Property Description

Situated within Inner London in the Borough of Camden, is Eton Garages; a cobbled through road off Lambolle Place and in line with part of Lancaster Stables, also containing original/ surviving Mews properties. The Mews contains 25 properties used for residential and commercial purposes.

The Mews is part of the Belsize Park Conservation Area. Designated in 1973 and then extended in 1984 to included part of Belsize Grove, the area is large scale, containing semi-detached Victorian Villas along with Belsize Village bringing charm to the otherwise uniform appearance of the buildings within the area. The Most recent extension to the Conservation Area has included the incorporation of the open space at the southern side of Elizabeth Mews and the shopping parades on Haverstock Hill. Elizabeth Mews was included into the area in 1991.

The large villas built around 1850 had attic and basement space for servants and were aimed at wealthy professionals, the intention being to attract the ‘carriage classes’ to the north of London rather than areas such as Bayswater and Kensington. Unlike other areas built at the same time or slightly earlier there was no apparent demand for extensive stabling associated with each street. The main area of mews development within the area was constructed on a triangular four acre field to the north of Belsize Lane.

A high explosive bomb fell onto Belsize Park Gardens in World War II, east of the Mews and half way between Lancaster Stables and Elizabeth Mews. When the London Poverty Maps were first published, the area was deemed to have a mixture comfortable and poorer living conditions.

The two storey properties have plain and painted brickwork facades with a mixture of gable and pitched roof styles, surrounded by a cobbled road surface. There are also raised party walls, seats, benches and plants to be seen in the Mews.

Everchanging Nature

The original purpose of the Mews was to provide stable/ coach house accommodation for the main houses on the surrounding streets and nowadays they are predominantly used for residential purposes, with some commercial activity also taking place.

Before and since 2003 there have been many planning applications made for alterations to the properties within the Mews, the most notable being; alterations to the fenestration, the addition of a roof terrace and the change of use from commercial to residential. Conservation Area controls apply to any new development in the Mews.