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
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.
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