Property Description
Devonshire Close is a cobbled cul-de-sac approached through an entrance under a building on Devonshire Street in Westminster. The Mews contains 51 properties and is used for both commercial and residential purposes. Devonshire Close was called Devonshire Mews East from 1899 to 1934 and before that, the Cape of Good Hope Mews. This contained some large brick faced houses and one of the few mews to retain its cobbles. This extensive has many arms containing a number of interesting houses, including attractive Tudor imitations.
Between October 1940 and June 1941, a high explosive bomb is recorded falling onto the central section of Harley Street, not far from the Mews. The area was noted as being fairly comfortable with good, ordinary household earnings when the London Poverty Maps were first published.
Devonshire Close is situated to the north of the Harley Street Conservation Area in Westminster. First designated in 1968, the area is now dominated by terraced houses of different periods and different levels of social status. It retains a substantial medical presence, whilst offices predominate to the eastern edges.
The Mews has an E-shaped configuration and is fairly large in comparison to others in the surrounding area. The eastern stretch serves houses on Harley Street and the western stretch serves houses on Portland Place. The central part provides mews accommodation detached from any principal building. The two storey buildings are a mixture of plain and painted brickwork with mansard, gable and parapet roofs. The road surface is cobbled and garages remain intact.
Everchanging Nature
There have been a great deal of planning applications made prior to and since 2003, namely; changes to the fenestration, roof demolitions and external alterations. Conservation Area controls now apply to any new development in the Mews.