DEVELOPMENTS

See Also: ARCHITECTURE; DISTRICT CHANGE; THE DOCKS; ESTATES; FOOD MARKETS, FORMER; THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON The Rebuilding of London; HOUSING; RAILWAY STATIONS; SKYSCRAPERS; SLUMS & AVENUES; SQUARES; TOWNHOUSES, DISAPPEARED

The Adelphi

Until the mid-17^thC the site of the Adelphi was occupied by Durham House, the London palace of the Bishops of Durham. Subsequently, a slum developed upon the site. The mid-18^thC project to redevelop it was instigated by the four Adams brothers (hence the name The Adelphi, the ancient Greek word for brothers ). The most famous of the sibs was the architect Robert Adam published works on Classical architecture were a means by which architects who had undergone a Grand Tour could display their learning to fashionable London. He had surveyed Diocletian's (c.243-c.312) palace that overlooked the Adriatic at Split. The development was meant to have the appearance from the river of being a great monumental public building. In 1768 the Adelphi was planned as a residential area on the land.

In 1772 there was a national credit crisis. This compelled the Adams to stop work on the Adelphi. (One of the factors that may have discouraged potential residents was the Adams plan to rent a cellar complex beneath the development to the government as a gunpowder store.) In 1773 a lottery was authorised by Parliament to rescue the enterprise from the financial straits into which it had fallen.

The experience did not curb the Adams enthusiasm for such schemes. Subsequently, they were involved in the creation of Portland Place. Robert Adam was involved in the creation of Fitzroy Square.

By the 1870s the area began to be redeveloped anew. Some of the original Adams buildings survived this process.

Location: John Adam Street, WC2N 6LU (orange, pink)

See Also: DISTRICT CHANGE Strand; THE GUNPOWDER PLOT; MUSEUMS, DISAPPEARED & LATENT The Holophusikon; PERIOD PROPERTIES The Adam Room

Albertpolis

Following the Great Exhibition of 1851, the event's Commissioners bought 86 acres of land in South Kensington. The site was bounded on its northern side by Kensington Gardens and on its southern one by the Cromwell Road. It became Albertpolis, a cultural and educational district, the occupants of which include the Royal Albert Hall, Imperial College, the Royal College of Art, and the Royal College of Music.

Location: Exhibition Road, SW7 2AZ. To the south of Kensington Gardens and to the east of Queen's Gate (the road). (red, yellow)

See Also: ARTS VENUES The South Bank Centre; ESTATES Albertpolis; EXHIBITIONS The Great Exhibition of 1851; EXHIBITIONS The Imperial Institute; MUSEUMS Umbrella Bodies, The Exhibition Road Cultural Group; UNIVERSITIES Imperial College

Website www.discoversouthken.com https://gcdn.net/member/exhibition-road-cultural-group (The Exhibition Road Cultural Group)

Dr Nicholas Barbon

Dr Nicholas Barbon was the son of the wealthy leather merchant Praise-God Barbones, who was the prominent republican M.P. from whom the Barebones Parliament of 1653 acquired its soubriquet. At the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 the father was imprisoned in the Tower of London but was eventually released on bail. In the meantime, the son had been stayed out of danger's way by studying medicine at Leyden in The Netherlands.

Dr Barbon, following his return to London, discovered that he had a talent for property development. In 1674 he bought Essex House, demolished it and developed Essex Street and its sisters upon the site. His development of the seventeen-acre Red Lion Square (1684) involved him hiring a squad of thugs to protect his workmen from being physically assaulted by the barristers of Gray s Inn, who were set against houses being built in such close proximity to their own abode.

Location: Barbon Close, WC1N 3JX (orange, purple)

The Devereux, Devereux Court, WC2R 3JJ (red, turquoise)

Essex Street, WC2R 3JE (red, orange)

Red Lion Square, WC1R 4HQ (blue, yellow)

See Also: BESS's BOYS; ECONOMICS Dr Nicholas Barbon; LAWYERS Lincoln's Inn

Of Alley

Barbon developed a site that previously had been occupied by the riverside mansion of George Villiers the 1^st Duke of Buckingham (d.1628), who had been the great favourite first of King James I and then of King Charles I. Five streets were built on the site. These commemorated the duke and his title. One of the five was named Of Alley.

Location: York Place, c.WC2N 6AY (red, brown)

See Also: DISTRICT CHANGE Strand; WATERGATES York House

Broadgate

Bruce Graham (1925-2010) of the architectural practice Skidmore Owings & Merrill practice was the master planner of the Broadgate development. He also designed the Exchange House building within the development.

Location: 1-2 Exchange Arcade, EC2M 3WA (red, brown)

Website: www.broadgate.co.uk

The Brunswick Centre

In 1959 Patrick Hodgkinson of the London County Council initiated what was initially known as The Foundling Project; the freehold of the land was owned by the Foundling Hospital. Working in association with a commercial partner the Council planned to develop a development that mixed housing, shops, and cultural facilities.

The developer miscalculated the rent return that the Brunswick Centre flats would generate. Therefore, the architect David Bernstein (1937-2018) adapted them into low-cost housing. Subsequently, the commercial partner withdrew from the scheme. Camden Council became the principal public partner. However, the range of housing was reduced from fifteen varieties to three. The proposed glass-roof over the shopping area was removed from the plans; the recital hall was redesignated a cinema.

In 2002 Bernstein's practice, Levitt Bernstein, carried out further work that was in tune with Patrick Hodgkinson's original vision. The following year the Centre was redeveloped.

Location: Bernard Street, WC1N 1BS (orange, yellow)

See Also: HOUSING Camden

Website: https://brunswick.co.uk

Canary Wharf

Bruce Graham (1925-2010) of the Skidmore Owings & Merrill practice was the master planner of the Canary Wharf development.

In 1974 the Greater London Council and the docklands local authorities set up the Docklands Joint Committee to develop a redevelopment plan for the area. This was centred upon public sector investment and regarded the role of the private sector as being peripheral.

In 1981 the Conservative government established the London Docklands Development Corporation to oversee the redevelopment of the 8.5 square mile area. It was empowered to override the local boroughs control of planning legislation.

By the mid-1980s there was immense demand for office space in the City of London. The investment banker Michael von Clemm was involved in Roux Restaurants, a restaurants business. While scouting the virtually derelict Canary Wharf¹ for premises for a Roux catering venture, he was put in mind of Boston's waterside area's redevelopment for office space. The idea was welcomed by Reg Ward (1927-2011), the chief executive of the London Docklands Development Corporation. In 1985 a consortium acquired an option upon a 71-acre site. Two years later the Paul Reichmann (1930-2013) led-Olympia & York of Canada became involved in the project. The company signed a deal with the London Docklands Development Corporation to develop Canary Wharf; some people opted to refer the Reichmanns scheme as Toronto-on-Thames . In 1990 No. 1 Canada Square tower was topped out.

In 2002 the Canary Wharf estate covered 850 acres.

Location: 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, E14 5AB.

See Also: DISTRICT CHANGE Covent Garden; THE DOCKS Decline and Containerisation; RAILWAYS The London Docklands Light Railways; SKYSCRAPERS Canada Square; UNDERGROUND LINES The Jubilee Line

Website: https://canarywharf.com

¹. The site took its name from a warehouse that had received goods that had been shipped from the Canary Islands.

Cheese

The population of Canaries are among the world's highest per capita consumers of cheese. Each island has a distinct cheese.

In 1498 cheese acquired currency status in Tenerife.

See Also: CHEESE

Chelsea Studios

Chelsea Studios - a.k.a. the Italian Village - is an Italian style development of about twenty artists studios north of Stamford Bridge Stadium. It was developed in the 1920s by Mario Manenti (1885-1954), an architect and sculptor, on the site of a former foundry.

Location: 410-412 Fulham Road, SW6 1EB (blue, brown)

See Also: STUDIO SPACE PROVISION FOR ARTISTS

Coin Street

From 1970 to 1984 the thirteen-acre Coin Street site was the subject of a planning dispute between commercial interests that were seeking to develop the land and the local population. The locals opposed Greycoat's plan for a Richard Rogers-designed Galleria. In 1984 the locals won and the Greater London Council sold the site to Coin Street Community Builders.

Location: Coin Street, SE1 9NS

Website: www.coinstreet.org

Hans Town

The area to the north of Draycott Place and to the east of Draycott Avenue is Hans Town. In 1771 the architect Henry Holland was granted by the Cadogan estate a lease on 89 acres of its land. The development that he created was intended to appeal to professionals and the upper middle classes. Few of the original houses have survived into the 21stC. Cadogan Square occupies what was the site of Sloane Place (c.1789), a mansion that Holland built for himself.

Location: Cadogan Square, SW1X 0JS (orange, purple)

See Also: ESTATES The Cadogan Estate

Kensington Palace Gardens

Kensington Palace Gardens is a private road. In 1841 the Commissioners of Woods & Forests decided to raise some money to improve Kensington Gardens by granting building licences on the land that had been the kitchen gardens of Kensington Palace. The road was laid out two years later by the architect Sir James Pennethorne. The scheme's original developer went bankrupt because Kensington was not regarded as being a socially proper address for the aristocracy and haute bourgeoisie.

It took the holding of the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park to restore Kensington to the social Pale for high society. The development of Kensington Palace Gardens was continued successfully by Morton Peto and Thomas Grissell.¹

During the 20^thC several of the road's mansions became embassies.

In 2004 it was reported that the Crown Estate wished to alter the character of Kensington Palace Gardens so that it was less diplomatic and more residential.

Location: Kensington Palace Gardens, W8 4QQ (blue, yellow)

See Also: ESTATES The Crown Estate; A SOUFFLÉ CHEF OF SUBSTANCE; SQUARES Kensington Square

¹. Grissell and Peto built the Reform Club (1841) and Nelson's Column (1839-49).

King's Cross

The King's Cross redevelopment covers 67 acres. Planning permission for it was granted in 2006. The masterplan was created by Allies & Morrison and Demetri Porphyrios. Over 30 other practices were drawn in

In 2018 the Coal Drops Yard portion of the King's Cross development opened. It had been designed by Thomas Heatherwick.

Website: www.kingscross.co.uk

Lambeth Marsh

What is now Waterloo was Lambeth Marsh. The Strand Bridge Company bought most of the land prior to the opening of the bridge in 1817.

Lincoln's Inn Fields

In medieval times, the three fields of Lincoln's Inn Fields belonged to the hospitals of St John and St Giles. The land was leased by the Inns of Law, which used it for pasture. During the dissolution of the monasteries (1535-40) the freehold of the property was acquired by the Crown.

As London grew in size, so the land became increasingly valuable because of its potential for building upon. In 1613 the lease of one of the fields came into the possession of Sir Charles Cornwallis who petitioned King James I for permission to build upon it. The Society of Lincoln's Inn responded to this request of the monarch by urging the Privy Council to block the proposed construction. After much legal toing-and-froing an agreement was reached between the leaseholders and the Inn in 1657 (during the English Republic). Lincoln's Inn Fields was developed to a plan that the architect Inigo Jones had drawn up for it in 1618. The square's centre was preserved as a pleasure ground.

In 1894 the central space was opened to the public.

Location: Lincoln's Inn Fields, WC2A 3BP (red, yellow)

See Also: COUNTRYSIDE Fields; LAWYERS Lincoln's Inn; TOWNHOUSES Lindsey Houses, Lincoln's Inn Fields

Notting Hill

The western portion of Notting Hill consists of large terraces of houses that back onto communally-owned gardens. The district was built upon what had been the site of the Notting Hill Hippodrome racecourse, which had been developed by John Whyte. He had taken a 99-year lease on the land from James Weller Ladbroke. However, Mr Whyte had failed to appreciate the impact that a public footpath that ran across the property would have upon the enterprise. At the course's opening in 1837 an angry crowd had demanded their right of way across the property to which they were entitled. The venture had never been a success and had closed in 1840. Whyte had sold on the lease to his solicitor John Duncan. The land had then redeveloped for housing by Richard Roy and Pearson Thompson, who previously had been involved in the construction of the Montpellier estate in Cheltenham. They appointed James Thomson as their architect. He incorporated Thomas Allason's plan for secret gardens . During the 1850s and 1860s Thomas Allow was the principal supervising architect.

Location: Hippodrome Place, W11 4SF (orange, turquoise)

See Also: DISTRICT CHANGE Notting Hill; DOGS Dog Racing; HORSES Tattersall s; UNDERGROUND LINES The Northern Line

Paternoster Square

Paternoster Square lies to the north of St Paul's Cathedral. In 2003 the development had been completed. The project's masterplan had been overseen by Sir William Whitfield, who grouped the principal blocks close together. He designed the principal buildings within the development, while bringing in other architects to work on the others

The result is viewed in a variety of lights, however, it is a marked improvement over what it replaced.

Location: Paternoster Square, EC4M 7DX (purple, red)

Website: https://paternosterlondon.info

The Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act of 2004

The Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act of 2004 made it easier for local authorities to work with developers.

Queen Anne's Gate

Until 1873 Queen Anne's Gate was two separate closes. The western portion, Queen Square, was built in the early 18^thC, and the eastern one, Park Street, in the late 18^thC. The developments were rivals to one another. A wall was erected between them as a result of the developers mutual antipathy. It was adjacent to where the statue of Queen Anne now stands.

Location: Queen Anne's Gate, SW1H 9AA (red, brown)

See Also: PERIOD PROPERTIES City of London Hostelries, The Hoop & Grapes; ROYAL STATUES Queen Anne, Queen Anne's Gate; STREET FURNITURE Street Signs, Whitehall's End

The Queen Anne Architectural Style

The Queen Anne-style of architecture was outlawed by the monarch's own ministers. In order to lower the risk of a recurrence of the Great Fire of 1666, the Building Acts of 1707 and 1709 for the City of London and Westminster tightly regulated a number of construction practices and banned others, thereby effectively making it illegal to build in the mode.

See Also: CHURCH OF ENGLAND CHURCHES The Fifty New Churches Act of 1711; THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON; PERIOD PROPERTIES The City of London Hostelries, The Hoop & Grapes

St James's Square

In 1661 King Charles II granted the Earl of St Albans a lease on the Crown-owned land that lay between St James's Street and Haymarket. The earl may have been secretly married to the monarch's widowed mother Queen Henrietta Maria. The district's street pattern was laid out by the peer during the 1670s.

Originally, St Albans had intended that three or four large houses should stand on the site. However, the Great Fire caused a westward migration. He increased the number of plots to 22.

Location: St James's Square, SW1Y 4LB (purple, red)

See Also: THE CROWN ESTATE; SQUARES

St John's Wood

The Eyres were merchants who came from Wiltshire. In 1732 the family paid 35,500 for the 500-acre St John's Wood estate. In 1794 they created a masterplan for the property's development. This envisaged the creation of what would subsequently be termed a garden suburb. The first homes to be built were the Alpha Cottages (1804-15). The family had to underwrite the development's infrastructure. This undercut their finances. As a result, they had to sell off much of the estate. The purchasers did not adhere to the masterplan and so the development became far denser.

Antigua Lodge was a grand house that was built off Abbey Road. The property became derelict. There is a story that it inspired Charles Dickens to create Miss Haversham mouldering away in her dwelling.

Location: St John's Wood High Street, NW7 7SH

Website: www.eyre-estate.co.uk

Shepherd Market

Shepherd Market is an engaging group of Mayfair streets that are lined with restaurants, pubs, and small shops. The district takes its name from the builder Edward Shepherd who developed the area during the mid-18^thC. Previously, the site had been where the May Fair had been held. It was this event that had given the district to the north its name.

Location: Shepherd Market, W1J 7QF¹ (red, turquoise)

See Also: WEST END CHURCH OF ENGLAND CHURCHES St James's Piccadilly; FAIRS The May Fair

¹. For much of the 20^thC Shepherd Market was a red-light district. In taxi slang the district became known as Private French Lessons .

Smithson Plaza

The architects Alison and Peter Smithson and the photographer Nigel Henderson were founder members of the Independent Group. The husband and wife were deeply influenced by some pictures that Henderson had taken of street life in Bethnal Green. These portrayed resilient and vibrant communities that were living in an environment that had experienced heavy aerial bombing. As a result, the couple began to question some of the orthodoxies of the Modernist movement, notably its belief in zoning. When they designed the Robin Hood Gardens (1970) social housing scheme in east London the pair attempted to implement their new thinking with streets in the sky . However, the walkways swiftly proved to be a failure. However, their Economist complex in St James's was regarded as a success.

After The Economist moved away, the complex was renamed Smithson Plaza.

Location: 25-27 St James's Street, SW1A 1HA (red, purple)

See Also: ARTS VENUES The Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Independent Group; HOUSING; MAGAZINES The Economist; THE SECOND WORLD WAR The Bombing of London

David Backhouse 2024