Property Description
Great Cumberland Mews is a cobbled, T-shaped cul-de-sac off Seymour Place in Westminster. There are 12 properties in the Mews, used for residential and commercial purposes.
A high explosive bomb fell directly onto the Mews in World War II, meaning the properties had to be rebuilt. When the London Poverty Maps were published, the area was determined to have fairly comfortable living conditions and households with good ordinary earnings.
Great Cumberland Mews is a part of Westminster City Council’s Portman Estate Conservation Area. Situated in the boundaries of Marylebone, which was once covered with forest and marshland, the estate originally comprised about 270 acres and now contains a variety of buildings from different centuries, from many examples of Mews to the grand terraces of Bryanston Square and Montagu Square.
The variety and number of mews developments is an important feature within the area. On the eastern side of the Conservation Area are a series of mews which run through the Portman Estate on a continuous north-south axis; Sherlock Mews, Kenrick Place, Broadstone Place, Kendal Place, Baker’s Mews and Seymour Mews.
The two storey properties are a mixture of plain and painted brickwork and have both pitched and parapet roof styles. Most of the garages remain intact and are surrounded by a cobbled road surface.
Everchanging Nature
The original purpose of Great Cumberland Mews was to provide stable/ coach house accommodation to the main houses on Seymour Place. Now, it is predominantly used for residential purposes.
Many planning applications have been made since 2003 including garage conversions for additional residential accommodation, internal alterations and basement excavations. Conservation Area controls now apply to new development in the Mews.