Belgravia

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A very fashionable part of London, Belgravia is situated between Grosvenor Place and Chelsea and resides in the London Borough of Westminster. The 400 acres of land was inherited by the Grosvenor family and was named Belgravia after Belgrave, a village on their family estate in Leicestershire.

It is hard to believe that at one time is was just a piece of wasteland used for grazing sheep. Known as the Five Fields, a medley of swamp, pasture, and orchards during the 18th century, it was known to be a dangerous place where no respectable person would dare to go. The bridge crossing the West Bourne River was named the Bloody Bridge due to the fact many violent robberies happened there. However, the fact that it was far enough away from civilisation, made it a popular area for the aristocracy when engaging in duels.

Lord Grosvenor decided to develop the area into an estate and in 1825 signed a building agreement with Thomas Cubitt. Only 37 at the time Thomas Cubitt, who had his own team of workmen and support facilities, was to undertake the job of providing sewers, road surfaces and pavements as well as the construction of the houses and buildings. In fact he was also to build the Embankment too. Although Buckingham House was already in situ, it was still a gamble for the aristocracy to contemplate moving into the area. It was the Earl of Essex who was the first to buy one of the houses in Belgrave Square, after which others were to follow making Belgravia immediately fashionable.

Many of the houses in Belgravia today were originally stables, as so with most of the original mews houses which were built behind the real Belgravia houses, many of which have now been converted into flats. During the Georgian era relatively small houses were built, most of which are still in use as family houses today. However the Victorian period saw the construction of much larger homes, so as to accommodate the larger families and their much needed servants. Many of these houses today have been converted into embassies.

During the Georgian period, the houses in Belgravia had brick facades and these were generally made on site. The use of bricks rather than wood was compulsory and was introduced after the Great Fire of London. Many of the squares today have houses which are rendered and painted, but the structure behind is brick although of a cheaper quality.

The Victorians were very much influenced by the Italian style. Houses were covered in stucco and then painted. The plaster was then scored or rusticated so as to make it look like painted blocks of stone. The cornicing of the Belgravia houses, along with the ornamental carving above the doors and windows is in fact moulded forms of stone plaster.

Today’s new properties are still copying the mews houses to some extent, although they are more likely to be private gated developments and of a more suitable size for the smaller family of today.

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