The REAL Belgravia

Belgravia is an affluent district in Central London, shared within the authorities of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Belgravia was known as Five Fields during the Middle Ages, and became a dangerous place due to highwaymen and robberies. It was developed in the early 19th century by Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster under the direction of Thomas Cubitt, focusing on numerous grand terraces centred on Belgrave Square and Eaton Square. Much of Belgravia, known as the Grosvenor Estate, is still owned by a family property company, the Duke of Westminster's Grosvenor Group. Owing to the Leasehold Reform Act 1967, the estate has been forced to sell many freeholds to its former tenants.

The area takes its name from the village of Belgrave, Cheshire, two miles (3 km) from the Grosvenor family's main country seat of Eaton Hall. One of the Duke of Westminster's subsidiary titles is Viscount Belgrave.

During the Middle Ages, the area was known as the Five Fields and was a series of fields used for grazing, intersected by footpaths. The Westbourne was crossed by Bloody Bridge, so called because it was frequented by robbers and highwaymen, and it was unsafe to cross the fields at night. In 1728, a man's body was discovered by the bridge with half his face and five fingers removed. In 1749, a muffin man was robbed and left blind. Five Fields' distance from London also made it a popular spot for duelling.

Despite its reputation for crime and violence, Five Fields was a pleasant area during the daytime, and various market gardens were established. The area began to be built up after George III moved to Buckingham House and constructed a row of houses on what is now Grosvenor Place. In the 1820s, Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster asked Thomas Cubitt to design an estate. Most of Belgravia was constructed over the next 30 years; it attempted to rival Mayfair in its prestige.

Upper Belgrave Street, Belgravia

Belgravia is characterised by grand terraces of white stucco houses, and is focused on Belgrave Square and Eaton Square. It was one of London's most fashionable residential districts from its beginnings. After World War II, some of the largest houses ceased to be used as residences, or townhouses for the country gentry and aristocracy, and were increasingly occupied by embassies, charity headquarters, professional institutions and other businesses. Belgravia has become a relatively quiet district in the heart of London, contrasting with neighbouring districts, which have far more busy shops, large modern office buildings, hotels and entertainment venues. Many embassies are located in the area, especially in Belgrave Square.

In the early 21st century, some houses are being reconverted to residential use, because offices in old houses are no longer as desirable as they were in the post-war decades, while the number of super-rich in London is at a high level not seen since at least 1939. The average house price in Belgravia, as of March 2010, was £6.6 million, although many houses in Belgravia are among the most expensive anywhere in the world, costing up to £100 million, £4,671 per square foot (£50,000 per m2).

As of 2013, many residential properties in Belgravia were owned by wealthy foreigners who may have other luxury residences in exclusive locations worldwide; so many are temporarily unoccupied because their owners are elsewhere. The increase in land value has been in sharp contrast to UK average and left the area empty and isolated.

The novels of Anthony Trollope (1815–1882): The Way We Live Now, Phineas Finn, Phineas Redux, The Prime Minister, and The Duke's Children all give accurate descriptions of 19th-century Belgravia.

In Brideshead Revisited, a novel by Evelyn Waugh, Belgravia's Pont Street is eponymous with the idiosyncrasies of the British upper classes. Julia, one of the main protagonists, tells her friends, "It was Pont Street to wear a signet ring and to give chocolates at the theatre; it was Pont Street to say, 'Can I forage for you?' at a dance."

Flunkeyania or Belgravian Morals, written under the pseudonym "Chawles", was one of the novels serialised in The Pearl, an allegedly pornographic Victorian magazine.

In the popular British television series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971–1975), the scene is set in the household of Richard Bellamy (later 1st Viscount Bellamy of Haversham) at 165 Eaton Place, Belgravia (65 Eaton Place was used for exterior shots; a "1" was painted in front of the house number).[33] It depicts the lives of the Bellamys and their staff of domestic servants in the years 1903–1930, as they experience the tumultuous events of the Edwardian era, World War I and the postwar 1920s, culminating with the stock market crash of 1929, which ends the world they had known. In 2010, filming began on a mini-series intended to pick up the story of one of the main characters, Rose Buck, in 1936, as she returns to 165 Eaton Place to serve as the Holland family's housekeeper.

In Downton Abbey Lady Rosamund Painswick, sister of Lord Grantham, lives in Belgrave Square.

The first episode of the second series of the television programme Sherlock is "A Scandal in Belgravia", loosely based on the Arthur Conan Doyle short story "A Scandal in Bohemia".

The REAL Belgravia: How London's aristocratic district which inspired new ITV drama went from a swampy marshland occupied by thieves to 'Billionaire Square' - and the birthplace of afternoon tea

ITV show written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes premiered last night

Set in first half of 19th century in Brussels just before the Battle of Waterloo

Drama begins with a ball hosted by the Duchess of Richmond in Brussels in 1815

Central plot of caddish aristocrat duping naive woman into bed is based on truth

Moves to London's Belgravia 26 years later and features real life characters

By HAYLEY RICHARDSON FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:13, 16 March 2020 | UPDATED: 17:48, 16 March 2020

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8116333/The-TRUE-story-ITVs-Belgravia-real-life-scandal-duchess-invented-afternoon-tea.html

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellows' new drama Belgravia kicked off on ITV last night - providing us all with a much-needed sense of escapism from the escalating coronavirus crisis.

The series follows the lives of the Trenchard family and their ascent to the aristocratic society of London's Belgravia. Two decades earlier, their daughter Sophia became embroiled in a scandalous - and ultimately tragic - love affair with caddish aristocrat Edmund Bellasis.

The period drama, set in the first half of the 19th century, kicks off in Brussels on the cusp of the Battle of Waterloo before moving to London's Belgravia in the 1840s - a glamorous district inhabited by aristocrats and the 'nouveau riche'.

While the storylines are inherently fictional - adapted by Fellowes from his novel of the same name - certain events and characters are based on real people and events, with historical references woven into the narrative.

Here FEMAIL takes a look at how Belgravia went from a swampy marshland occupied by thieves to 'Billionaire Square'.

ITV's new period drama Belgravia is set in the first half of the 19th century and kicks off in Brussels on the cusp of the Battle of Waterloo. Pictured from left to right: Actress Alice Eve as Susan Trenchard, Ella Purnell as Lady Maria Grey, Jack Bardoe as Charles Pope, Harriet Walter as Lady Brockenhurst, Philip Glenister as James Tranchard, Tamsin Greig as Anne Trenchard and Tom Wilkinson as Earl of Brockenhurst

THE CUBITT BROTHERS

In the show, James Trenchard (played by Philip Glenister) starts off as a supplies man for the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo before becoming a self-made property developer.

The character's success is spawn out of going into partnership with English master builder Thomas Cubitt and his brothers, who in real life developed many of the historic streets and squares of London - in particular, Belgravia, Pimlico and Bloomsbury.

As Mrs Trenchard explains quite accurately to Lady Brockenhurst during afternoon tea at the Duchess of Bedford's home, Thomas Cubitt began as a carpenter before devising 'a new method of building', employing all the trades under his own management.

She references Cubitt's first major building project - the London Institution in Finsbury Circus, built in 1815.

Thomas Cubitt (pictured) and his brothers developed many of the historic streets and squares of London, especially in Belgravia, Pimlico and Bloomsbury          

Cubitt's first major building project was the London Institution in Finsbury Circus, built in 1815      +23

Cubitt's first major building project was the London Institution in Finsbury Circus, built in 1815

Cubitt's development of areas of Bloomsbury, including Gordon Square and Tavistock Square, began in 1820 for a group of landowners including the Duke of Bedford - a clever tie-in by Fellowes given his success is discussed by the Duchess of Bedford.

In 1824 he was commissioned by Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster, to create a great swathe of building in Belgravia, centred on Belgrave Square and Pimlico - which became his greatest achievement in London.

Cubitt had two brothers; contractor and politician William, and civil engineer Lewis, who designed many houses built by Thomas.

Cubitt had two brothers; contractor and politician William and civil engineer Lewis, who designed many houses built by Thomas

Thomas was also responsible for building the east front of Buckingham Palace. His developer-architect son George, by his wife Mary Anne Warner, was created Baron Ashcombe in 1892 and was a great-great-grandfather of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

After his death in 1855, Queen Victoria said Thomas was 'a real national loss' in his sphere of life, adding that 'a better, kindhearted or more simple, unassuming man never breathed'.

A statue of Thomas can be seen on Denbigh Street in London, while another stands in Dorking - where he was revered for his architecture on his Denbies estate.

History of Belgravia and Belgrave Square Gardens

Belgravia was developed in the 1820s by Richard Grosvenor, the 2nd Marquis of Westminster, and takes its name from one of the Duke of Westminster's subsidiary titles - Viscount Belgrave.

The village of Belgrave in Cheshire is two miles from the Grosvenor family’s main countryseat of Eaton Hall.

It was designed at the order of the 2nd Marquis of Westminster by London architect Thomas Cubitt - and there is now a gastro pub on Elizabeth Street named after him in the area.

Map of Belgravia circa 1814 - now one of the wealthiest districts in the world 

Belgrave Square Gardens was designed by English architect George Basevi and planted by Thomas Cubitt in 1826. They feature a tennis court and a children's playground as well as a 'quiet area'.

It was previously known as Five Fields - a swampy marshland situated between Hyde Park and the Thames, which ironically used to be home to thieves and bandits.

The Grosvenors were inspired to develop it in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars and the conversion of Buckingham House into a palace for George IV.

In 1874, a five-storey building called the Pantechnicon, which occupied almost two acres in Motcomb Street in the middle of Belgravia, went up in flames.

In 1874, a five-storey building called the Pantechnicon, which occupied almost two acres in Motcomb Street in the middle of Belgravia, burnt down

The cause of the fire was never established, but the Pantechnicon fire focused public attention on urban fires and how to prevent and contain them   

It was built in a similar in style to museums such as the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, and was originally conceived as a bazaar with stalls selling artwork before it became a storage facility for carriages and a warehouse where wealthy Londoners stored their valuables.

It was branded 'the largest, the safest, and the most fireproof warehouse in the metropolis' - and the blaze has been billed the largest episode of destruction of art and furnishings in the Victorian era.

It took almost all the fire engines in London and troopers from the nearby Chelsea barracks as well as members of the Salvage Corps to bring the fire under control.

The cause of the fire was never established, but the Pantechnicon fire focused public attention on urban fires and how to prevent and contain them.

Large swathes of Belgravia is still owned by the family-operated property company Grosvenor Group - with the Duke of Westminster as its figurehead.

The opulent rows of white villas and townhouses which inhabit Belgravia were initially owned by members of the aristocracy - but following the Second World War, the make-up of it changed significantly.

The Sunday Trading Riots of 1855 in Belgravia     

More embassies and institutions moved to the area, and Belgrave Square is now noted as a popular spot for embassies.

During WWII, Belgrave Square was used as a tank park. Three bombs were dropped on the square during the Blitx, with Eaton Square suffering nine direct hits.

Now it is among the most expensive areas in the world to live in, with average property prices in the region of £3.4milion - with some houses worth up to £60million.

Many of the square's grand mansions have been bought by foreign multi-millionaires, including some whose wealth is so outrageously vast they are listed as billionaires.

Belgravia is within a conservation area and a great deal of its properties and buildings, some of which are embassies, are listed.

This gives them protected status and will ensure the character and appearance of Belgravia's heritage and architecture is preserved.

THE CONCEPT OF LONDON'S BELGRAVIA

Branded a 'spangled city for the rich' by Lady Brockenhurst in the show, Belgravia is indeed a unique area in the capital.

Built on marshy fields and executed as a total design concept, it has - according to Fellowes - a 'uniformity that few other places in London can match'.

Branded a 'spangled city for the rich' by Lady Brockenhurst, Belgravia (shown in the show) is indeed a unique area in the capital   

He added that the concept of Belgravia itself is unusual in London because it doesn't overlay any buildings from a more ancient time.

'It was born of the prosperity that came at the end of the Napoleonic Wars,' said Fellowes.

'Industry and trading shot up. They generated enormous fortunes for individuals, and it became clear that Mayfair was no longer big enough to accommodate everyone smart.

Built on marshy fields and executed as a total design concept, Belgravia has - according to Fellowes - a 'uniformity that few other places in London can match'. Pictured: Belgrave Square in 1828  

Belgrave Square circa 1850, which was laid out by master builder Thomas Cubitt for the 2nd Earl Grosvenor in the 1820s     

'The Marquess of Westminster, or his advisors, realised this and they approached the brilliant Cubitt Brothers, who understood at once that the proposed site on the edge of London was perfectly placed for a new development.'

Famous faces who have lived in Belgravia

Noel Coward

Virginia Woolf

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Mary Shelley

Former Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, Neville Chamberlain and Stanley Baldwin

Joan Collins

Sir Michael Caine

Sir Lawrence Olivier

Christopher Lee

Vivien Leigh

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber

Elizabeth Hurley

Sean Connery

Roger Moore

Roman Abramovich

Jose Mourinho

Sven-Goran Eriksson

The Barclay Brothers

Sheik Ahmad Al-Sabah

Sheik Mohammed

According to Fellowes, Belgravia was 'a manifestation of prosperity' - but it wasn't just the upper classes who lived there. The aristocracy were no longer automatically in charge and had to accommodate their neighbours.

Today Belgravia continues to attract rich and famous residents, from former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, football manager Jose Mourinho and actress Liz Hurley.

The show itself wasn't filmed in actual Belgravia; producer Gareth Neame said it's 'quite impossible' to shoot scenes in the actual location because 'there's no way you can shut down these parts of London and have horses and carriages going around for four days'.

Instead, the show was shot predominantly in other parts of the capital and in Edinburgh New Town.

THE INVENTION OF AFTERNOON TEA 

When Mrs Trenchard arrives at the grand home of the Duchess of Bedford - the first scene set in London's Belgravia, 26 years after the Battle of Waterloo - she informs her host she is 'so interested by your invention of afternoon tea'.

The concept is indeed believed to have been the idea of Anna Maria Russell, the wife of Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford, who was a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria and lived in Belgravia.

The duchess is best remembered as the creator of afternoon tea while visiting the 5th Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle in the mid-1840s.

When Mrs Trenchard arrives at the grand home of the Duchess of Bedford (pictured played by Naomi Frederick) - the first scene set in London's Belgravia, 26 years after the Battle of Waterloo - she informs her host she is 'so interested by your invention of afternoon tea'               +23

When Mrs Trenchard arrives at the grand home of the Duchess of Bedford (pictured played by Naomi Frederick) - the first scene set in London's Belgravia, 26 years after the Battle of Waterloo - she informs her host she is 'so interested by your invention of afternoon tea'

The Duchess of Bedford (pictured) is best remembered as the creator of afternoon tea while visiting the 5th Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle in the mid-1840s    

During the 18th century, dinner was served increasingly later in the day, meaning an extra meal called luncheon was created to fill the midday gap.

Due to luncheon being very light, people became increasingly hungry in the afternoons - and the duchess found a serving of cakes and sandwiches with Darjeeling tea was a good refreshment.

She began inviting her friends over to join her, and afternoon tea subsequently became an established tradition in many middle and upper class households.

THE DUCHESS OF RICHMOND'S BALL

Lady Charlotte Gordon, the eldest child of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, and his wife, Jane Maxwell, became the Duchess of Richmond when she she married Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox and 4th Duke of Aubigny, on September 9, 1789.

In 1814 the family moved to Brussels, where the cost of living was much less expensive than it was in Britain - where overseas trade restrictions had caused a surge a prices.

On June 15, 1815, the Duchess of Richmond held the now infamous ball during which the Duke of Wellington received confirmation that Napoleon Bonaparte's army had entered the territory of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands near Charleroi (now the Kingdom of Belgium). Pictured: an engraving of the Duchess of Richmond's ball

This appealed to upper class families who wishes to maintain the standard of living they'd become accustomed to.

A year later on June 15, 1815, the duchess held the now infamous ball during which the Duke of Wellington received confirmation that Napoleon Bonaparte's army had entered the territory of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands near Charleroi (now the Kingdom of Belgium).

Fellowes described the ball as an 'extraordinary acme for a certain kind of tragic privilege'.

Sophia Trenchard becomes embroiled in a scandalous - and ultimately tragic - love affair with caddish aristocrat Edmund Bellasis (pictured together at the Duchess of Richmond's ball)       

'Uniquely entitled young men with their nice fiancées, wives and sisters were dancing at the Duchess's ball. They then left the dance floor to go straight to the battlefield,' he said.

'Many of the details fascinated me. As the men left and the women were weeping, some people carried on dancing. Some of the young officers were still in their dress coats when they died at Waterloo two days later. There's something about that image that is both glamorous and incredibly sad.'

The Richmonds continued to live in Brussels until 1818, when her husband was appointed Governor General of British North America. He died a year later.

Fellowes described the Duchess of Richmond's ball as an 'extraordinary acme for a certain kind of tragic privilege'

In the second half of last night's drama, set in 1841, the duchess - played by Diana Kent - reveals she has 14 children; seven sons and seven daughters.

Charlotte was known to have a fierce temper, and was described by Spencer Madan, a tutor employed by the family for their two youngest sons, as 'one of the sourest most ill-tempered personages I ever came across in my life'.

He criticised her 'constant and ill-judged interference with regard to the boys' and complained about her 'haughty and disagreeable behaviour'.

In the second half of last night's drama, set in 1841, the Duchess of Richmond - played by Diana Kent, pictured - reveals she has 14 children; seven sons and seven daughters

In Belgravia, the duchess tells Mrs Trenchard (played by Tamsin Greig) that she 'doesn't even try' to pretend she loves them all equally, adding: 'I'm fond of some of my children, on reasonably good terms with the rest, but I have two I actively don't like.'

This could be a reference to her younger boys, Lords Frederick, Sussex and Arthur, whom she once described as 'the most headstrong, untoward little pickles she ever knew'. The duchess died at the age of 73 in London on 5 May, 1842. 

A SCANDALOUS LOVE AFFAIR

A central plotline of Belgravia involves the Trenchard's naive daughter Sophia and her infatuation with Lord Edmund Bellasis - the nephew of the Duchess of Richmond.

Determined to sleep with a woman of good standing before going to war - but frustrated by Sophia's desire to protect her chastity - Lord Bellasis tricks her into a fake marriage, 'officiated' by one of his comrades.

A central plotline of Belgravia involves the Trenchard's naive daughter Sophia (Emily Reid) and her infatuation with Lord Edmund Bellasis (Jeremy Neumark Jones) - the nephew of the Duchess of Richmond  

Fellowes said he was inspired by a similar scandal 30 years earlier involving a peer called Frederick Berkeley and butcher's daughter Mary Cole.

'The storyline is true and based on the 5th Earl of Berkeley,' he said. 'Although Berkeley did eventually marry the same woman, it was not until after they'd had six illegitimate children, none of whom were allowed to inherit the title.'

Berkeley and Cole claimed they had married in 1785, a year before the birth of their firstborn, William, who they wanted to inherit the family title. However, the first record of their marriage was in 1796.

Fellowes said he was inspired by a similar scandal 30 years earlier involving a peer called Frederick Berkeley  and butcher's daughter Mary Cole

Karen Davidson, archivist at Berkeley Castle, said: 'They claimed they had married in Berkeley church before his birth. There is no entry in the parish register recording this marriage, but in court it was claimed there was a note of the marriage by the vicar.'

The issue was debated in the House of Lords and the title eventually passed to Thomas Morton Fitzhardinge Berkeley, the couple's fifth child - but the first born after the couple were married.