A Look At Belgrave Square, London

Описание: Belgrave Square is a large, grandiose architecture 19th-century garden square in London. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia and its architecture resembles the original scheme of property contractor Thomas Cubitt who engaged George Basevi for all of the terraces for the 2nd Earl Grosvenor, later the 1st Marquess of Westminster, in the 1820s. Most of the houses were occupied by 1840. The square takes its name from one of the Duke of Westminster's subsidiary titles, Viscount Belgrave. The village and former manor house of Belgrave, Cheshire were among the rural landholdings associated with the main home and gardens of the senior branch of the family, Eaton Hall. Today, many embassies occupy buildings on all four sides.
The square has hosted embassies since its first century, which has increased, including the German Embassy, which occupies three houses on the west sides. During World War II, the square was used as a tank park; afterwards most of the houses were converted into offices for charities and institutes. The 21st century has seen more domestic leases, such as three by the Grosvenor Estate in 2004. The present Duke of Westminster co-administers and enjoys a stake in billion-pound family trusts as the lease-encumbered freeholder i.e. reversioner, entitled to the ground rents and lease renewal premiums, of the family estate, which is largely intact, stretching from the Thames to Marble Arch and the remainder of Oxford Street but which omits Victoria Station, St James's and Buckingham Palace.