Then & Now

 Burwood Place c.1958. Looking north west from the corner of Burwood Place and Edgware Road, the entrance to Burwood Mews (now no longer existing) can clearly be seen in the middle of the image. 

Burwood Place 2018. Following demolition and redevelopment during the 1960s, the site is now home to the Water Gardens complex.  

Then
Now

Edgware Road c.1976. The frontage of the Water Gardens complex viewed looking northwards along Edgware Road towards Sussex Gardens and the London Metro Hotel, completed in 1972. 

Edgware Road 2018. Today, there is noticeably more street furniture. The hotel is still there, renamed the Hilton London Metropole Hotel and still one of the tallest buildings in Westminster at 91m. 

Then
Now

Edgware Road 1930s. The former Georgian shopfronts on Edgware Road facing eastwards towards the West End. An advert for ‘His Master’s Voice’ and ‘Columbia Records’ can clearly be seen in the foreground, these two companies merged in 1931 and became EMI Ltd. 

Edgware Road 2018. Now home to Portsea Hall, the site was redeveloped in the interwar years and forms part of the first wave of redevelopment that took place on the Estate. 

1930
2018

Norfolk Crescent 1938. The view looking south towards Porchester Place, this grand Victorian crescent gradually fell into disrepair throughout the first half of the 20th Century. 

Norfolk Crescent 2018. The Victorian houses were replaced in the 1960s with ‘modern’ houses that paid homage to the earlier Victorian architecture whilst dovetailing with the Brutalist contemporaneous redevelopment. 

1938
2018

Sussex Square 1930s. Grand stuccoed Victorian town houses overlook one of the original Garden squares on the Estate. The cast iron railings surrounding the Square were later removed as part of the war effort. 

Sussex Square 2018. Post War redevelopment led to the construction of smaller family homes at a lower density. The Royal Lancaster Hotel, completed in 1967, can be seen in the background. 

1930
2018

Sussex Place 1940s.  Sussex Place provides an excellent example of the evolution from bare brick original buildings that are found in the Eastern part of the Estate to buildings covered in Italianate stucco that were constructed later in the 19th Century as development progressed westward. 

Sussex Place 2018. This is one of the few entirely unchanged streets, barring alterations to the road configuration, on the Estate. 

1940
2018

Duke of Kendal 1950s. Looking eastwards along Connaught Street, the centre of the Estate’s retail Village. Commerce has always been at the heart of this street since the Estate was first built. 

Duke of Kendal 2018. Today, Connaught Village provides a thriving shopping destination with a unique retail offer. 

1950
2018

Connaught Street South Side 1968. The gap in the terrace in the foreground of the picture is a stark reminder of the bombing of London during the Second World War. 

Connaught Street South Side 2018. Contemporary restoration of the bombed out building and a new traditional shopfront have been seamlessly blended into the original terrace. 

1968
2018

Connaught Street South Side 1970s. In the background of the picture, the sign for Markus Coffee is visible, one of the oldest current tenants on the Estate. 

Connaught Street South Side 2018. Today, although there are different tenants, with the noticeable exception of Markus Coffee, Connaught Street still provides a diverse offering of restaurants and shopping. 

1970
2018

Connaught Square West Side 1970s. Connaught Square was one of the first garden squares completed on the Estate, the houses date from the 1820s. It has long been rumoured that the site of the infamous Tyburn gallows lies somewhere beneath the square. 

Connaught Square West Side 2018. The square has been home to many illustrious residents from ballet dancers to former prime ministers. Today the square and its elegant garden remains unchanged. 

1970
2018

Porchester Place 1970s. The image provides a stark divide between the 1960s developments in the background and the Georgian terraces that they replaced in the foreground. 

Porchester Place 2018. Similarly to Edgware Road, the increase in street infrastructure - cycle ranks, bins, and road markings – during the last 40 years is noticeable. 

1970
2018

Portsea Hall 1930s from Kendal Street. Kendal Street was formerly known as Sovereign Street and then Cambridge Street as it was when this picture was taken. Following the demolition of these buildings and the construction of Portsea Hall, the street was renamed Kendal Street. 

Portsea Hall from Kendal Street 2018. The Georgian terrace of Portsea Place was replaced by the art deco grandeur of Portsea Hall. The previous photo of Portsea Hall shows the parade of shops on the Edgware Road frontage, this image shows the entrance to the eight floors of residential properties. 

1930
2018

Connaught Street Westwards 1970s. The image shows the street from number 7 all the way to Hyde Park Square at the end. 

Connaught Street Westwards 2018. Public realm improvements such as the replacement of missing balconies, mosaic tiling outside of shops and the reinvigoration of the exteriors are evident. 

1970
2018

39-41 Connaught Street 1974. 41 Connaught Street, the building on the right of the image, is the restaurant where Delia Smith, the celebrated chef and author began her career.  

39-41 Connaught Street 2018. As part of their active asset management of the Estate, the Commissioners have engaged in cleaning the original brickwork in Connaught Village and also restoring the heart and honeysuckle ‘Adelphi’ design balconies from an original in the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

1974
2018

Connaught Square South Side 1945. On the left of the image is the only double fronted house on the square, an exception to the unity of the terraces on all 4 sides. The railings on the garden were, similarly to the others on the Estate, requisitioned as part of the War Effort. 

Connaught Square South Side 2018. With the exception of the proliferation of cars and the addition of street furniture, very little material change has occurred in the square. 

1945
2018

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