Property Description
Smallbrook Mews is a cobbled cul-de-sac, approached through an entrance under a building on Craven Road in Westminster. There are 12 properties in the Mews, used for residential purposes. The Mews runs directly in line with Gloucester Mews, another original/ surviving Mews street.
A high explosive bomb fell onto Westbourne Terrace, east of the Mews in World War II. When the London Poverty Maps were published, the area was determined as having fairly comfortable living conditions and households with good ordinary earnings.
Smallbrook Mews is part of Westminster City Council’s Bayswater Conservation Area. Developed over the space of about 70 years, the townscape is uniform despite being composed of several distinct areas and is made up of a regular composition of streets and squares in an Italianate style. An important aspect of the street pattern are the several mews, some quite intimate and others so large that they appear to be a development of their own. The contrast of scale provided by these mews is a crucial aspect of the overall area’s character.
The two storey properties are a mixture of different styles and materials, with roofs being hidden behind parapet walls, surrounded by a cobbled road surface. The 1996 film ‘Trainspotting’ used the Mews as a filming location.
Everchanging Nature
The original purpose of Smallbrook Mews was to provide stable/ coach house accommodation to the main houses on Westbourne Terrace. Now, it is predominantly used for residential purposes.
Many planning applications have been made before and since 2003 including garages conversions and changes to the fenestration. Conservation Area controls now apply to new development in the Mews.