Belgrave Square is a 5 acre garden square in London, located less than a mile away from Buckingham Palace. It is the centerpiece of Belgravia, home to some of the richest and most famous people in England including historians, poets, princes, inventors, politicians, painters, and more (Manton). Some of the most well known residents include former Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Neville Chamberlain. There are additionally several world renown actors and creators that call Belgravia home, including Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and School of Rock, as well as James Bond actors Sean Connery and Roger Moore, and Ian Fleming who created the James Bond character. Others include Virginia Woolf, Mary Shelly who wrote Frankenstein, and Frederic Chopin. Now mostly it is comprised of embassies and other organizations (Manton).
Belgravia was developed in mid 1820 by Thomas Cubitt who built the houses and lands surrounding the square. In 1825, Cubbit built the square because he thought that it would become a strong selling point for Belgravia, and he was right (Belgrave Square). Belgravia was hugely successful from the start, one of the reasons being that the Queen rented the house at number 36 for her mother, earning Belgrave Square the royal seal of approval.
As for the garden itself, all of the terraces were designed by George Basevi, and were created to resemble the architecture of the original contractor, Thomas Cubitt. The 5 acre garden has several terraces and was designed for privacy, and so it is surrounded by a dense belt of shrubbery. The center of the garden features classical- style shelters and wooden pergolas (Belgrave Square).
Due to its connection to royalty, Belgrave Square is synonymous with wealth. For that reason, in Arnold’s poem “West London” mentions Belgrave Square as an indication of the type of people surrounding the area, which is why when he describes the tramp refusing to ask for help from the inhabitants of Belgrave Square, he is saying that the tramp won’t request help from the aristocracy. Instead she was helped by the working class (line 1).
Even though Belgravia was home to many famous authors, it does not appear in literature very often. Apart from Arnold’s poem, there are very few works that center around Belgrave Square. However recently there has been a new book written by the creator of Downton Abbey called Belgravia, which is a historical fiction written about the high society of London (Belgrave Square).
Belgrave Square is the center for the wealthy in London. All of the rich and famous of London owned property there at one point, and because of that reality, it became a metonymy of the aristocracy in England (Belgrave Square - Belgravia).
Works Cited
“Belgrave Square.” Place and See, placeandsee.com/wiki/belgrave-square. Accessed 28 Sept. 2022.
“Belgrave Square.” London Gardens Trust, www.londongardenstrust.org/guides/site.php?tour=Chelsea&stage=7.00#:~:t…. Accessed 28 Sept. 2022.
“Belgrave Square - Belgravia.” Parks & Gardens, www.parksandgardens.org/places/belgrave-square. Accessed 28 Sept. 2022.
Hipwell, Deirdre. “Bloomberg - Are You a Robot?” Bloomberg, 17 June 2022, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-17/swiss-billionaire-bertarelli…. Accessed 28 Sept. 2022.
Jiroch, Michael. “A Look at Belgrave Square, London.” Youtube, 7 Feb. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBprahtkijM. Accessed 28 Sept. 2022.
Manton, Cortney. “Meet Belgravia’s Famous Past and Present Residents.” Best Gapp, 6 June 2016, bestgapp.co.uk/news/meet-belgravias-famous-past-and-present-residents/. Accessed 28 Sept. 2022.
Shepherd, Thomas. “Belgrave Square, SW1X.” The Underground Map, 24 July 2021, www.theundergroundmap.com/article.html?id=12090. Accessed 28 Sept. 2022.