T HE S T. M ARYLEBONE S OCIETY
NEWSLETTER
www.stmarylebonesociety.org
Number 335
Registered Charity 274082
Summer 2012
M ADA ME T USSAUDS
The scaffolding is coming down on Madame
Tussauds, one of Marylebone’s landmark
institutions that has been part of our local
history since 1835 when Madame Tussaud
and her family settled in Baker Street. Her
wax figure exhibition remained at The Baker
Street Bazaar until 1884 when it moved to
its current site on Marylebone Road in a
building designed by the architects W & E
Hunt. This building was gutted by fire in
1925 and redeveloped and extended by the
architect F Edward Jones in 1928 only to be
destroyed again by WW2 bombing. In 1958
The Planetarium was added and since then
the buildings have been adapted to expand
the exhibition space and provide attractions
in line with technology and public demand
for innovative and interactive displays.
The building is subject of an English
Heritage study for Listing and the Society
has been consulted and sent details of the
initial assessment of the building which
incorporates remnants of the past structures
on the site. EH states that approximately
two thirds of the original 1884/1914 façades
remain and the eight bays facing Marylebone
Road are essentially intact, as remodelled in
1928, although with the original brickwork
painted over. Entrances and canopies have
been much altered, to the rear extensions
added for offices and workshops and no
original interiors remain.
Sadly The Planetarium hasn’t been part of
the exhibition for over 10 years, although the
vivid green dome provides a significant
landmark on Marylebone Road and conveys
the ‘Buck Rogers’ sci-fi optimism of the post
war era. It comprises a 25m diameter precast
concrete shell clad in copper and topped with
a jaunty ‘rings of Saturn’ finial (at time of
writing this is missing but will be replaced
when restoration and redecorations are
complete). The dome is supported on a ring
of columns which creates a deep canopy
externally and allows a curved staircase for
public access inside. The projection
equipment by Karl Zeiss, which cost £70,000
and was located centrally with images
projected onto an internal aluminium finish,
has now been removed. However the dome
is still an important part of the Madame
Tussauds experience and currently contains
a Marvel Superheroes 4D show.
We were delighted that Madame Tussauds
decided to sensitively decorate the exterior
in cream throughout as this unifies the form
of the original brick building and accords
with the character of Regent’s Park and our
Georgian townscape.
Marylebone is rightly proud of this unique
historic attraction and we understand that
signage and advertising is necessary for all
commercial ventures. We hope that this can
be treated with equal care and attention to
ensure that the historic environment so
many tourists love to visit in Marylebone is
enhanced. Madame Tussauds falls just
outside of three adjacent Conservation
Areas and it would therefore seem prudent
that it be either listed or included within the
Dorset Square Conservation Area to protect
what original fabric remains and,
importantly, to preserve the setting of many
surrounding listed buildings.
Tony Frazer-Price@artinmarylebone
FROM
Changes to planning regulations have
been high on the political agenda
recently and intend to simplify the
planning process and put more power
into the hands of local people to control
development in their neighbourhoods.
Linked with the emergence of
‘Localism’ it is hoped that everyone will
be energised to take part and improve
and strengthen our communities. In
future a ‘local plan’, formulated and
agreed by ‘local stakeholders’ will be the
point of reference to determine whether
or not a development is permitted on a
particular site. Power to the people
indeed!
It’s an admirable aim which no one could
argue with but what are the implications
for us in reality? I believe that the St
Marylebone Society has always played
this role and, along with the Association,
contributed to the transformation of
Marylebone from post-war bombed
dereliction into one of the most
successful inner city neighbourhoods in
London. We have met Westminster
Councillors and Planning Officers to
discuss how the Society might be
affected and how to contribute our
expertise
within
the
evolving
frameworks for participation. We have
registered our interest to be
represented
on
a
suggested
‘Marylebone Forum’ as a local
charity with extensive membership and
interest in the well-being and future of
Marylebone.
To b e e f f e c t i v e v o l u n t a r y
organisations need as many people
to help as possible, with a
wide range of skills, backgrounds and
knowledge. We are concerned that the
proposed government changes will
create an increased workload for already
stretched volunteers and that the extent
of our remit might be significantly
increased. We need to be realistic about
what we can do and I believe that we
should concentrate on issues which we
are qualified to deal with. These would
The Society needs a
Membership Secretary.
If you are interested in this
position or require further
information please email:
[email protected]
THE
CHAIR
include local history, architecture,
conservation, planning, sustainability
and urban design – all aspects of the
built environment.
Aside from the work of the Planning
Committee, the Society continues to
pursue local historical and restoration
projects which will enhance and
promote
Marylebone’s
unique
character. Mike Wood is currently
revising our successful ‘Discovering St
Marylebone’ walks book which has
nearly sold out of its second edition.
Mike is also updating ‘The Old Church
Garden’ (published in 1951 and
introduced by John Summerson) and our
President Colin Amery has agreed to
introduce the new publication.
Works to improve the Memorial Garden
are planned to take place this summer
and with all planning conditions signed
off, the project’s implementation is now
in the hands of Westminster Parks
Department. We have surveyed the
Wesley Memorial with monumental
masonry experts and it appears to have
some minor damage which will need
The Memorial will be relocated to its previous position as
shown on the cover of this magazine from 1988.
CHILDREN’S ART
COMPETITION 2012
This is again scheduled to take place in
the Autumn with an exhibition on
14th October at Marylebone Station. This
year the theme is ‘My favourite place
in Marylebone’. A flyer is included in
this newsletter. Please encourage your
children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces
and friends to join in. They can paint,
sketch, model, photograph or collage an
artwork that portrays their favourite
place in Marylebone.
Entries to be handed in by 1st October
making this an excellent summer holiday
project.
2
The position of the memorial before the war.
©Westminster Archives.
repairing when it is relocated from its
rough brick plinth onto a more fitting
Portland Stone base.
The idea to commission a statue to
commemorate Charles Dickens for the
garden was generally well received at
the AGM but since then no one has
stepped forward to take on the
management of the project. Roger
Button has done a good deal of
background research but needs practical
help to organise a design competition,
negotiate with the various authorities
and raise funds. Let me know if you
would like to help.
Similarly, many people suggested that
we restart the Marylebone Gardening
Competition, but since announcing this
in the last newsletter only a handful of
people have responded and it will
therefore not be feasible to stage this
event.
We will once again be hosting a stall at
the Howard de Walden Village Fayre and
we will be canvassing your opinions on
neighbourhood and community led
planning and the future of The St
Marylebone Society. Please come and
help on the day or meet me there to
discuss any local matters.
Gaby Higgs
[email protected]
OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY 2012
Patron: Lord Montagu of Beaulieu
President: Colin Amery
Chair: Gaby Higgs
Vice Chairman:
Mike Wood
Hon. Secretary:
Andrew Cooper
Hon.Treasurer:
Keith Evans
Membership Secretary:
Position Vacant
Council Members:
Dorian Aroyo (Social Secretary)
Cynthia Poole
(Planning Committee Chairman)
Robert McAulay (Newsletter)
Douglas Temple (Events)
Mike Wood (Local History)
Ian Wylie (Planning)
T HE M ARYLEBONE L IBRARY
The future of our Town Hall and Library,
historic buildings which embody so much
history and civic pride in Marylebone,
continues to be unconfirmed at the time of
writing. We were reassured that the library
would not close until an alternative viable
permanent site had been identified along
with a further temporary location to ensure
continuity of public services.
If the lease for the sale of the buildings to
London Business School goes ahead we
have been told that the library will close in
December 2012. Finding a temporary site
for an ‘interim library’ has apparently made
no progress since we met Westminster
Property in November 2011. To achieve
planning permission, building regulations
approval and actually convert an existing
building into a library would need a
considerable lead in time and to date we
have not received any planning application
for such works. A temporary Portakabin
solution on Moxon Street car park would
simply not be acceptable.
Many of you who attended the public
meeting and exhibition have contacted me
and agree that the consultation exercise was
less than satisfactory. Two sites were
considered, Moxon Street and Luxborough
Street, however, the exercise was flawed by
the fact that no information was displayed for
the Moxon Street site, making any results
skewed in favour of Luxborough Street.
The options were presented as a one-sided
debate leading us to conclude that
Westminster is in favour of Luxborough
Street. It may be that the value of the Moxon
Street site to a developer would be higher if
incorporating a public library was not a
requirement, but in our view public amenity
should be the main driver of this decision,
rather than simply maximising financial
returns on the development of Moxon
Street.
Let us consider the Luxborough Street site’s
suitability for development, bearing in mind
the Luxborough Tower residents’ “Save Our
Space” campaign, which has over 800 local
signatures asking for the play space to be
refurbished. Is excavating under their
garden really practical? Surely the many
private leaseholders with a right of access to
this land would need to agree to the loss of
their amenity space? Further, The London
Plan and local planning policy protects open
green spaces and especially play areas for
older children.
Planning policy is not in favour or excavating
permeable open land or gardens as this
disturbs the water table, causes over
development and excessive noise and
disturbance. In the interests of “localism”,
consultation and democracy surely the same
rules that apply to the community ought also
to apply the Council.
Whilst we accept the architect’s Luxborough
Street perspective was for illustration only it
threw up a number of potential basic
problems which were not addressed.
Underground spaces require large amounts
of energy in terms of building fabric, artificial
Damaged stonework.
3
ventilation and lighting which creates
unsustainable buildings.
The landlocked nature of the site, with only
one side along a public highway, is not ideal
for access, deliveries, fire escape, fire engine
access, parking etc. Its close proximity to
many residential properties would also make
it less suitable for roof glazing and after dark
use, as this would create noise and light
pollution for local residents. The lack of
clarity in Westminster’s proposals and the
restricted choice of only two sites appears to
be more designed to tick the ‘consultation
box’ and close the deal to sell the Council
House and Library, than to explore fully as
many options as possible.
Despite repeated requests we have still not
seen a clear brief of requirements for the
new Marylebone Library. We have been told
many times that the old Library Annexe was
unsuitable and inaccessible. Mission
statements and desirability of interiors,
children's facilities etc. are great but factual
and analytical data would be more
convincing.
What is most worrying is that we had a
purpose built, landmark Listed library,
central to Marylebone, close to public
transport and which we were told could have
been renovated for £9m, whilst the library
was located under the Council House.
Westminster now proposes to spend up to
£17m on top of temporary relocation fees.
The finances seem unresolved and we have
never seen a clear presentation of the costs
of the options.
Last month we received a planning
application from Westminster Council for
works to repair the facade of the Library
Annexe which we considered strange when
the stated intention was always that the new
owner would take care of the restoration to
save the public purse. Additionally, recent
proposed changes to remove VAT exemption
from works altering Listed Buildings could
jeopardise any deal as the building
refurbishment costs for any future owner
would effectively rise by 20%.
To date we have not had satisfactory
answers to our queries, no financial
information, no explanation of library brief
requirements or indeed any confirmation
that the lease has actually been agreed. Is
there still time to change the strategy and
include the library within the London
Business School’s development? It could
show good financial and common sense as
well as engendering a feeling of community
spirit and neighbourliness on the part of the
London Business School.
A library is one of the most important places
in our fragmented society, perhaps the last
place where totally different people can meet
and improve their lives. A new public
building will last longer than any of us; its
site should be based on public amenity, good
architecture, urban design and planning
principles, not Hobson's choice.
T HE ‘F UTURES P L AN ’: A R EGENERATION P ROMISE
In November 2009 Westminster City
Council commissioned a masterplan for
Church Street and Paddington Green as
part of its Housing Renewal Strategy.
Boldly branded “The Futures Plan” the title
suggests a degree of commitment to deliver
a regeneration scheme over 15 to 20 years
from which it would be difficult to
retreat. Invited by the Church Street
Neighbourhood Centre local residents drew
up a charter setting out the vision, which
aspires to nothing less than transforming
the neighbourhood, not just by providing
new and refurbishing existing homes, but
also by strengthening local enterprise,
fostering community cohesion, improving
education and public health. Despite
Church Street’s pull as a mecca for antique
lovers it was felt that Church Street Market,
the area’s social and commercial core, has
yet to be put on the London map to appeal
further afield. In short, the plan sets out to
turn the area into a desirable place to live,
work and shop, with more attractive public
spaces and better sport and play facilities.
Church Street and Paddington Green were
diagnosed as being blighted threefold:
socially, architecturally, and disconnected
from the neighbouring, mostly affluent
areas. Indeed, the Church Street ward
features among the 5% most deprived
wards in England with life expectancy eight
years lower than the Westminster average.
Child poverty, low levels of literacy and
numeracy, high unemployment and the
overcrowding of homes are just some of the
serious local problems. While Church
Street’s eastern half offers some notable
and architecturally pleasing buildings with
Alfies and small Georgian houses, its social
housing of the 1960s and 1970s has aged
badly and some blocks were deemed so
beyond repair that demolition was
proposed. Historic remnants, like the
Octavia Hill houses Almond & St Botolphs
Cottages of 1895 on Ranston Street, or
Terry Farrell’s redeveloped Spitfire aircraft
parts factory Palmer Tyre Co. convey some
identity, but the area’s public spaces are
nondescript, crying out for attractive and
distinctive architectural features. Barriers
abound: Regent’s Canal to the north, the
Marylebone railway tracks to the east,
Marylebone Road and flyover to the south,
and, as a particularly unattractive feature
the vacant urban wasteland known to us as
“the Sainsbury site” to the west of Edgware
Road.
Capland Street looking towards Salisbury Street.
4
A year-long consultation exercise took
place and identified a need for larger familysized homes. As the council already owns
most of the required land the published
target figures for housing are quite precise:
776 new homes are to be delivered, 470 as
additional and 306 as replacements of
existing homes. 60% of the additional
homes are for private sale, 20% built to let
at intermediate affordable rent (aimed at
key workers) and 20% at social rent,
resulting altogether in a greater mix of
tenures in an area with currently 80%
social housing. The scheme is designed to
be self-financing, with the proceeds from
the planned sale of 282 private homes
paying for the remainder, the 1,478
refurbishments of existing homes and
investment in public spaces and
infrastructure. In its projection of target
sale proceeds, the council seems to be
banking on high land values due to the
area’s central location within London.
The Futures Plan envisages almost a
doubling of current capacity, which may
prove overambitious in the light of the
planned big supermarket and additional
shops on the Sainsbury site in the
immediate vicinity. An additional 7,478 sq.
metres of office/workspace and 13,000 sq.
metres of additional open space/roof
gardens are planned, together with the
pedestrianisation of Lisson Street to fuse
Broadley and Lisson Gardens.
In June 2011 the Council’s Cabinet
committed to four sites in the first phase of
the plan and issued Planning Briefs in
January 2012 for: Luton Street, Penn
House/4 Lilestone Street, Cosway Street
and Parsons House North on Paddington
Green.
Photo: Achim von Malotki.
F
E FOR
C HURCH S TREET
AND
Capland Street looking east towards Lisson Grove.
The Luton Street site poses a particular
challenge: a link between Salisbury and
Fisherton Streets is planned even though
the space which separates them, between
the remaining walls of the former Great
Central Railway depot, lies at a much lower
level than these streets. Architects Allford
Hall Monaghan Morris submitted
alternative draft proposals to provide a
large residential development and resolve
these level changes, for which 16 existing
relatively new homes, two nurseries and a
play centre would have to be sacrificed.
Penn House currently provides sheltered
accommodation, it is proposed to
demolished it and re-house its residents
locally. In its place a multi-functional
‘community hub’ is proposed which needs
to be sensitively and distinctively designed
for this important corner site.
Most of the Cosway Street site has hitherto
been owned by City of Westminster
College, which since opening its new
campus has vacated these temporary
buildings. The Planning Brief states that
continued educational use is protected by
planning policy, therefore it is not
unsurprising that representatives of a Free
School have cast their eyes on this site,
even though the Futures Plan officially
envisages building 37 new homes here.
At Parsons House on Paddington Green the
concrete podium to its north blights the
area, ideally to be replaced by a communal
courtyard overlooked by new high-quality
flats, with Parsons House to be
refurbished.
The council has publicly stated that
development of any individual scheme is
not to go ahead if a majority of directly
affected local residents object. Tenants
whose property is to be demolished will be
PADDINGTON G REEN
Photo: Achim von Malotki.
offered to stay in the neighbourhood in
appropriately sized accommodation with
the same security of tenure.
Scale and duration of the Futures Plan
undoubtedly provide a challenge. The built
environment and the mix of people will be
altered and building works and disruption
may last for many years to come. All the
more important to involve residents
and stakeholders continuously and
transparently, including information about
financial details. It appears unclear at this
stage what would happen if projects run
over budget, especially with regards to
promised refurbishments. A local steering
group of residents and other stakeholders
is in place, but some agreements (e.g. with
residents of Penn House) have been
Stalbridge Street looking towards Bell Street.
5
reached that clearly modify the planning
process without informing other
stakeholders. Market traders ought to be
consulted much more than has happened
so far. The St Marylebone Society will
insist on close communication and mutual
co-operation with WCC. We would like to
see the impact of demolition and decanting
reduced to a minimum to allow people to
stay in the neighbourhood. 470 new homes
translate into a considerable increase of
population for whom appropriate public
services will have to be provided. With the
Futures Plan underway, it will be all the
more important to integrate the Church
Street area into the urban fabric to its west
by developing the “Sainsbury site” and by
enhancing pedestrian links in all directions.
The Futures Plan set out as a coherent
scheme. Piecemeal delivery of only four
sites without committing to the remainder
would deprive the plan of the vision that
ties the various sites and phases together.
Setting up, as recently planned, a
prominent street sign to indicate Church
Street Market would, on its own, be
nothing but an empty and premature
gesture as the revitalised market it heralds
has not yet been created.
Church Street market will not be put on the
London map by cosmetic tinkering at the
edges. An approach is required that
capitalises on the assets the area already
offers, its diversity, its vibrancy and its
central location, by finally providing it with
high-quality attractive architecture and a
sustainable urban form, liberating it from
its dependency on continued intervention.
Achim von Malotki
Photo: Achim von Malotki.
“THIS
BURNE HOUSE:
SHY AND RETIRING BUILDING”
M i c h a e l Pe a r s o n , l e t t e r t o t h e a u t h o r, 7 J u n e 1 9 9 4
switchgear, so the air conditioning
would have to be adaptable. The
problems these conditions created
needed an original solution.
Architect Michael Pearson was a
partner in the family firm of Charles B.
Pearson Son & Partners, a successful
practice founded in Lancaster by
Pearson’s grandfather in 1904 and
specialising in public buildings,
including Britain’s first general hospital.
Pearson had designed several buildings
that could accept change throughout
their lifetime, including a competitionwinning, single-storey office building,
and enthusiastically embraced the
Burne House commission as a result.
His first challenge, though, came from
the site.
October 1976: cladding complete.
Bakerloo Line commuters hardly notice
it as they bustle through Edgware Road
station; motorists zipping along the
Westway probably assume it to be
another new development. Despite its
fifteen storeys, it maintains an
unassuming presence above the
markets, schools and homes of
Paddington, its polished, streamlined
skin shifting in colour from bright white
to warm orange according to the
prevailing light. But what exactly is this
attractive yet reticent building? Who
designed it, when, and why?
Burne House was actually opened in
Photo: EJ Studios.
1977. It was one of three new
telecommunications centres conceived
by the Post Office the previous decade
to meet the rapidly increasing demand
for telephone services in London. The
building would initially need to house
staff – almost 400 telephonists and
operators, making it larger than many
office blocks of the time – and electromechanical switching apparatus, but it
would also have to be flexible enough to
accommodate the new digital exchanges
on the horizon. Space used by
equipment might later have to house
staff, or vice versa. And electronics
require more cooling than mechanical
6
Westminster City Council, created in
1965 from the parishes of Westminster,
St Marylebone and Paddington, had
decreed that four towers would
mark the important intersection of
Marylebone Road, Georgian London’s
east-west highway, and Edgware Road,
the principal north-south route that
follows the ancient Roman Watling
Street, and that diagonal pairs would be
aligned with each road. The Council
hoped this bold scheme would form a
gateway to central London, especially
when seen from speeding cars on the
elevated Westway.
For Pearson, balancing the Post Office’s
technical requirements with the
Council’s masterplan meant many
design iterations for Burne House, and
the little wooden block models which
Pearson and the Council pored over to
achieve this still survive.
Pearson then planned the inside, with
large spaces and small air conditioning
units that could be moved. These
needed fresh air to function, however,
leading Pearson to a true architectural
breakthrough – making the exterior of
female staff were given ‘powder rooms’
and lockers were available to all.
Pearson wanted to have shops all
around the building – also now common
– to complement the then-thriving Bell
Street market, but the client refused.
Photo: Chris Rogers.
the building as adaptable as its interior.
He proposed a system of prefabricated
metal cladding panels with a fixed outer
zone but a flexible inner zone that could
be filled with a variety of different
inserts in different sizes: solid, glazed,
fixed, openable, intake and extract
louvres, smoke vents.
Now, if apparatus was moved to an area
that had housed staff, the nearest
panel’s glazed insert could simply be
removed and replaced with a louvred
insert to feed a repositioned air
conditioning unit. Staff relocated to an
equipment area could receive windows
in the same way.
Crittall Hope, a merger of two steelframed window businesses best known
for supplying Art Deco semis and the
Houses of Parliament respectively,
designed the cladding system under
Pearson’s supervision. Over 4,000
drawings were produced, many at life
size. The panels were stove enamelled,
familiar from domestic baths and
refrigerators but with many advantages
in architectural use including durability,
low maintenance and fire resistance. For
their colour, a love of South
Kensington’s stucco housing resulted in
Pearson choosing… magnolia.
The staff dining room and lounge were
placed on the top floor of the podium
with views over Marylebone Road.
Toilets were differently coloured to aid
wayfinding, common practice today,
It took a tough five years for Burne
House to emerge from the ground. To
protect the Bakerloo Line tunnels, the
earth above them was left untouched for
two and a half years until the building
rose high enough for its weight to keep
the tunnels stable. Vital underground
cables were excavated by hand, in
cramped conditions. A multi-storey car
park was buried beneath the building,
along with four 30-ton emergency
generators, tanks containing 24,000
gallons of fuel and exhaust pipes
reaching eight floors high. Cable
provision alone included a dedicated lift
for drums, ducts wider than an average
staircase and a 65 yard concrete tunnel.
Pearson also managed the whole
project, from calculating the volume of
rubbish the building would generate to
ordering a safe for the car park manager
to renewing the flagpole licence.
Leather for the entrance lobby seats and
reception desk came from Connolly,
suppliers to Rolls Royce.
have changed. With the first cladding
system of its type in Britain, arriving
well before similar buildings by Richard
Rogers, Norman Foster and Nicholas
Grimshaw, Burne House coped.
Unfortunately sensitivity over security
at a time of terrorist activity meant the
building, already covered by the Official
Secrets Act, never achieved widespread
fame.
Burne House occupied almost ten years
of Pearson’s life, and he regards it as
“the centre of my work”. The building
remains an important one for BT, the
Post Office’s successor, but even if it
were deemed surplus to requirements,
Burne House was planned “like a
warehouse… it can be used for
anything.” With its adaptable plan and
services and innovative, revolutionary
cladding system, Burne House
anticipated today’s concern for
sustainability. It has never outstayed its
welcome and has continuing value
today.
Chris Rogers
Burne House was well received by the
contemporary architectural press,
critics recognising its intellectual
meticulousness and visual beauty.
Panels have since been changed as the
functions inside – here a stairway, there
a machine room, elsewhere offices –
Chris Rogers writes on architecture and
visual culture. This article is a muchreduced adaptation of chapter six of his
book ‘The Power of Process – the
architecture
of
Michael
Pearson’,
published by Black Dog Publishing. For
details, and additional material about
Michael Pearson’s life and work not in the
book including more images and plans of
Burne House, visit
Photo: Leo Adrian O’Neill@artinmarylebone
7
www.chrismrogers.net
Photo: Margaret Gunst (Art in Marylebone).
LETTERS
The Langham Hotel, on the left, replaced James Langham’s house (called Langham Place) in 1865. In 1881 Portland Place
started to the right of the Langham Hotel.
Extract from Potter’s map of c1832 showing Portland
Place and Langham Place – the site of the former Foley
House is marked with a red FH and the northern
boundary of its grounds with a red line.
A resident of Portland Place writes:
I wonder if there is any possibility that a
historian at the St Marylebone Society could
very kindly help me.
In 1881 the Girl’s Own Paper ran a charming
story called “A Michaelmas Daisy”. In this
the heroine goes to live with rich relations in
Portland Place. The writer mentions All
Souls Church and the Langham Hotel so it
seems not to have been an imaginary
Portland Place. However the mansion is
described as standing back from the
causeway, overlooking a spacious lawn and
trees. Can Portland Place have had gardens
in the late 19th century?
An edited version of Mike Wood’s reply is as
follows:
The story you quote from refers to a
spacious lawn and trees “standing back from
the causeway” – from which one can infer
that the author had in mind some sort of
garden or communal space at the front of the
properties (one of the meanings of a
causeway is a highway or paved way).
Portland Place, laid out by Robert & James
Adam in c1778, had back gardens (most of
which have been filled in with extensions or
rebuilt without them) but, as built, does not
seem to have had front gardens. I say this
because neither the Horwood map of 1792-9
(updated by Faden 1813) nor the Potter map
of c1832 [see the attached extract from
Potter’s Map] show front gardens, although
both these maps are of sufficient scale to
show front gardens where they existed.
Potter, for example, shows front gardens in
The New Road (now Marylebone Road),
which have since disappeared. There was of
course one property in Portland Place with
front and back gardens from the very
beginning, that was at the southern end,
Foley House – on the attached Potter map I
have marked with a red line what would have
been the northern boundary of Foley’s
garden and the position of the house is
marked with a red “FH”. However, Foley
House was demolished in 1814 by John Nash
in order to link up Portland Place with the
new Regent Street – so it no longer existed
when the story you cite came to be written.
But that is not the end of the story, because
subsequent to 1832 there has been an
expansion of what was called Portland Place
into what was originally named Langham
Place.
If you look at the extract of the Potter map
(c1832) you will see that Portland Place
started two houses south of Duchess Street,
and was numbered up the east side, then
8
down the west side, finishing at number 68,
which was the point the garden of Foley
House had started (i.e. the red line on the
map). To the south of Portland Place was a
new road, Langham Place, created by John
Nash. Nash had bought Foley House and
demolished it, because it got in the way of
his plan to connect Portland Place to his
newly created Regent Street. Nash sold the
land needed for Langham Place to the Crown
and built James Langham a house (also
called Langham Place) on the site of part of
the grounds of Foley House, to the west of
the new stretch of road called Langham
Place (see attached map). As you will see
some of the other properties in Langham
Place, which were also built on land
originally forming the grounds of Foley
House, did have gardens adjoining the
street.
If one consults the Ordnance Survey map of
1870 – i.e. 11 years prior to the story you
cite – it shows that what is called Portland
Place has expanded right down to the
Langham Hotel (which replaced James
Langham’s house). Indeed Portland Place
goes round the corner in front of the
Langham Hotel to form a T-junction with
Chandos Street. The point being, that some
of the gardens that started life in Langham
Place are by 1870 designated Portland Place.
In particular there is a garden in front and
beside Langham House (which was formerly
5 Langham Place – see map) and there are
also gardens in front of the properties on the
opposite side of the road. So the very long
answer to your question is yes, at the
southern end of what became by the late
19th century to be called Portland Place,
there were indeed a few front gardens.
OBITUARIES
Hugh Carless CMG, (1925-2011)
Hugh Carless CMG was a British diplomat
and explorer, who died on 20th December
last year. He and his wife, Rosa Maria – an
internationally respected Brazilian artist –
had a home in Bryanston Square for over 50
years. They first acquired a flat there in
1958, at number 5, and in 1981 moved to
number 15. The contents of their flats
beautifully conveyed a sense of their travels
and personal history.
My father’s career in the foreign office
spanned from 1950 to 1985. He had postings
in Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Hungary,
Angola, West Germany, Argentina, and
finally he was appointed as Ambassador to
Venezuela. Back in 1976, he had been
awarded the CMG for organising President
Geisel of Brazil’s state visit to Britain. At the
time he was head of the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office’s Latin America
Department. It was during those years, and
then as chargé d’affaires to Argentina, that
he helped to shape Britain’s policy on the
Falkland Islands.
Hugh Carless is best known, though, as the
writer, Eric Newby’s walking companion in
North East Afghanistan. ‘A Short Walk in the
Hindu Kush’ recounts their trek in 1956 with
Julie Berrange
Julie lived in a flat across the road from my
house for many years before I met her
during a St Marylebone Society meeting and
we discovered we were close neighbours.
She was a very good neighbour, keeping an
eye on friend’s homes when they were away
– or in my case, hospital. Originally of AngloIrish background - her father was a doctor in
Ireland – she had a profound interest in all
cultural matters. No mean artist herself, she
exhibited frequently in local art exhibitions.
She also enjoyed music and above all poetry.
I remember her sitting in my drawing room
quoting, at length, Yeats, who was a hero of
hers.
Her great love was to visit local cultural
events and talk to those taking part. She
delicious humour. It epitomises the English
spirit of adventure in its depiction of a
stalwart, yet cheerful, amateurism. The
book has long been viewed as a travelwriting classic. It was – as any new reader
will discover – almost as much my father’s
book as Eric Newby’s. Pertinently, my father
wrote an after-word for the 50th anniversary
edition, published by Picador in 2008.
In ‘retirement’ Hugh was an example of
creative activity. He worked with the
Hinduja Brothers for some years as their
London branch executive vice-chairman. For
some time he was also vice-chairman of the
South Atlantic Council. He was a member of
the Travellers Club, Pall Mall, and of the
Royal Mid Surrey Golf Club, Richmond. He
researched and wrote articles on family
history, and lectured at his club and
elsewhere.
My father retained a lively interest in the
Marylebone scene, delighting in the
Farmer’s Market, and playing an active role
as a trustee for Bryanston Square. He had
long-standing friendships with a number of
fellow residents, such as Richard and Lucille
Lewin, Michel Conroy and Theresa
Alexander. Further back in time he enjoyed
friendly acquaintance with the writer, Eric
Ambler, who lived next door.
In his last years Hugh suffered many
afflictions; yet through them all he exhibited
a touching blend of dignity, determination
and gentlemanly values. He is hugely
missed by family and friends.
Ronnie Carless
Other obituaries can be found at:
The Daily Telegraph – 21 December 2011.
The Times – 23 December 2011.
Ronnie and his family at Buckingham Palace in 1976.
continued to do this to the end of her life
even after a severe fall that affected her
sight and walking. She would never give up
and will be sadly missed.
Sylvia Mann
Julie was regular participant in the
Westminster Faith Exchange of which I
was Chairman. A devout Catholic, she
took an interest in the different faith
communities in Westminster, visiting
their places of worship and participating
in the informative and lively debates
that we held. At her own church she
arranged the flowers and befriended
many of the congregation. Always
cheerful, supportive and a good friend.
Carolyn Keen
9
Julie enjoying a visit to the Marylebone Magistrates’ Court,
September 2011.
THE ACROW BUILDING
Nestled between the bulk of St Mary’s
Hospital and surrounded by high rise
glazed developments in Paddington
basin the Acrow Building remains in the
shadows, like a long-forgotten, once
famous celebrity. This small, eccentric
industrial building was home to a multinational company, originally based in
Harefield, whose steel shuttering,
demountable scaffolding and support
systems revolutionised refurbishment
and system building worldwide.
Fresh from active service a scaffolder,
Harry Shacklady, headed a team of
itinerant scaffolding ‘commandos’ to
work on urgent building reconstruction
after the War under the name ‘Acrow
Group’ and due to the shortage of
timber they utilised steel products. It
was one of Britain’s great success
stories growing from a company with
just 3 employees in 1936 to a staff of
10,000 in 1975. Branching into storage
systems and opening companies from
Johannesburg to New Jersey, and from
Buenos Aries to Sydney, Acrow went
from strength to strength and
showcased its products and services at
the 1950 World exhibition in Chicago.
distinctive. The modern idiom continues
inside the main entrance with a central
staircase, stainless steel doors with
‘ocean-liner’ portholes and sweeping
handrails. Large glazed windows with
black vitralite panels front the street,
whilst the offices to the rear are a
perfect example of utilitarian post war
buildings with flat roofs, W20 single
glazed windows and period signage.
In 1951 the company had moved to
Paddington and built this distinctive
modern office headquarters on the site
of former Great Western Stables. The
stainless steel framing and blue glass
fins conveyed the innovative and
dynamic ethos of the firm, crystalline,
prism-like, modern and highly
In 1985 The Thirties Society wrote to
Westminster planning to ask about the
future of the building, which at the time
was threatened by the development of
St Mary’s Hospital. Luckily the Acrow
Building survived, is still in use today by
the hospital for administration and the
St Marylebone Society hope that it can
Distinctive signage.
Blue glass and stainless steel detail.
10
be protected for the future. However,
listing is difficult because we have not
been able to find out the name of the
architect of the building. Planning files
record that the engineers were Trollope
and Colls Ltd. with later alterations to
the building by Harold, Bailey & Farrier
Architects, but no mention is made of
the designer of the original building.
Acrow went bankrupt in 1983 and there
the story ends. We would be grateful to
anyone who has more information or
any clues to help solve the mystery of
this unique post war gem, which is now
the only reminder in Paddington basin of
its industrial and engineering past.
Gaby Higgs
Entrance Doors to Acrow HQ.
V ISITS
THE WESTMINSTER
HISTORY CLUB
The new Westminster History Club, with
four meetings a year, is proving to be a
very successful initiative on the part of
Councillor Judith Warner.
The subject of the meeting held on 27
March 2012 was Silver Altar Pieces from
Westminster Abbey, St Margaret’s and St
Martin-in-the-Fields. The lecture was
given by a distinguished academic,
Professor Phillipa Glanville, formerly of
the V&A and other learned institutions.
Attendance was practically capacity in the
Lord Mayor’s Reception rooms at the top
of City Hall in Victoria Street. With a glass
of wine, convivial company and the period
of twilight enhancing a panoramic view of
the London skyline, the lecture with slides
began.
It soon became apparent that much church
silver found its way to America in the
1950s and is in museums there. Various
patrons gave generously. One important
piece in particular is the Pearson Cup
dating from the early 19th century,
remarkable for its craftsmanship and
considerable weight. The Beadle’s Staff of
Office, when the sun shone on it during
processions, had a certain fascination as
did a communion spoon dating from the
late 17th Century, recorded in an
inventory of the period still in existence,
purchased in the late 1600s for eighteen
shillings and sixpence.
It was a very interesting subject and the
History Club is obliged to Professor
Glanville for such an illuminating talk on
an aspect of British heritage that is
perhaps somewhat neglected.
We look forward in anticipation to the next
meeting.
Douglas Temple
CORPORATE SUPPORTERS
Abbey National Charitable Trust Limited
A VISIT TO THE
UNDERCROFT MUSEUM AT
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
A small group of us met on 20 March at the
cloister entrance and visited the Undercroft
Museum.
James Rawlinson was our excellent guide,
and although the museum is small it has a
wealth of interesting wax effigies to see.
It was the custom at the funerals of Kings or
Queeens or of other great persons to
represent them by a life-sized robed figure,
either of wood or wax, which lay on the coffin
as it was borne through the streets. The
effigies now in the Undercroft Museum are
those which have survived at the Abbey.
The ones I remember well were – Charles II
dressed in his Garter Robes – the earliest
which have survived in England. He even has
his own monogrammed underpants on!
Frances, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox
who was a great beauty and sat for the
original figure of Britannia on the coinage.
Queen Elizabeth I is dressed to represent the
dress worn by the Queen at the thanksgiving
service for the defeat of the Spanish Armada
in 1588.
Horatio, Viscount Nelson’s effigy was bought
early in 1806 in the hope that it would attract
people back to the Abbey and away from his
tomb at St Paul’s. There is little doubt that the
whole of the clothes belonged to him.
It was a beautiful day and a visit to the College
Garden was a delight. It contains various
interesting trees. A black mulberry, a white
mulberry, a fig and a walnut tree to name but
a few.
It was a very interesting outing and our
thanks go to Douglas Temple for arranging it.
Vesta Burgess
Alliance Française
Berkeley Court Tenants’ Association
Blandford Estate Tenants’ Association
Chiltern Court (Baker Street)
Residents’ Limited
The Chiltern Railway Co. Ltd.
Clarence Gate Gardens Residents’ Association
The Crown Estate
Crown Estate Paving Commission
CRTMCL
Dorset House Tenants’ Association
Dorset Square Trust
Fellowship of the School of Economic Science
Fitzhardinge House Tenants’ Association
Goldschmidt & Howland
Howard de Walden Estate
Hyatt Regency Churchill Hotel
Ivor Court Residents’ Association
The Landmark Hotel
London Clinic
Mac Services
Manchester Square Trust
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Police Division
Octavia Housing and Care
Old Philologians
Open Air Theatre (Regent’s Park)
Peoples Travel
The Portman Estate
15 Portman Square Tenants’ Association
Queen’s College
Regent’s College
Rossmore Court Leaseholding Ltd.
St. Marylebone Parish Church
St. Marylebone School
Terry Farrell & Partners
The Tyburn Angling Society
University of Westminster
Westminster City Council
Wyndham Place Management
York Estates
Zoological Society of London
ST MARYLEBONE SOCIETY PROGRAMME SUMMER 2012
Art in Marylebone, 21-24 June. The
exhibition at The American Intercontinental
University on Marylebone High Street will
open on 21st June at 6.30pm and continue
over the weekend. This year’s top 3 winners
will be announced at the closing ceremony
on Sunday 24th June at 4pm.
Wednesday 20 June, 10.30 am. Our fellow
organisation, the Marylebone Association
hold their coffee morning at the Wallace
Collection, Manchester Square, W1. Cost
£5.00. No need to book, everyone welcome.
Tuesday 3rd July, from 10.00 am. 1st
Floor café at the Royal Institute of
British Architects, 66 Portland Place,
London W1B 1AD, 020 7580 5533.
(NB: Bring photo ID for access to the library)
Free entry but book a place with Douglas
Temple so we can confirm numbers.
uniforms with centuries of service and
tradition. Cost £4.00.
Sunday 8th July, 7pm. A Midsummer
Night’s Dream performed in Dorset
square by The Principal Theatre
Company and set to the soundtrack of The
Beatles. Tickets £14 from Jonathan
Dinnewell. [email protected]
Monday17th September, from 10.00 am.
at the Arch Hotel, 50 Great Cumberland
Place, Marble Arch, London W1H 7FD.
Coffee morning in the Salon de Champagne.
Pay your own way.
Thursday 19 July, 1.00 pm. The National
Gallery Trafalgar Square, WC2. Lecture
on Degas, Giotto and Paris. FREE.
Monday 10 September, 2.00 p.m.
The Household Cavalry Museum,
Horseguards Parade. The museum contains
fascinating objects of military history
including battle honours, medals and
11
Tuesday 16 October 2012, 11.00 am.
The Temple Church, Middle Temple, EC4.
Talk and tour of this ancient church with
close links to the Order of Knights Templar.
£4.00 – £2.00 concession.
For more information and late bookings please
contact: St Marylebone Society Events
Secretary, Douglas Temple, Flat 1, 7 Seymour
Place, London W1H 5AS – 020 7723 6417.
E VENTS
A
‘ART
IN MARYLEBONE’ PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION:
DAY IN THE LIFE OF MARYLEBONE - ST GEORGE’S DAY 2012
Union Jack ©JD Kelleher – Art in Marylebone.
St George's day flag – Bede Young.
Exhibition and published as a book, available
to purchase at the show.
We had approximately 200 entries, slightly
less than in 2011, and this might have been
due to April being the wettest on record.
Entrants ranged from professional
photographers to school children. It is telling
that modern digital cameras and
i-phone apps allow quite sophisticated shots
and some images had been developed in
‘photoshop’ to enhance and produce creative
Members at the last RIBA visit. ©Wilson Yau.
RIBA EXHIBITION – THE LEGACY
effects. Themes highlighted the weather,
nature and architecture in Marylebone,
capturing momentary breaks in the clouds,
bursts of spring colour and candid streetshots.
The exhibition at The American
Intercontinental University on Marylebone
High Street will open on 21st June at 6.30pm
and continue over the weekend. This year’s
top 3 winners will be announced at the closing
ceremony on Sunday 24th June at 4pm.
OF
Tuesday 3rd July, from 10.00 am. 1st
Floor café at the Royal Institute of
British Architects, 66 Portland Place,
London W1B 1AD, 020 7580 5533. Following
our last successful and interesting visit to
RIBA’s housing exhibition we are planning
another similar event. Meet at 10.00am for
coffee or late breakfast at the 1st floor café,
then have an opportunity to look at current
architectural exhibitions together:
Design Stories – The Architecture
behind 2012. An exhibition which
examines the architecture and engineering
behind the Olympic sporting venues;
including the Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid
and the Velodrome by Michael Hopkins.
After the Party – The Legacy of
Celebration. Looks at monuments of the
past that celebrated national events such as
Olympics, Millennia, World Fairs and Expos?
This exhibition explores how celebratory
events across time have left a legacy
through the structures built for them.
Featuring images from RIBA's unique
CELEBRATION
collections, it examines the lasting social and
urban impact of buildings created to
celebrate a particular moment in time.
©RIBA Library drawings collection.
Photographers, both amateur and professional
alike, were invited to snap their best shot of
local Marylebone life celebrating St George's
Day.
Photographs were taken during the weekend
of April 21st/22nd/23rd 2012 and submitted
via the website www.artinmarylebone.org
The fifty best photographs were selected by
photographic expert judges, Viel Richardson,
Angela Holder and Adam Butler and will be
displayed at the annual Art in Marylebone
Sir Hugh Casson’s decoration of Eros for the Coronation
of Queen Elizabeth 11.
Published by the St. Marylebone Society, June 2012. ©St Marylebone Society.