ch history of belgravia
DESCRIPTION
A breif history about the area of Knightsbridge and Belgravia.TRANSCRIPT
Past & PresentKnightsbridge London
thehistory
of belgravia
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the history of belgravia
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the history of belgravia
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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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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the history of belgravia
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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The history of belgravia
Distinguished Residents
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the history of belgravia
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.
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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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The history of belgravia
Eaton Square
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the history of belgravia
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.
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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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The history of belgravia
Eaton Place
the history of belgravia
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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the history of belgravia
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.
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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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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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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
was located here. It was first built up in the late
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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
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Knightsbridge and Belgravia Office31 Lowndes Street
Knightsbridge London sw1x 9hx
salest: 020 7235 8090
lettingst: 020 7235 3530
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