Eccleston Square is a square in

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...

, London.

History

The square dates to the 1830s, an integral part of

Thomas Cubitt Thomas Cubitt (25 February 1788 – 20 December 1855) was a British master builder, notable for his employment in developing many of the historic streets and squares of London, especially in Belgravia, Pimlico and Bloomsbury. His great-great-g ...

's planned design of "South Belgravia", which is now called Pimlico. Cubitt designed many of the houses on the square and built and leased Nos 1–3 in 1836 and Nos 4 and 5 in 1842 all of which are grade II listed with

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

. The land was formerly part of the Grosvenor family estate, who owned land in

Eccleston, Cheshire Eccleston is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Eaton and Eccleston, in the borough of Cheshire West, in the county of Cheshire, England. The village is approximately to the south of the city of Chester, near to the River ...

, from where it is thought the square takes its name. The communal private gardens in the centre of the square are grade II listed with

since 1987, and open for the

National Gardens Scheme The National Garden Scheme opens privately owned gardens in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Channel Islands on selected dates for charity. It was founded in 1927 with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to th ...

each year. The

Buddhist Society The Buddhist Society is a UK registered charity which aims to encourage the study and practice of Buddhist principles. The Buddhist Society is an inter-denominational and non-sectarian lay organization. It offers talks and classes on the teach ...

has been based at no.58 since 1956. There are two

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

s in the square. The first is for

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, who moved to Eccleston Square a year after marrying Clementine Hozier, and their first two children, Diana and Randolph, were born there. The second blue plaque is for the conductor and orchestra reformer Sir Michael Costa, who lived at Wilton Court, 59 Eccleston Square, from 1857 to 1883. The Eccleston Square Hotel is a grade II listed building at no.37.

Notable residents

Blue plaques

Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

, politician – lived at 33 Eccleston Square * Sir Michael Costa, conductor and orchestra reformer – lived at Wilton Court, 59 Eccleston Square

Others

Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton Air Commodore Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, (3 February 1903 – 30 March 1973) was a Scottish nobleman and aviator who was the first man to fly over Mount Everest. When German Deputy Führer Rudol ...

, born at no.71 * James Erskine (Conservative politician), lived at no.7 *

Adolphus FitzGeorge Rear Admiral Sir Adolphus Augustus Frederick FitzGeorge (30 January 1846 – 17 December 1922) was a senior officer of the Royal Navy. Biography Adolphus FitzGeorge was born 30 January 1846, the second son of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge ...

, admiral, died at no.20 * Bertha Jane Grundy, novelist, died in Eccleston Square in 1912 * Alfred Hillier, Conservative MP, died by suicide in 1911 in his home at no.20 * Richard Hull (author), crime novelist, died at no.32 in 1973 *Field Marshal

Sir William Robertson, 1st Baronet Field Marshal Sir William Robert Robertson, 1st Baronet, (29 January 1860 – 12 February 1933) was a British Army officer who served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) – the professional head of the British Army – from 1916 to 1 ...

, Chief of the Imperial General Staff *

Harold Rutland Harold Rutland (August 21, 1900 – July 23, 1977) was a British pianist, music critic and composer. He began studying at the Guildhall School of Music, became organ scholar at Queen's College, Cambridge, and completed his studies at the Royal Co ...

, music critic, lived at no.27 in the 1960s and 1970s *

Patrick Swift Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick or ...

, Irish artist *

William Watson-Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong William Henry Armstrong Fitzpatrick Watson-Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, DL, (3 May 1863 – 16 October 1941), was a British benefactor. Born William Watson, he was born at 65 Eccleston Square, London, and educated at Eton and Trinity College ...

, born at no.65 *

Humbert Wolfe Humbert Wolfe CB CBE (5 January 1885 – 5 January 1940) was an Italian-born British poet, man of letters and civil servant. Biography Humbert Wolfe was born in Milan, Italy, and came from a Jewish family background,"Wolfe, Humbert" in Stanley ...

, poet, died at no.75

References

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