Cleveland Street in
central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...
runs north to south from
Euston Road
Euston Road is a road in Central London that runs from Marylebone Road to Kings Cross, London, King's Cross. The route is part of the London Inner Ring Road and forms part of the London congestion charge zone boundary. It is named after Euston ...
(
A501) to the junction of Mortimer Street and Goodge Street. It lies within
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia ( ) is a district of central London, England, near the West End. Its eastern part is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urbanised in ...
, in the
W1 post code area. Cleveland Street also runs along part of the border between
Bloomsbury (ward) which is located in
London Borough of Camden
The London Borough of Camden () is a London boroughs, borough in Inner London, England. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the former Metropolitan boroughs of the Cou ...
, and
West End (ward) in the
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...
. In the 17th century, the way was known as the Green Lane, when the area was still rural, or Wrastling Lane, after a nearby
amphitheatre
An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...
for boxing and wrestling.
Geography

Cleveland Street marks the border between the
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...
to its west and the
London Borough of Camden
The London Borough of Camden () is a London boroughs, borough in Inner London, England. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the former Metropolitan boroughs of the Cou ...
to the east. This border is ancient, largely following the old divide between the western parish of
Saint Marylebone and the parish of
Saint Pancras to the east and can be traced back as far as 1792. The street was also a boundary between large estates, such as the
Bedford Estate and the Berners Estate. Maps show that the southern end of modern Cleveland Street, beyond Riding House Street, was known as Upper Newman Street and then Norfolk Street. The northern section was once known as Upper Cleveland Street and Buckingham Place.
It became Cleveland Street for its full length after a renumbering was ordered by the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1867.
The name comes from the
Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland
Charles Palmer, later Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton, Chief Butler of England (18 June 16629 September 1730) was an English nobleman and illegitimate son of Charles II. He was styled Baron Limerick before 1670 ...
whose estate was connected in the 19th century with the Southampton (Wriothesley) property via
Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton. The Southampton property later became the Bedford Estate.
Cleveland Street is renowned for several historical events and buildings, the most notable recent one being the
BT Tower
The BT Communications Tower, also known simply as the BT Tower, is a Listed building, grade II listed Radio masts and towers, communications tower in Fitzrovia, London, England, owned by BT Group. It has also been known as the GPO Tower, the P ...
.
History
The street is most notably associated with the
Cleveland Street Scandal of 1889–90, which involved a male
brothel
A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
in a terrace house at Number 19 (long demolished). The scandal was rumoured to involve the heir-presumptive to the throne,
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, but the allegation has never been substantiated.
Notable buildings
The
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
buildings are numbers:
* 16-22 (terraced houses with attached shop, the first with later shop; c.1780-1800). No 22 (originally 10 Norfolk Street before the street's renumbering), was twice the home of Charles Dickens.
* 54 was
Cleveland Hall which was constructed as a radical meeting place as a bequest from
William Devonshire Saull. Secularists, spiritualists and anarchists met there until the hall was converted into a
mission hall for the
West London Methodist Mission in 1890.
* 68 (terraced house with shop c.1780-1800)
* 106 (terraced house and shop 1832–5)
* 45-49 (block of flats dated 1911 with red brick with blue brick banding and stone dressings, tiled roof in the
Arts and Crafts
The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...
free style)
* 139, 141 (terraced houses c.1790-1800). The latter has a blue plaque signifying that Samuel Morse, inventor of the Morse Code once lived there.
* 143-149 (terraced houses, some with shops c.1790-1800)
* 151 (
George and Dragon corner
public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
c.1850 rebuild or recasting)
* The
BT Tower
The BT Communications Tower, also known simply as the BT Tower, is a Listed building, grade II listed Radio masts and towers, communications tower in Fitzrovia, London, England, owned by BT Group. It has also been known as the GPO Tower, the P ...
complex. The tower was London tallest building when it was completed in 1960 and it remains a major
London landmark, being currently the
8th tallest building in London at 177 metres plus a 12-metre antenna.
*The frontage building of the former
Cleveland Street workhouse later Middlesex Hospital annexe and outpatient department on the eastern side of the street at 44 c.1776. Over the years from 1778 until 2005 the building operated as a workhouse then a workhouse infirmary and more recently as a hospital. UCLH NHS Foundation Trust in 2010 proposed the building's demolition in a planning application (and conservation area consent) submitted to
Camden London Borough Council
Camden London Borough Council, also known as Camden Council, legally The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Camden, is the local authority for the London Borough of Camden in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one o ...
to replace it with a large building mixing private accommodation with commercial space. However adjoining
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2022. Full council meetings ...
objected on three grounds on 2 December 2010.
The
Cleveland Street Workhouse is of particular importance in light of the fact that
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
is known to have lived nearby in what is now 22 Cleveland Street. Dickens lived there as a young child between 1815 and 1816 and then again as a teenager between 1828 and 1831. His residence in the street has led to the suggestion that the nearby workhouse was probably the inspiration for
Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...
.
Cleveland Street hosted the
Middlesex Hospital
Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...
, closed in 2005 and since demolished. The hospital occupied an entire block on the western side of the southern section of the street. The future of this site is currently uncertain, despite its sale by nationalised Icelandic
Kaupthing Bank
Kaupthing Bank (, ) was a major international Icelandic bank, headquartered in Reykjavík, Iceland. It was taken over by the Icelandic government during the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis and the domestic Icelandic-based operations were ...
to
Aviva Investors and Exemplar Properties.
Cleveland Street was described as an area of special architectural and historic interest when it was designated a
Conservation Area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...
on 20 November 1990. Anomalously on its Camden side Cleveland Street is part of two conservation areas: the
Fitzroy Square
Fitzroy Square is a Georgian architecture, Georgian garden square, square in London, England. It is the only one in the central London area known as Fitzrovia.
The square is one of the area's main features, this once led to the surrounding di ...
conservation area, and the
Charlotte Street conservation area.
/ref> This double designation is rare and possibly unique.
See also
* List of eponymous roads in London
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
Cleveland Street The Musical
Cleveland Street Workhouse
Streets in the City of Westminster
Streets in the London Borough of Camden
Fitzrovia
Poor law infirmaries