Great Portland Street, W1W

Road in/near Great Portland Street, existing between 1717 and now.

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(51.523 -0.144, 51.523 -0.144) 
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Road · * · W1W ·
September
30
2016
Great Portland Street forms the boundary between Fitzrovia to the east and, to the west, Marylebone.

Different owners and interests influenced the initial development of the area and affected the street layout and character. Edward Harley – Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, was responsible for the development of the Portland Estate, which commenced with Cavendish Square in 1717 and grew north and east. Great Portland Street’s name is derived from the estate and several other street names in the area are related to the area’s ownership, albeit less obviously.

Although the land up to Great Titchfield Street was controlled by the Portland Estate, other estates developed nearby land simultaneously. The Berners family who owned land just to the east of Great Portland Street, developed from Wells Street and Rathbone Place in the mid-18th century. At the same time the Middlesex Hospital expanded on land on a 99-year lease around Mortimer Street, encroaching on Riding House and Cleveland Streets. The proximity of unrelated developers with different agendas explains the unusual pattern of street grids centred on Great Portland Street, where several east-west streets terminate or originate.

Great Portland Street runs straight from north to south through the grid of streets. The layout, combined with its width and the concentration of shops along its length, means it has for a long time been a local centre and thoroughfare, connecting the residential areas around Regent’s Park with the West End. It has also resulted in it becoming a divider, emphasising the contrasting areas to either side. To the east,are artistic areas such as Fitzrovia, which have historically been less well-to-do than the west, with its grand parade of Portland Place, residential areas for the gentry, and doctors and medical institutions on Harley Street.

Development of the estate was gradual but particularly so on Great Portland Street. This had an effect during its redevelopment in the late-19th/early-20th centuries when rebuilding was dictated by the expiration of individual 99-year leases, and is evident in the buildings in existence today.

The most coherent element to the architecture is the predominance of Edwardian buildings to the north and Victorian buildings towards Oxford Street, particularly noticeable when there has been occasional consolidation of plots, leading to consistent façades above street level such as in the block between Clipstone and Carburton Streets. The trend of period groupings is another result of the slowness of the first development. As buildings in the south were built earlier than those in the north, their leases expired earlier, setting off a wave of redevelopment which meant that rebuilding in the south took place in the late-Victorian era, whilst that in the north was delayed until the Edwardian.

The Blitz made it necessary for further re-building after the war, although the damage incurred along the street was not particularly extensive so there are few modern buildings, and although the aesthetic today is a jumble of architectural styles and eras, the overall feel is that of an historic street.


Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

Comment
Fumblina   
Added: 21 Feb 2023 11:39 GMT   

Error on 1800 map numbering for John Street
The 1800 map of Whitfield Street (17 zoom) has an error in the numbering shown on the map. The houses are numbered up the right hand side of John Street and Upper John Street to #47 and then are numbered down the left hand side until #81 BUT then continue from 52-61 instead of 82-91.

Reply
Lived here
Julian    
Added: 23 Mar 2021 10:11 GMT   

Dennis Potter
Author Dennis Potter lived in Collingwood House in the 1970’s

Reply

LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Comment
Wendy    
Added: 22 Mar 2024 15:33 GMT   

Polygon Buildings
Following the demolition of the Polygon, and prior to the construction of Oakshott Court in 1974, 4 tenement type blocks of flats were built on the site at Clarendon Sq/Phoenix Rd called Polygon Buildings. These were primarily for people working for the Midland Railway and subsequently British Rail. My family lived for 5 years in Block C in the 1950s. It seems that very few photos exist of these buildings.

Reply

Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:42 GMT   

Road construction and houses completed
New Charleville Circus road layout shown on Stanford’s Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1879 with access via West Hill only.

Plans showing street numbering were recorded in 1888 so we can concluded the houses in Charleville Circus were built by this date.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

Reply
Comment
Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:04 GMT   

Charleville Circus, Sydenham: One Place Study (OPS)
One Place Study’s (OPS) are a recent innovation to research and record historical facts/events/people focused on a single place �’ building, street, town etc.

I have created an open access OPS of Charleville Circus on WikiTree that has over a million members across the globe working on a single family tree for everyone to enjoy, for free, forever.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

Reply
Comment
Charles   
Added: 8 Mar 2024 20:45 GMT   

My House
I want to know who lived in my house in the 1860’s.

Reply

NH   
Added: 7 Mar 2024 11:41 GMT   

Telephone House
Donald Hunter House, formerly Telephone House, was the BT Offices closed in 2000

Reply
Comment
Paul Cox   
Added: 5 Mar 2024 22:18 GMT   

War damage reinstatement plans of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street
Whilst clearing my elderly Mothers house of general detritus, I’ve come across original plans (one on acetate) of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street. Might they be of interest or should I just dispose of them? There are 4 copies seemingly from the one single acetate example. Seems a shame to just junk them as the level of detail is exquisite. No worries if of no interest, but thought I’d put it out there.

Reply
Comment
Diana   
Added: 28 Feb 2024 13:52 GMT   

New Inn Yard, E1
My great grandparents x 6 lived in New Inn Yard. On this date, their son was baptised in nearby St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch

Source: BDM London, Cripplegate and Shoreditch registers written by church clerk.

Reply
Comment
Vic Stanley   
Added: 24 Feb 2024 17:38 GMT   

Postcose
The postcode is SE15, NOT SE1

Reply

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Devonshire Place, W1G Devonshire Place is one of the streets of London in the W1G postal area (Marylebone)
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Devonshire Row Mews, W1B Devonshire Row Mews is one of the streets of London in the W1W postal area (Marylebone)
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Devonshire Street, W1G Devonshire Street is one of the streets of London in the W1G postal area (Marylebone)
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Grafton Way, W1T Grafton Way is one of the streets of London in the W1T postal area (Fitzrovia)
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Hanson Street, W1W Hanson Street is one of the streets of London in the W1W postal area (Fitzrovia)
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Holcroft Court, W1W Holcroft Court is a block on Clipstone Street (Fitzrovia)
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Marylebone High Street, W1U
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Melia White House, NW1
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Middlesex House, W1T
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Midford Place, W1T
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New Cavendish Street, W1W
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Osnaburgh Terrace, W1T
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Park Crescent Mews East, W1G
Park Crescent Mews West, W1G Park Crescent Mews West is a road in the W1G postcode area (Marylebone)
Park Crescent Mews West, W1G
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Park Crescent, W1B
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Park Square East, NW1
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Peto Place, NW1
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Prankerd House, NW1
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Prince Regent Mews, NW1
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Quantum House, NW1
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Regent’s Place, W1T
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Richardson’s Mews, W1T
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Schafer House, NW1
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Sofia House, W1W
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Southampton Street, W1T
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St Andrews Place, NW1
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St Luke’s House, W1T
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St Mary Magdalene Church, NW1
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Stanhope House, W1T
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Starcross Street, NW1
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Stephenson House, NW1
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Stephenson Way, NW1
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Tennyson House, W1W
Threeways House, W1W Threeways House is a block on Clipstone Street (Fitzrovia)
Threeways House, W1W
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Tolmers Square, NW1
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Tottenham Mews, W1T
Tottenham Street, W1T Tottenham Street is one of the streets of London in the W1T postal area (Fitzrovia)
Tottenham Street, W1T
Triton Square, NW1 Triton Square is a street in Camden Town (Euston)
Triton Square, NW1
Triton Street, NW1 Triton Street is a road in the NW1 postcode area (Regent’s Park)
Triton Street, NW1
Upper Harley Street, W1G Upper Harley Street is a street in Camden Town (Marylebone)
Upper Harley Street, W1G
Upper Wimpole Street, W1G Upper Wimpole Street is one of the streets of London in the W1G postal area (Marylebone)
Upper Wimpole Street, W1G
Walden House, W1U Residential block (Marylebone)
Walden House, W1U
Walpole House, W1B Walpole House is a building on Weymouth Street (Marylebone)
Walpole House, W1B
Warren Court, NW1 Warren Court is a street in Camden Town (Tottenham Court Road)
Warren Court, NW1
Warren Court, W1T Warren Court is a block on Warren Street (Tottenham Court Road)
Warren Court, W1T
Warren Mews, W1T Warren Mews is a mews area situated off Warren Street (Fitzrovia)
Warren Mews, W1T
Warren Street, W1T Warren Street was named after Anne Warren (1737–1807), the wife of Charles FitzRoy, landowner (Warren Street)
Warren Street, W1T
Waverley Court, W1G Waverley Court is one of the streets of London in the W1G postal area (Marylebone)
Waverley Court, W1G
Weymouth Court, W1W Weymouth Court is a block on Weymouth Street (Great Portland Street)
Weymouth Court, W1W
Weymouth Mews, W1G Weymouth Mews is one of the streets of London in the W1G postal area (Marylebone)
Weymouth Mews, W1G
Weymouth Street, W1B Weymouth Street is a road in the W1B postcode area (Marylebone)
Weymouth Street, W1B
Weymouth Street, W1G Weymouth Street is one of the streets of London in the W1G postal area (Marylebone)
Weymouth Street, W1G
Whitfield Place, W1T Whitfield Place is one of the streets of London in the W1T postal area (Fitzrovia)
Whitfield Place, W1T
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Whitfield Street, W1T
Whitson Court, W1T Whitson Court is a block on Greenwell Street (Fitzrovia)
Whitson Court, W1T
Willan House, W1T Willan House is a block on Fitzroy Square (Fitzrovia)
Willan House, W1T
William Harvey House, NW1 William Harvey House is a block on Albany Street (Euston)
William Harvey House, NW1
William Road, NW1 William Road dates from 1799 or before (Euston)
William Road, NW1
William Street, NW1 William Street appears on the 1860 map west of Hampstead Road (Euston)
William Street, NW1
Winchester Apartments, NW1 Winchester Apartments is located on William Road (Euston)
Winchester Apartments, NW1
Woodward’s Mews, W1G Woodward’s Mews was a former side street (Marylebone)
Woodward’s Mews, W1G
York Terrace East, NW1 York Terrace East is a street in Camden Town (Marylebone)
York Terrace East, NW1

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