The development known as Belgravia was laid out in the 1820s by Thomas Cubitt and Thomas Cundy. Cubitt saw the possibilities of developing the land to the west of Buckingham Palace as a fashionable residential area and leased the land from the Grosvenor Estate. Many of the streets surrounding Cubitt’s development are of an even …
November 2018 archive
Covent Garden
Covent Garden comprises the area on the north side of the Strand which developed as the link between the settlements of the City of London and Westminster/Thorney Island. In medieval times the Strand was lined with large houses and palaces set in substantial gardens. The history of settlement in the area can be traced to …
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia lies partly in the City of Westminster (in the west), and partly in the London Borough of Camden (in the east); north of Oxford Street and Soho between Bloomsbury and Marylebone. It is characterised by its mixed-use of residential, business, retail, education and healthcare, with no single activity dominating. The historically bohemian area was …
Haymarket, SW1
The area was originally developed in the 17th century. In 1640 there were a few buildings on the west side of Haymarket but by 1680 the street was fully developed, providing a link between Piccadilly and Charing Cross. Residential side streets, such as Oxendon, Panton, Orange (formerly James) and Norris Streets, developed at the same …
Knightsbridge
The conservation area is defined by three distinct developments. First, the eastern part around Trevor Square, Montpelier Square and Place dated early 19th century. Secondly, the central part developed during the mid-19th century, consisting of large stucco houses detailed in a classical manner including Princes Gate, Rutland Gate, Queens Gate, and part of Ennismore Gardens. …
Leicester Square, WC2
Between 1630 and 1648, Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, acquired land from Henry VIII, and built Leicester House on a site between the existing Square and Lisle Street, with a formal garden on the site of the Swiss Centre. The area south of the House became known as Leicester Fields and was laid out …
Lisson Grove, NW8
The area originated as a Saxon and medieval settlement in the manor of Lillestone close to the Roman Watling Street. It was described as a hamlet in the Domesday book of 1086, centred around Bell Lane (now Bell Street). Part of the area was developed by the Portman Estate after they acquired the land in …
Mayfair
Mayfair derives its name from a fair held in May in fields around the site of today’s Shepherd Market. In the 1660s three large mansions, including Burlington House (now the Royal Academy) were erected on the north side of Piccadilly. These were followed by smaller scale high quality, speculative residential development. Early development was slow …
Queensway, W2
The conservation area lies along the course of the former Westbourne Green Lane, which linked the Uxbridge (now Bayswater) Road with the village of Westbourne Green. A series of name changes saw the route become first Black Lion Lane, then Queens Road, and finally Queensway. At the start of the nineteenth century the area was …
Regent Street, W1
Regent Street is one of the most important examples of town planning in the country. It was first laid out by John Nash in the early 19th century to create a new processional route from Regent’s Park in the north to Carlton House in the south (the present site of CarIton House Terrace). The route …