Coming full circle

RICHARD GROSVENOR, 2nd Marquess of Westminster, has been vindicated: this year sees the grand revival of a groundbreaking innovation he introduced to London more than 150 years ago. As the second half of the 19th century dawned, the peer commissioned architect Thomas Cundy III to build Belgrave Mansions (above), a palatial building overlooking what is now Grosvenor Gardens, SW1, with a view to turning it into the capital’s first serviced mansion block, inspired by Europe’s hôtel meublés. Cundy, too, drew from Continental tradition, shaping the architecture in French Renaissance style (Edward Walford, in his 1878 Old and New London calls the then newly built mansions ‘lofty and handsomely constructed houses’).

The Marquess’ idea proved a sensation. In 1868, the British Almanac and Companion noted the ‘peculiarities’ of ‘the immense pile named Belgrave Mansions’: shops on the ground floor, topped by ‘suites of furnished apartments… fitted up with every appliance for persons of luxurious habits’ and completed by ‘a hotel and first-class restaurant, in which will be provided handsome dining and coffee rooms for the special use of residents’; in 1875, Sir Henry Hunt, surveyor to the Great Exhibition Commissioners, looked at it as a possible inspiration to make use of land in South Kensington, writing that it was

‘a successful commercial speculation’. The development became home to British notables from all walks of life, including actor David Niven, and, earlier, the grandparents of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother—it might even have been her birthplace, although that was never proven. But times changed or perhaps appetite for serviced buildings declined for a while, and, in 1921, the former Belgrave Mansions became the Belgrave Hotel, before morphing into an office building called Grosvenor Gardens House.

Now, however, the Grade II-listed property is being returned to its original purpose: renamed 8, Eaton Lane and set to be completed in 2024, it will house 42 new homes behind the painstakingly restored Cundy façade, with its elegant pavilion roofs, stone dressing and beautiful cornicing. Architects PDP London will work with design studio Millier London to create exquisite apartments that combine original French-style details with timeless British elegance. Residents will have access not only to shopping and leisure facilities on the ground floor, but also a gym, cinema and pool—a 21st-century take on what the far-sighted Marquess first envisaged in the 1860s. CP

8, Eaton Lane (www.8eatonlane.com) is for sale through Knight Frank (020–3869 4758) and Savills (020–7409 8756)

36min 20sec

The average time it takes to drive 6.2 miles (10km) in the centre of the capital, making London the slowest city in the world to drive in, according to TomTom. Bengaluru in India came in second place with a time of 29 minutes and 10 seconds

Grub’s up

THE British Library’s ‘Food Season’ is back for a sixth year, bringing together some of the biggest and most influential names in food, such as Henry Dimbleby and Nigella Lawson (right) , across 20 events. Topics up for discussion inside the l ibrary (above) , the UK’s official national library, which is home to more than 170 million items, include the food challenges shaping 2023 and British culinary culture.

The full programme and tickets are available to view and buy from March 7 (www.bl.uk)

A sheep in the works

THE City of London’s plans to move its markets to a new location in e ast London have hit a 775-year-old stumbling block. Not long ago, the City announced that it was going to unify Smithfield, Billingsgate and Spitalfield s (right) markets on a single plot of land next to Dagenham Docks ( ‘On the market’, page 26 ). Wholesale markets are governed by legislation, so the City was required, by law, to seek approval from Parliament, depositing a Private Bill with it in November 2022. Since then, an objection has been brought by Havering Council, citing a Royal Charter of 1247.

The Royal Charter does not apply to the City or to Dagenham, but to Romford and its eponymous market, which lies about four miles from the City’s proposed location. A clause in the charter—granted

Sheepish: a sheep-related clause in a Royal Charter of 1247 is stalling the City of London’s market plans

BROMLEY is the greenest borou gh in the capital, according to a study organised by Essential Living, a Londonbased property developer. The area of south-east London has more than 160 parks and green spaces, spread across more than 6,300 acres, seven of which boast Green Flag status (courtesy of a scheme set up and managed by Keep Britain Tidy). Richmond upon Thames came in second, followed by Havering.

London Life

Editor Rosie Paterson

Editor-in-chief Mark Hedges

Sub-editors Octavia Pollock, Stuart Martel

Art Heather Clark, Emma Earnshaw, Ben Harris, Dean Usher

Pictures Lucy Ford, Emily Anderson

Advertising Katie Ruocco 07929 364909

Email firstname.surname@futurenet.com by Henry III—states that a new market cannot be founded within a day’s sheep drive away. This is widely accepted to be a radius of six and two-thirds miles.

To protect Romford Market’s trading interests, Havering Council has requested that the City’s consolidated market is limited to wholesale trade. In their current locations, Smithfield, Billingsgate and Spitalfield s markets are considered to be wholesale markets, but they are also open to the general public. In their new, purposebuilt location—which is expected to generate nearly 3,000 new jobs—the City had planned to open public amenities and educational facilities. At the time of writing, a second reading of the bill was in progress at Parliament.