Property Description
Chesham Mews is a cobbled cul-de-sac, accessed from Belgrave Mews West (another original/ surviving Mews) in Westminster. The Mews contains 16 properties used for residential purposes.
Between October 1940 and June 1941, a high explosive bomb is recorded falling onto Chesham Mews, off Belgrave Mews West, meaning many of the properties had to be rebuilt so any evidence of previous equestrian usage is not present. The area was noted as being fairly comfortable with good, ordinary household earnings when the London Poverty Maps were first published.
The Mews is part of Westminster City Council’s Belgravia Conservation Area. First designated in 1968, it was laid out as a fashionable residential area to the west of Buckingham Palace. There is a high degree of townscape uniformity and a formal layout based on a grid pattern. The area is predominantly residential with some shops on the edges. There are also a significant number of embassies, diplomatic buildings and institutional headquarters.
The Mews is made up of two and three storey properties with a mixture of painted brickwork and rendered facades and mansard and parapet roofs. The road surface is cobbled and the garages remain intact.
The Arch at the Southern End of Belgrave Mews West is registered as a Grade II Listed Building.
Everchanging Nature
The original purpose of the Mews was to provide stabling for the surrounding properties on Lowndes Street and the west side of Belgrave Mews West but nowadays they are primarily used for residential purposes. There have been many planning applications made prior to and since 2003 mainly smaller changes to the fenestration, replacement garage doors although some larger work has been taken out including the demolition of some of the original properties. Conservation Area controls now apply to any new development in the Mews.