The London West End was almost entirely developed by
noble gentlemen who had estates here. The urban development began at the end of
the seventeenth century. In the decades before land gentry has acquired
landholdings around the seat of government in Westminster. They mostly acquired
so-called manors (in essence feudal landholdings dating back to medieval
times). Lord Portman for instance bought the Manor of Lilleston east of the village of Saint Mary on the Bourne
(Marylebone). His son would build Portman Square and Manchester Square here.
Later followed by Bryanston and Montague Squares.
South of Oxford Street the Baronet of Eaton – later
Duke of Westminster- acquired the grounds in the May Fair Ward. It is here that
he would later have Grosvenor Square and Hanover Square built. Lord Berkeley
owned the land just south of the May Fair Ward that had been split off from the
old Crown Estate of St. James' Fields. Here he had Berkeley Square laid out. On
the square en along the streets around it often impressive houses were built.
These squares are based on Parisian examples like Place de Vosges (1609-12).
In Soho the
land was partitioned off the royal demesne. Before these hunting grounds and
meadows had belonged with the White Hall Palace Estate. In this area the Earl
of Leicester developed a square named after himself. Golden Square was built by
the Earl of St Albans. He also developed
St. James Square north of the Pall Mall. Soho Square was instigated by the same
family. The small street linking the squares were developed by privat
developers.
The area between Marylebone, Oxford Street, Cleveland
Street and the royal hunting estate of Marylebone (later on developed as
Regent’s Park) was a vast estate belonging to the Dukes of Portland. They too
developed their hitherto farmland on the edge of the city. The southern part
between Harley Street and Great Portland Street was first developed. Cavendish
Square - named after lady Cavendish the wife of the Duke of Portland - lay
central to this development. Subsequent building is executed along an
orthogonal grid of streets. Later Portland Place was laid out, the only part of
the Procession Way (Regent Street) that to this day is not held by the Crown.
Charles Fitzroy Baron of Southhampton bought the Manor of Tottenhall on the western
border of Camden in the seventeenth century. He was an illegitimate royal child
(hence the name Fitzroy meaning son of the king) who opened an inn on the main
thoroughfare. In its stead he would later lay out a garden square. The area is
now known as Fitzrovia. East of Fitzrovia the Earls of Bedford developed
Bloomsbury comprising of numerous garden squares.
After 1800 building activity moves west. The Duke of
Gloucester develops Bayswater north of Hyde Park. He started by laying out Connaught
Square and Hyde Park Square. Later Gloucester Square and Norfolk Square were
developed.
The garden square dictates the
morphology of the West End of London together with the much older thoroughfares
(Oxford Street, Edgeware Road, Strand and Tottenham Court Road). Each garden
square is part of its own street grid.
