Wilton Crescent is a street in

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

, comprising a sweeping elegant terrace of

Georgian houses Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

and the private communal gardens that the semi-circle looks out upon. The houses were built in the early 19th century and are now Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s. The street is the northern projection of

Belgravia Belgravia () is a Districts of London, district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' Tudor Period, during the ...

and is often taken to fall into the category of London's

garden square A garden square is a type of communal garden in an urban area wholly or substantially surrounded by buildings; commonly, it continues to be applied to public and private parks formed after such a garden becomes accessible to the public at large. ...

s. It is notable for its affluent and politically important list of residents, present and historic, and it today includes the High Commission of Singapore and equivalent Embassy of Luxembourg. Its closest public transit link is

Hyde Park Corner tube station Hyde Park Corner is a London Underground station near Hyde Park Corner in Hyde Park. It is in Travelcard Zone 1, between Knightsbridge and Green Park on the Piccadilly line. History The station was opened by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and B ...

, beyond a cluster of affluent mews and

St Paul's Knightsbridge St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, is a Grade II*listed Anglican church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition located at 32a Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London. History and architecture The church was founded in 1843, the first in London to champion ...

(built in 1843).

Overview

Wilton Crescent was created by

Thomas Cundy II Thomas Cundy the younger (1790 – 15 July 1867) was an English architect, son of another architect of the same name. He joined his father's practice and ultimately succeeded his father as surveyor of the Grosvenor Estate, and held the posit ...

, the

Grosvenor family Duke of Westminster is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the ...

estate surveyor, and was drawn up with the original 1821 Wyatt plan for Belgravia. It was named at the time of

Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton, GCH, PC (30 December 1799 – 7 March 1882), known as Thomas Grosvenor until 1814, was a British nobleman and Tory politician. He served as Lord Steward of the Household in 1835 in Sir Robert Peel's fi ...

, second son of

Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster, (22 March 1767 – 17 February 1845) was the son of the 1st Earl Grosvenor, whom he succeeded in 1802 as 2nd Earl Grosvenor. He was created Marquess of Westminster in 1831. He wa ...

on whose estate the road was built in 1825 through

Seth Smith (property developer) Seth Smith (15 December 1791 – 18 June 1860) was a London property developer, who was responsible in the early part of the 19th century for developing large parts of the West End of London, including the Belgravia and Mayfair districts. Much o ...

In the 19th and 20th centuries, it was home to many prominent British politicians, ambassadors and civil servants.

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

(1900–1979) lived at 2 Wilton Crescent for many years, marked today by an attributive

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 ...

. Akin to nearby developments, Wilton Crescent is characterised by grand terraces with lavish white houses which are built in a crescent shape, many of them with stuccoed balconies, particularly on the southern part of the crescent. The

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

-clad, five-storey houses toward the north are high and were refaced between 1908 and 1912 via architects Balfour and Turner. Most of the houses had originally been built in the stucco style, but such houses became stone-clad during this renovation period. Other houses today have black iron balconies. Wilton Crescent lies east of Lowndes Square and Lowndes Street, to the northwest of Belgrave Square. It is accessed via

Wilton Place Wilton Place is a street in Knightsbridge, London. It runs north–south between Knightsbridge to the north and Wilton Crescent to the south. It is home to The Berkeley, a five star hotel, and St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge. The Berkeley sta ...

which connects it to the main road in Knightsbridge. Grosvenor Crescent is to the east, which contains the Indonesian Embassy. Further to the east is the back of

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

and London Victoria station. In 2007, Wilton Garden in the middle of the crescent won a bronze medal from the London Gardens Society. There are two diplomatic buildings in Wilton Crescent: the High Commission of Singapore at No. 9, and the Embassy of Luxembourg at No. 27 (formerly home to the

Luxembourgish government-in-exile The Luxembourgish government in exile ( lb, Lëtzebuerger Exil Regierung, french: link=no, Gouvernement luxembourgeois en exil, german: link=no, Luxemburgische Exilregierung), also known as the Luxembourgish government in London (''Lëtzebuer ...

Layout and numbering

The 50 buildings, some subdivided, forming the headline Wilton Crescent addresses are listed at Grade II. The crescent is split into three terraces of lengthy proportion buildings, plus 31 which forms a terrace with 1-15 Grosvenor Crescent, plus 32 and 33 which face the opposing side of a brief continuation of the eastern broad link into Belgrave Square which form a terrace with 1-11 Belgrave Square. The western broad link into Belgrave Square is however termed Wilton Terrace, split into 1-3 Wilton Terrace and is of identical date, style and proportions.

References in the arts

George Bernard Shaw's 1905 play '' Major Barbara'' is partly set at Lady Britomart's house in Wilton Crescent.

Architectural details

Of the main two quadrants and main facing return of the crescent, forming 47 of the 50 buildings, the first floor has

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

-applied doric order pilasters between the windows and a subsidiary

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

above. The second and third floors are united by paired

ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

pilasters set between houses. These are surmounted by a heavy

modillion A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a cornice which it helps to support. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally translated as small teeth). All ...

cornice. Most have a balustrade finished with urns to the final unit. They have dipped parapet walls with ball

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

Notable residents

* Edward Pleydell-Bouverie (1818–1889); 44 Wilton Crescent *

(1900–1979); 2 Wilton Crescent *

Lord Randolph Churchill Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British statesman. Churchill was a Tory radical and coined the term 'Tory democracy'. He inspired a generation of party managers, created the National Union of ...

(1849 – 1895); 3 Wilton Crescent *

Reynold Clement Major Reynold Alleyne Clement (3 March 1834 – 2 October 1905) was an English cricketer who played in three first-class matches. He was a member of Queen Victoria's personal bodyguard, and was also Clerk of the Course at Ascot Racecourse from ...

(1834 - 1905), cricketer; No. 23 and No. 20 Wilton Crescent * Sir Percy Loraine, 12th Baronet (1880–1961); 19 Wilton Crescent *

Earls of Kinnoull Earl of Kinnoull (sometimes spelled Earl of Kinnoul) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for George Hay, 1st Viscount of Dupplin. Other associated titles are: ''Viscount Dupplin'' and ''Lord Hay of Kinfauns'' (1627) a ...

, 41 Wilton Crescent * George Rennie (engineer) (1791–1866); 39 Wilton Crescent * Alfonso López Pumarejo (twice President of Colombia); 33 Wilton Crescent * Sir Edmund Vivian Gabriel (1875–1950); 41 Wilton Crescent *

Quentin Crewe Quentin Hugh Crewe (14 November 1926 – 14 November 1998) was an English journalist, author, restaurateur and adventurer. He wrote regularly for the ''Evening Standard'', ''Queen'' magazine, the ''Daily Mail'' and ''Sunday Mirror,'' among othe ...

(1926–1998), writer *

Edmund Phipps Hon. Edmund Phipps (7 December 1808 – 28 October 1857) was a lawyer and author. __NOTOC__ Career Phipps was the third son of Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave and graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1828. In 1832 he was called to the ...

(1808–1857), lawyer and writer *

Spencer Ponsonby-Fane Sir Spencer Cecil Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane, (''né'' Ponsonby; 14 March 1824 – 1 December 1915) was an English cricketer and civil servant. He was born in 1824 in Mayfair, the sixth son of John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough. Cricket Ponso ...

(1824–1915) * Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg (1896–1985); stayed on various occasion at 27 Wilton Crescent (now the Luxembourg Embassy) while in exile in London during World War II. *

Demetri Marchessini Demetri P. Marchessini (20 July 1934 – 6 March 2016) was a Greek businessman. He was among the largest donors to the UK Independence Party and gave £15,000 to the party during 2013.

(1934-2016) *

Lord Dudley Stuart Lord Dudley Coutts Stuart (11 January 1803, London – 17 November 1854, Stockholm) was a British politician. He was the youngest son of John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, and his second wife, Frances Coutts, daughter of the banker Thomas C ...

(1803–1854); 16 Wilton Crescent * John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792–1878); 30 Wilton Crescent 1841 census, HO107 Piece 732 Book 3 Folio 51 Page 17 * Herbert Watney (1843–1932), physician; 1 Wilton Cresent

Notes and references

;References ;Notes

External links

Singapore High Commission websiteLuxembourg Embassy website
{{City of Westminster Streets in the City of Westminster Knightsbridge Belgravia Communal gardens Garden squares in London