Psychiatrists; Royal College of

Veterinary Surgeons; and the Institute of Physics.

There are still some residential homes, but many

of the houses were divided into separate

apartments.


The name Eaton originates from the Grosvenor’s

country seat, Eaton Hall in Cheshire. Eaton

Square has a slightly unusual layout, being di-

vided by the King’s Road. The King’s private road,

formerly a small footpath, was created by Charles

II for the sole use of the King and his family

travelling to Hampton Court Palace. Anyone else

wishing to use the road required a token, which

was presented to the toll booth at the junction

with Grosvenor Place. The entire stretch of the

King’s Road, from Grosvenor Place to Fulham

was opened to the public in 1830.

Building in Eaton Square began in 1826, but was

not completed until the 1850s. The variation in

architectural detail on some of the homes is due

to the length of time in construction and the

changing tastes in architecture from the 1820s

to the 1850s.The three northern terraces are by

Thomas Cubitt and his brother Lewis, with the

earlier sections constructed in 1826-30, closest to

St Peter’s, in a simplified late Georgian style, with

the exterior in stock brick and stucco.

The central terrace is in the more familiar stucco

with a continuous line of porches with fluted

Doric columns. The terrace took a little longer to

complete, with building starting in 1830 but was

not completed until 1847. The third terrace, also

by Cubitt, was different again constructed in an

Italianate style.

The southern terraces were built by Seth Smith

and George Sutton. Seth started work in 1825

to 1830, but in 1840 he passed the development

to Charles James Freake, who is remembered for

his building in South Kensington. He completed

the western section, as well as several sites in the

central block.

st peter’s church

On the eastern edge of Eaton Square is St Peter’s

Church, the location for many fashionable

Belgravia weddings. It was designed by Henry

Hakewell and part of the early development, with

Lord Grosvenor laying the foundation stone in

1824. It was completed three years later and

consecrated by the Bishop of London in June

1827. However, within a few years it was

devastated by fire and was completely rebuilt in

1837. It was later enlarged and remodelled by Sir

Arthur Blomfield during the 1870s. Misfortune

struck again in 1988 when St Peter’s was once

again almost entirely destroyed by fire. It was

restored by architects John and Nicki Braithwaite,

and completed in 1991 retaining the original

facade.

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Eaton Square


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Distinguished ResidentsLike Belgrave Square, Eaton Square has been the

home of many distinguished residents. The first

tenant to move in was William Whitbread of the

brewing family, with others such as Lord Truro,

who was Lord Chancellor; Sir George Gray,

devoted servant and friend of Queen Victoria;

General Sir Thomas Bradford; Colonel Sibthorp;

and Lord Napier of Magdala who was chief

engineer with Sir Colin Campbell’s army during

the Indian Mutiny in 1857.

No.4 Eaton Square was the home of Sir Francis

Baring, first Lord Northbrook, who was

Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1839-41 and

First Lord of the Admiralty in 1849-52; No.7

was home to Sir Frederick Thesiger, Lord

Chelmsford, the victor of Ulundi over the Zulus

under Cetewayo in 1879; No.10 was the home

of General Sir William Codrington, who was

present at the Battle of Alma and Inkerman and

was chief in command at the Siege of Sebastopol.

He was the second son of Admiral Sir Edward

Codrington, who had formerly lived at No.92

Eaton Square, who commanded the Orion at the

Battle of Trafalgar and was chief commander at

Navarino.

Former British Prime Minister, Neville

Chamberlain, lived at No.37 Eaton Square from

1923 until 1935; politician, Sir John Pakington,

Lord Hampton lived at No.41 in 1874; No.43

was home to Lord Cottesloe; another Prime

Minister, Lord John Russell lived at No.48 in

1858; while at No.44 was Austrian

statesman, Prince Klemens Metternich, Prince of

Metternich-Winneburg-Beilstein. When Foreign

Minister he was one of the principal

organisers of the Congress of Vienna at the

end of the Napoleonic Wars. He was forced to

resign from the Austrian government during the

revolutions of 1848 and took temporary refuge in

London.

Other notable residents have included: Lord

Sandhurst at No.60; Colonel Tulloch at No.63;

Lord Alvanley at No.62; while No.71 was used as

the official residence of the Speaker of the House

of Commons during the rebuilding of the Houses

of Parliament; and No.74 was Lord Cardwell.

who held many positions, including President

of the Board of Trade; Secretary for Ireland;

Colonial Secretary and from 1868 to 1874 was

Secretary for War.

No.75 Eaton Square has been the home of MP,

Ralph Bernal; as well as Baron Martin; and

Viscount Knutsford. No.76 was the home of

Viscount Falkland; No.92, Sir Augustus Clifford;

and No.93 was the home of Stanley Baldwin,

later Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, in 1920-3.

Baldwin was three times Prime Minister and also

the cousin of Rudyard Kipling. No.93 was also

the home of Sir William Clay. No.114 was the

home of Lady Baden-Powell; and No.115 was

the home of the Earl of Ellenborough, son of the

great Lord Chief Justice Ellenborough in 1859;

Eaton Square was also the home of renowned

American philanthropist, George Peabody, who

is remembered for his social housing across

London.

The 20th century brought great change to Eaton

Square, particularly after World War II. Under

the 1939 Defence Regulations, many houses in

Eaton Square were requisitioned by the

government during the war, and for some time

afterward. After the end of the war, plans were

put in place to redevelop the square by converting

most of the houses into flats and maisonettes.

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the history of belgraviaCourtesy of City of Westminster Centre

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Upper Belgrave Street & Belgrave Place

The streets off Belgrave Square have also been

highly sought after and were a vital part of

Cubitt’s design for the Duke of Westminster’s

estate. Upper Belgrave Street, first known simply

as Belgrave Street, was laid out by Thomas Cubitt

in 1826, with No.1 Belgrave Street said to have

been the first completed house in Belgravia.

People began to move in during the late 1820s,

but it wasn’t until 1835 that the entire street was

occupied. In 1827, Thomas Cubitt himself lived

at No.12 Belgrave Street, which later became the

home of writer and economist, Walter Bagehot.

Poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson, lived at No.9 in

1880-81 and Hon. Robert Smith, eldest son of

Lord Carrington lived at No.3. No.13 was the

home of George Fitzclarence, eldest son of King

William IV by his mistress, the actress, Mrs

Jordan. Fitzclarence became a Lieutenant of

the Tower of London and later became Earl of

Munster in 1831, before he committed suicide

in 1842. No.13 later became the home of Lord

Harewood. Belgrave Place was originally known

as Upper Eccleston Street, but was renamed

in 1870. No.3 was the home of Lord Charles

Wellesley, and is also believed to have been the

home of the Duke of Wellington.


Chester Square is one of the key squares of

Belgravia. It was originally laid out as streets, but

in 1828 Joseph Cundy, Seth Smith and another

developer, Watkins proposed a new layout as an

oblong square. The name of Chester originates

from the city of Chester, where the Grosvenor’s

country seat, Eaton Hall, is located. Building

began in around 1832, but was not completed

until the 1840s. The south east and north east

terraces were built and designed by Thomas

Cundy II. The north west side was built by Seth

Smith, with a mixture of plain stucco and more

ornate Italianate designs. The square is dominated

by St Michael’s Church, built by Thomas Cundy

in a decorative gothic style. It was completed in

1846, but altered again in 1874.

Chester Square has also been home to many

illustrious residents including geologist, Dr.

Gideon A. Mantell, who became a Fellow of the

Royal Society at the age of 35 and his collection

of fossils is held in the British Museum. No.24

Chester Square was the home of Mary

Wollstonecraft, author of Frankenstein and wife

of poet, Shelley; No.22 was the home of

Matthew Arnold, who became Professor of

Poetry at Oxford, but he is most remembered as

an essayist and poet; and No.26 was the home of

John St Loe Strachey, son of Sir John Strachey

who rose to become a successful journalist and

editor of The Spectator from 1898 to 1925.

During World War II, No.77 was the location

for the Secretariat of Queen Wilhelmina of the

Netherlands, and it is also believed that the spy,

Guy Burgess lived in the square, staying with a

friend.

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Eaton Place


Chester Square

Eaton Place was constructed to accompany

nearby Eaton Square, situated to the west

towards Sloane Square. Eaton Place has been

immortalised by the television programme

Upstairs Downstairs and clearly illustrates the

type of household that would have existed in

Belgravia during the 19th and early 20th centu-

ries. Building development also took place over

a number of years, between 1828 and the 1840s.

Thomas Cubitt also used a number of the houses

in Eaton Place as his offices throughout the

development of Belgravia. It has been the home

of scientist, Lord Kelvin, who lived at No.15;

politician, Lord Carson at No.5; social reformer,

William Ewart at No.16; and scientist and

writer, Lord Avebury was born at No.29 in 1834.

In 1848, composer Chopin gave his first musical

recital in London at No.99 Eaton Place and in

1922 No.36 was the site of the assassination of

Field-Marshal Sir Henry Wilson who was shot

by two Irishmen when he was getting out of his

car. Eaton Place continued to be the home of

many notable residents, with many retired

military leaders, aristocracy and politicians.

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Cadogan Estate

The Cadogan Estate, which covers a large part

of Knightsbridge and Chelsea, was created when

Charles Cadogan, 2nd Baron Cadogan of Oakley

married Elizabeth Sloane, daughter of lord of

the manor, Sir Hans Sloane, in 1717. Cadogan

later inherited the manor and the larger portion

of Sloane’s estate. The Knightsbridge section

of the estate, near to Sloane Street was one of

the first areas to be developed, in the late 18th

century, when Henry Holland set about building

Hans Town (named after Sir Hans Sloane). The

area underwent extensive redevelopment at the

time of George Cadogan, 5th Earl of Cadogan

in the late 19th Century, which transformed the

area from plain, classic Georgian terraced houses

into the Victorian red brick ‘Queen Anne Style’

houses that dominate the area today.

cadogan place

Cadogan Place was laid out as part of Henry

Holland’s scheme for the Cadogan Estate. Today,

it is a highly sought-after address in

Knightsbridge. Charles Dickens famously

referred to Cadogan Place in novel, Nicholas

Nickleby as “between the aristocratic

pavements of Belgrave Square and the barbarism

of Chelsea”.

Cadogan Place has been the home of a number

of famous residents, including the mistress of the

Duke of Clarence, (and mother of ten of his

children), Mrs Jordan, who lived at No.30 in

1811. The abolisher of slavery, William Wilber-

force, died at No.44 in 1833, only a month before

the Slavery Abolition Act was passed through the

House of Lords. Other residents have included,

statesman, Charles Pelham Villiers; Private

Secretary and friend of William IV, Sir Herbert

Taylor; philanthropist, Zachery Macaulay, whose

son, Thomas Babington Macaulay also lived in

the house in 1812-23.


sloane street

Sloane Street sits on the west of Belgravia and is

at the heart of the Hans Town development. It

was laid out as a main route from Knightsbridge

through to Chelsea and also named after Sir

Hans Sloane. Originally developed in plain,

uniform Georgian terraces, large sections of

Sloane Street and surrounding Hans Town was

redeveloped during the late 19th century.

Sloane Street has been home to a number of

notable residents, with many being honoured

with blue plaques, including Sir Herbert

Beerbohm Tree at a house on the site of No.76;

Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke at No.75; and

Edgar Allen Poe went to school, which formerly

sat on the east of Sloane Street. Sloane Street was

also home to Count Cagliostro, in 1780, and the

artist, Felix Moscheles lived in a house on the

east side in 1862, where Robert Browning was

a visitor, but the house was demolished in 1890.

The Peruvian Embassy is at No.52 Sloane Street

and a few doors down is the dramatic Royal

Danish Embassy, at No.55, designed by Arne

Jacobsen and completed in 1978. The Cadogan

Hotel at No.75 Sloane Street was built in 1887

and was famously the location for the arrest of

Oscar Wilde in 1895. It was also the home of

actress and mistress to King Edward VII, Lillie

Langtry. Today, Sloane Street is renownowed as one

of the most exclusive shopping streets in London.

Harrods

Harrods was founded by Henry Charles Harrod,

a tea merchant based in east London. He moved

to Knightsbridge in 1849 to open a small grocers

shop and it was over the next 30 years that his

son Charles Digby Harrod and his nephew

William Kibble transformed this small grocers

shop into a large department store. By 1880, the

store had nearly 100 assistants and had extended

premises and purchased neighbouring properties.

The store was devastated by fire in 1883, but was

soon rebuilt and by the time the new building

opened in 1884 the turnover had almost doubled.

The familiar building we recognise today was

built in 1901-5, designed by Stevens and Munt,

but complete rebuilding had not been completed

until 1939. Harrods was the first department

store to install escalators and had staff standing

at the top with smelling salts for any ladies who

found the

experience overwhelming.

Harvey Nichols

Harvey Nichols was founded by Benjamin

Harvey as a small linen-draper’s. However, the

exact details of the origins of the store are not

clear, but it is believed to have started trading in

around 1813. The store operated as Harvey and

Co until, after joining with linen draper, Colonel

Nichols, it officially became Harvey Nichols in

1859. The home of Harvey Nichols, on the

corner of Knightsbridge and Sloane Street, was

constructed by C.W. Stephens in 1889-94 with a

simple brick and stone facade. It was extended to

the south west and south east between 1922 and

1934 by F.E. Williams & Alfred Cox, with giant

pilasters in a ‘Selfridges’ style.

Knightsbridge Green

Further along Knightsbridge towards Brompton

Road is the former village green, which originally

covered the entire area on the corner of

Knightsbridge and Brompton Road. There is so

little remaining of the green, in fact a single tree

and the street between Brompton Road and

Knightsbridge, but until the 19th century there

was a cattle market, a watch and the village stocks

were all located here. It is also understood that

the small triangle section that remains is the site

of a former burial pit for victims of the plague

that hit London in 1665.

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Shopping in Knightsbridge

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The Lowndes family & Spring Gardens

The Lowndes Estate is the section of Belgravia to

the north, where Lowndes Street and Lowndes

Square are situated today. The estate consisted of

two fields, either side of the Westbourne River,

which wasn’t covered over until 1842. The estate

has been in the hands of the Lowndes family of

Buckinghamshire since the 17th century. The first

building to take place was in 1670 when Henry

Swindell leased a portion of the land in the north

east corner, where he built a house surrounded

by extensive grounds that became a well-known

pleasure resort called ‘Spring Gardens’, where

Samuel Pepys was a frequent visitor. The house

attached to the gardens was demolished in 1828

to make way for Lowndes Square.

At around the same time that Lord Grosvenor

was planning the development of Belgravia,

William Lowndes was also planning for building

on his estate. He also commissioned Thomas

Cubitt, who set about building Lowndes Square,

starting with the north, west and east sections,

between 1838 and 1849, while the southern part

was constructed by Cubitt’s brother, Lewis.

During the building development many relics of

the Civil War were uncovered.

Lowndes Square has been the home of many

distinguished residents, including civil engineer

and architect, Sir John Rennie; architect, Sir

William Tite; Admiral Southey; and railway

contractor, Thomas Brassey. No.1 Lowndes

Square was the home of Sir William Molesworth

and Mr Leader, MP for Westminster; No.7

was the home of General Lord Airey; while the

square was also home to writer, Mrs Gascoigne;

Lady Morgon; Right Honourable Robert Lowe,

MP, and later Lord Sherbrooke; and a number of

other politicians, military and titled residents.

Large parts of Lowndes Square were redeveloped

during the 20th century, with very few original

houses remaining. Sloane Street was widened and

Harvey Nichols was extended during the 1920s;

on the north, the Grand Metropolitan Hotel was

built in 1968-73; Richmond Court, a block of

flats with shops was completed in 1937-8; and

where West Halkin Street meets Lowndes Street

is Bolebec House by Sir Lancelot Keay, Basil

Duckett & partners in 1962. Across the street

is the distinct semicircular Chelsea House, with

flats over shops, completed in 1935 by Thomas

Tait.

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To the north of Lowndes Square, Albert Gate,

named after Prince Albert, marks more than just

a short-cut to the Hyde Park. It was at this point

that the early ‘Knights Bridge’ was located. It was

also around this area that some of the earliest

houses were located. To the east was the site of an

ancient hospital believed to have been built in the

late 1500s and used for those suffering from the

Bubonic plague in 1665 and also for those

suffering from Leprosy. After the hospital had

been demolished in the early 1800s, the site was

used for the Cannon Brewery, but it didn’t last

long as it too had been demolished in 1841.

Attached to the hospital was Holy Trinity

Chapel, which was often the location for secret

marriages. It appears that Knightsbridge was one

of the destinations for those wishing to cover

their indiscretions or for those wishing to go

against the wishes of relatives. Irregular marriages

that took place at Holy Trinity included Sir

Robert Walpole and Katherine Shorter in 1700

and Henry Graham and the Countess of

Derwentwater, daughter of Charles II, in 1705.

On either side of the chapel were pubs (remem-

bering that much of early Knightsbridge was

highwaymen and taverns), including ‘The Queen’s

Head’, dating back to 1576, but demolished in

1843.

On the western side of today’s Albert Gate was

‘The Fox and Bull’, which was said to have been

founded at the time of Elizabeth I and where

she would stop on her way to visit Lord Burleigh

at his house in Brompton. It is also believed to

have been visited by Sir Joshua Reynolds and also

where the wife of the poet Shelley was brought

after she drowned herself in the Serpentine. In

1809 six entire male skeletons were discovered

under the grounds of the pub, supposed to be

remains of soldiers from the Civil War.

A number of old houses and the pubs were

demolished in 1841 for the creation of Albert

Gate. The new gates were installed in 1845, with

the two stags that had formerly been on a

gateway to Green Park. At the same time, Cubitt

was planning for the construction of two grand

stucco mansions on either side of Albert Gate.

The house on the east became the home of ‘rail-

way king’ George Hudson, and since that time

has been the French Embassy, where Emperor

Louis Napoleon held a levee in 1855.

Hyde Park Hotel

The Hyde Park Hotel, now the Mandarin

Oriental Hyde Park was constructed as a ‘gentle-

men’s chambers and club, in 1889-91 by Archer

& Green. It was constructed in a French Early

Renaissance style, with pyramid roofs with

lanterns and ornate decoration. It became a hotel

shortly after construction, in 1902. The main

staircase is the original from 1889.

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Albert Gate

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Motcomb StreetToday, Motcomb Street is a small enclave of

shops in the heart of Belgravia. It was originally

named Kinnerton Mews, but the name changed

shortly after completion in 1830. The north side

of Motcomb Street features the stucco front

of the ‘Pantechnicon’, built by Seth Smith to

designs by Joseph Jopling in 1830. It formerly

housed carriage show rooms, shops and extensive

warehousing, with a bazaar in the block opposite.

The supposedly fire-proof warehouse behind

burnt down in 1874, and its replacement became

a shopping arcade and garden.

Kinnerton Street area was developed from 1824

by Seth Smith and named after a village in

Cheshire on the Grosvenor estates. The street was

built as a service road, including coach houses,

with accommodation above; artizans’ houses;

small businesses and pubs. Today, it still retains

a feeling of a small village. Earl Mountbatten

of Burma, who was assassinated by the IRA in

1979, maintained a house at No.2 Kinnerton

Street from 1968 until his death. Studio Place,

renamed in 1931, was built as College Place in

1844. It contains Bradbrook House which until

1890 was a series of schools of anatomy. It was

then converted into artists’ studios, renamed

Kinnerton Studios in 1893 and then Bradbrook

House in 1948. During World War I it was used

as a hospital.

In the design for Belgravia, landowners did

not want shops to be seen, but rather, along

with pubs, they were banished to the mews and

smaller streets on the outskirts. Cubitt planned

for the area to be exclusively private houses,

but unusually Seth Smith deliberately created

the Pantechnicon in Motcomb Street, as well

as Halkin Arcade, which is now Waitrose. Still

today, the majority of the pubs in Belgravia are

tucked away in the mews. Through traffic was

also banned from the estate, which was enforced

by bars across Pont Street and the King’s Road,

attended by barkeepers in top-hats, who were

given strict instructions to turn back commercial

vehicles, and unauthorised private carriages.


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The Wiltons

Wilton Crescent and Wilton Place were both

built by Seth Smith between 1824 and 1828.

The name Wilton originated from Lady Eleanor

Egerton, daughter of the 1st Earl of Wilton,

who married Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess

of Westminster. They have been the home of a

number of prominent residents, with Wilton

Crescent the home of historian, Henry Hallam,

at No.24 where he entertained many from the

literary world; No.16 was the home of the Right

Honourable James Lowther, MP and later Lord

Dudley Stuart; No.37 was the home of Lord

Chewton, who was later killed at the Battle of

Alma; No.30 was the home of Lord John Rus-

sell; and the poet, Swinburne also lived in the

Crescent in 1856.

Wilton Place was built on the site of an old cow

yard from 1827. It has been the home of actress,

Mrs Reynolds; and No.13 was the home of

antiquary, Honourable Thomas Stapleton. St

Paul’s Church in Wilton Place was built in

1840-43 by Thomas Cundy, junior.

Today, Wilton Row is known for renowned

Grenadier pub, believed to be one of the most

haunted pubs in London and named for its

close association with the former Foot-Guards

Barracks. Wilton Row, built by Thomas Cubitt,

was first known as Wilton Crescent Mews and

completed by the early 1830s.


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Chesham Street & Chesham Place

Chesham Street was laid out for building during

the 1830s as part of the building development of

William Lowndes on land that ran adjacent to

the Westbourne River. The name Chesham

originated from the family home of the Lowndes,

in Chesham, Buckinghamshire. Nos. 2-10

Chesham Street were first completed in the mid

1830s with residents including a Viscountess, a

Baronet, and an Earl. Chesham Place was laid

out in 1831 and was the home of Madame

Vestris in 1837; while No.37 was home of Lord

John Russell; No.35 was home to Sir Charles

Wood in 1851; and No.29 was the Russian

Embassy.

Prior to the building of Belgravia, some earlier

houses were constructed facing Knightsbridge

during the 18th century. The section between

today’s Lowndes Street towards the Lanesbor-

ough Hotel, much of which has been demolished,

was known as St George’s Place. The section

towards Hyde Park corner, named Knightsbridge

Terrace, was home to a selection of notable

occupants, including Maurice Morgann, part of

the embassy sent to negotiate peace with America

in 1783; Charles II’s Ambassador to Persia, Sir

John Chardin; and at No.8 Knightsbridge Terrace

was the home of William Penn, the founder of

Pennsylvania in the United States.

Other notable residents of this part of old

Knightsbridge have included: poet and friend

of Joseph Addison and Jonathan Swift, Thomas

Harrison; Portuguese chevalier who became

Secretary to the Embassy at Vienna, Francis

Xavier D’Oliveyra; and the Countess of

Yarmouth, mistress of George II. Nos. 11-13 was

originally an entrance to Hyde Park tube station,

as is identified by the familiar deep red tiled

exterior.

Old Barrack Yard was laid out in 1830 and

originally named Phillips Terrace, until 1836. It

was an entrance to a cow pasture at the rear of

Knightsbridge on which barracks of the Foot

Guards were built from 1758. In 1830, Thomas

Phillips rebuilt it as cottages and stabling.


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St George’s Hospital – Lanesborough Hotel

On the corner of Knightsbridge and Hyde

Park Corner is the grand Lanesborough Hotel,

formerly St George’s Hospital, which is on the

site of the former ‘country house’ of James Lane,

Viscount Lanesborough. The original house was

built on the outskirts of London in 1719 when

this area was still countryside. Lanesborough

was most notably responsible for the gilding of

the upper gallery around the dome of St Paul’s

Cathedral, at his own expense. He passed away in

1724 and by 1733 the house had been acquired

by the governors of the Westminster Infirmary to

convert into a hospital. Over time, the old house

was converted and extended, but by the 1880s it

was clear that a new building was required.

The new hospital was designed by William

Wilkins, who was also responsible for the designs

of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. The

new hospital, built in a neo-Greek style with

projecting wings and a large portico of four

pillars facing Green Park, was built in 1827-29.

The new building not only included hospital

wards, but also a chapel, a museum, lecture room

and private apartments. The museum held

curiosities such as a half-sovereign taken from

Mr. Brunel’s windpipe and money and knives

taken from patients’ stomachs.

St George’s Hospital continued at Hyde Park

Corner until 1980, when it relocated to Tooting.

The Grosvenor estate then bought back the site

and in 1988 it was agreed the hospital would be

converted into a new high class hotel, now known

as the Lanesborough Hotel.

Tattersalls

Behind today’s Lanesborough Hotel, was the

famous Tattersall’s horse market, “so renowned

through all the breadth and length of horse-

loving, horse-breeding, horse-racing Europe”.

Tattersalls was the destination point for buying

and selling horses across the country, as well as

those for Europe seeking out the best breeds for

the nobility and gentry and was popularly known

as ‘the corner’. It was founded in 1773 by Richard

Tattersall, former training groom to the Duke of

Kingston.

The old entrance was through an arched passage

and past a pub, ‘The Turf ’, a popular spot for a

drink, as well as offering accommodation for

the many grooms, jockeys and horse-dealers.

By 1864, Tattersalls had become completely

surrounded in buildings and streets and it was

decided to relocate it further west to

Knightsbridge Green, where the Tattersall Tavern

is the only reminder of the former horse

auctioneers in Knightsbridge.

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Prior to the building of Wellington Arch and

Hyde Park Screen by Decimus Burton, Hyde

Park Corner was simply the entrance to London,

marked by a toll gate. In the early 19th century,

a number of plans for new grand city gates were

submitted, including designs from Sir John Soane

and Robert Adam, but they were deemed too

extravagant. However, after the end of the

Napoleonic Wars it was proposed that a grand

arch be built to mark the entrance to the new

Royal Palace of George IV, Buckingham House,

which would double as a monument to the Na-

poleonic victories.

Decimus Burton’s design for a new grand

gateway into Hyde Park, which is the one that

still stands today, was approved in 1825, and at

the same time he was commissioned to design a

new arch to mark the entrance to Buckingham

Palace. The original designs for the arch featured

ornate decoration with statues and frieze, as

well as trophies of arms and a sculpture on top.

However, by 1830, there was no further budget

to complete the arch with the planned external

decoration and Burton was forced to leave it with

the plain external work, as it remains today. The

Arch, at this time known as Green Park Arch,

was also situated in a different position, in line

with Hyde Park Screen and parallel to Grosvenor

Place.

A few years later, in 1838, it was decided that the

top of the green park arch was an ideal

situation for a monument to the Duke of

Wellington. Artist, Matthew Cotes Wyatt was

chosen to complete the statue, but unfortunately

his design, featuring the Duke of Wellington on

a horse, was almost universally disliked. There was

a great outcry against the statue, but it was still

placed on top of the arch in 1846.

Within forty years, the growing traffic using

Piccadilly, and the increased traffic after the

opening of Victoria Station in 1860 meant that

the roads needed to be widened. In 1880, the

First Commissioner of Works, Shaw Lefevre

proposed a new plan for Hyde Park Corner

which required the moving of Wellington Arch.

In 1883, the arch was completely dismantled

(including the removal of the statue of

Wellington on top) and the arch was rebuilt

where it stands today, looking down Constitu-

tion Hill as a grand avenue towards Buckingham

Palace. The statue of Wellington was relocated to

a site near the

garrison church at Aldershot and a new statue

of the Duke of Wellington by Sir Joseph Boehm

was placed outside Apsley House, the former

home of the Duke of Wellington, in 1888.

The removal of the notorious Wellington statue

meant that the top of the arch was empty. King

Edward VII suggested a statue by sculptor,

Captain Adrian Jones, who began work on

the quadriga, based on a smaller work called

‘Triumph’. The final work was unveiled in the

presence of George VI and Queen Mary in April

1912.


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Grosvenor Place

Grosvenor Place was one of the earliest parts of

Belgravia to be built on, with the first building to

the south, the Lock Hospital, built in 1746, when

much of the surrounding area was covered in

fields. It was originally built as an isolation hos-

pital, in particular to cure females “suffering from

diseases contracted by a vicious way of life.”

Grosvenor Place was laid out with houses from

1767, shortly after George III made Buckingham

House a royal country residence. The original

18th century houses were large detached villas,

with a number of notable residents. However, by

the 1860s, and after Belgravia had become the

centre of fashionable London, it was decided to

redevelop Grosvenor Place. Thomas Cundy, the

younger was responsible for much of the building

in 1865-71 in a 17th century French Renaissance

style.

The new houses along Grosvenor Place were soon

taken up by wealthy residents, including Honour-

able Harry George Vane, MP, who later became

4th Duke of Cleveland; Baron Sir Anthony de

Rothschild of the banking family; John Den-

nistoun, Glasgow MP; and Right Honourable

Philip Henry, 5th Earl of Stanhope, MP and

historian. No.17, built in 1875 by R.J. Waller

became the Irish Embassy. Other residents have

included: Sir Thomas Neville Abdy, first baronet

MP and High Sheriff of Essex in 1875; Lord

George John Manners, MP and son of the 5th

Duke of Rutland; Sir Thomas Bateson, Bt. Later,

it was home to first Baron Deramore; J.H. Man-

ners-Sutton, Lord of the Treasury and Colonial

Governor who became 3rd Viscount Canterbury;

and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Prime

Minister from 1905 to 1908.

Since the turn of the 20th century, many of the

houses along Grosvenor Place have now been

converted for commercial or institutional use,

with large sections entirely rebuilt.

Grosvenor Crescent

Grosvenor Crescent was laid out from 1837,

over the corner of Belgrave Square through the

grounds of the old Tattersalls horse auction mart,

but was not completed until 1860. The houses

in the northern terrace were completed by Seth

Smith and those on the south were by Cubitt.

Notable inhabitants have included Lord Ash-

bourne at No.5; Right Honourable Sir George

Trevelyan, Bart, M.P at No.8; the Duke of Leeds

at No.11; and C. Bulkeley Barrington, MP at

No.14.

Halkin Street

Halkin Street is dominated by Forbes House,

formerly known as Mortimer House, a nine bay

house, built with yellow brick and hidden behind

a walled forecourt with trees. The original part of

the house was built in around 1810 by Sir Robert

Smirke for the 5th Earl of Oxford, but it was

later extended in 1824 for the 3rd Earl Fitzwil-

liam, and again in around 1912, for the 8th Earl

of Granard, who was responsible for the name of

‘Forbes’. The Caledonian Club was built in 1913

on the site of the Belgrave Chapel, which had

been built by Sir Robert Smirke in 1811.

Chapel Street

Chapel Street was named after the former

Chapel attached to the Lock Hospital, which

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18th century, but only partly completed at the

turn of the 19th century. Most notably it has

been the former home of Richard Jones, teacher

of elocution, who became known as ‘Gentleman

Jones’. He was a highly sought after teacher for

politicians, preachers and lawyers who needed

assistance with their speech.

Wilton Street

Wilton Street was built between 1819 and 1825.

No.8 was the home of Henry Gray, who worked

at St George’s Hospital and wrote the anatomy

textbook, Gray’s Anatomy that is still used by

medical students today. It was also home to

actress and stage performer Miss Ruth Draper

during 1936. Wilton Street was also the home

of former Prime Minister Edward Heath who

moved to No.17 after the loss of the election in

1974.


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the historian

At Chesterton Humberts we understand the

importance of national heritage, with our own

history dating back to 1805.

Chesterton Humberts greatly value the history

of houses and the insight they give to the lives of

our ancestors and our nation’s social history. As

well as being property experts we believe that it is

important to understand our history – to support

this we employ our own in-house historian to

bring the history of property to life. Chesterton

Humberts is the only UK estate agent to offer this

unique service.

The Chesterton Humberts historian is responsible

for uncovering and bringing to life the stories

behind each house, as well as giving insight into

the history of local areas and streets.

On homes where the history is deemed

particularly valuable, historical information is

made available within property details. Historical

information such as former residents, when the

house was built, how the area developed, and even

any significant events in the house are used to

give insight into the history of the house and the

people who have lived there.

Along with providing an historical overview of

the house, the Chesterton Humberts historian

works closely with our marketing team and

journalists with a view to generating additional

publicity for the property. Whether the home

of a famous resident, striking architecture or an

association with an historic event, the historian

can offer a unique perspective that may generate

further media coverage.

People are increasingly interested in knowing

more about the history of their house or the

house they hope to live in. Most people have

walked along a street and noticed a blue plaque

or a particular building and wondered how long it

has been there or what it may have been hundreds

of years ago. The Chesterton Humberts historian

can give an insight to these mysteries and an

overview of the life of a house and the people

who have called it home.

melanie backe-hansen

Specialist in researching the history of houses.Chesterton Humberts is the only estate agent to employ a full time house historian.

Read Melanie’s blog athttp://property-blog.chestertonhumberts.com/or follow Melanie on twitterhttp://twitter.com/househistorian


melanie backe-hansen

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Knightsbridge and Belgravia Office31 Lowndes Street

Knightsbridge London sw1x 9hx

salest: 020 7235 8090

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