Plaque

Bessborough Gardens - Thomas Cubitt

Erection date: 14/7/1988

Inscription

This site, originally marshland, has formed part of the Crown's Millbank Estate since 1799. Thomas Cubitt developed the area in the mid-19th century & now his original concept has been reborn in 1988.

Architects - Chapman Taylor Partners
Engineers - R. T. James & Partners
Services Engineers - Haden Young
Contractor - Trollope & Colls

Site: Bessborough Gardens (2 memorials)

SW1, Bessborough Gardens, 1

The plaques are in the porch behind the pillars that you can see in our photo, Cubitt on the left, Prince of Wales on the right.

The (2018) Bessborough Gardens management's website gives: "In the 1840's the Thomas Cubitt development began. Within a century the head lease of this land had reverted back to the Crown Estate. Most of the buildings were suffering from the damage of the Big Flood in 1928 and the Second World War and were in a derelict state, although they were still required for residential use because of the acute post war housing shortage. In the mid 1980's, in conjunction with Wimpy Homes the Crown Estate embarked on redevelopment of the land with a three phase development. Phase one being the build of some 140 flats which we now know as Bessborough Gardens. The two projects of Lindsay Square and Balvaird Place followed."

When we visited the website again in 2019 the text on that page had changed and adds to our knowledge again: "Bessborough Gardens was named after Lord Granville who was married to The Countess of Bessborough's niece in the early nineteenth century. The acreage was largely marsh land split by the River Tyburn which was little more than an open sewer leading to the River Thames. The area's development had inauspicious beginnings: In the 1820's there was a depressed housing market, but an astute developer, by the name of Thomas Cubitt was enjoying a huge success bucking the trend and selling high worth houses like hotcakes to the aristocracy in Belgravia. He gradually acquired parcels of land in Pimlico from the Grosvenor family and also a major section of Bessborough Gardens from a bankrupt developer, Thomas Hamlet. In the 1840's the Thomas Cubitt development began. Within a century the head lease of this land had reverted back by the Crown Estate."

Trying to understand why the name Bessborough was used we followed up the clues provided in this text and discovered that Lord Granville had had an affair (producing two illegitimate children) with Henrietta Ponsonby, the Countess of Bessborough, who then arranged for him to marry her niece. Nice. But still no good explanation for the name of the Gardens.

These are some quality plaques. It seems that when the Prince of Wales is going to be named on a memorial they spend that bit more.

2024: Regarding the naming of the development, Mr Little kindly wrote and directed us to Westminster Council's page on the Gardens: "Bessborough Gardens was originally the site of Holy Trinity Church designed by J. Pearson, built in 1849 to 1852 but demolished in 1954. Bessborough Gardens is named after Lord Bessborough, John William Ponsonby, the 4th Earl of Bessborough, {1781 - 1847} a British politician who was Home Secretary in 1834." Now that makes sense: a notable politician who died shortly before the development was completed. The 4th Earl was one of the naughty Countess's legitimate children.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Bessborough Gardens - Thomas Cubitt

Subjects commemorated i

Thomas Cubitt

Builder. Born at Buxton, near Norwich. He travelled to India as a ship's carp...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Bessborough Gardens - Thomas Cubitt

Also at this site i

Bessborough Gardens - Prince of Wales

Bessborough Gardens - Prince of Wales

Not the style but the high quality of this plaque reminds us of the one on Lo...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Wandsworth time capsule

Wandsworth time capsule

SW18, Fairfield Street, front garden

In 1899 the Battersea Vestry became the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea.

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Davis Theatre

Davis Theatre

CR0, High Street Croydon, 81

Google Street View shows this plaque in situ 2008 - 2014 but lost by June 2015. We have the Russian Embassy to thank for drawing this lo...

3 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Smithfield - Poulters

Smithfield - Poulters

EC1, East Poultry Avenue

A property in Budge Row was left to the Poulters in 1727. Pity the flanking stones don't say when the arms were removed since that proba...

1 subject commemorated
Halsey Ricardo

Halsey Ricardo

SW3, Old Church Street, 117

From The Modernists Journals Project we lean that this house was "designed by Halsey Ricardo for his daughter Anna ... and Maresco when t...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Aston Webb at Whiteley Village

Aston Webb at Whiteley Village

KT12, Whiteley Village

This small enamel plaque looks as if it was installed when the cottages were first constructed. There may be eight versions of this littl...

3 subjects commemorated

Previously viewed

Penfold pillar boxes

Penfold pillar boxes

Designed by John Penfold. They are distinguished by their hexagonal shape, with an acanthus bud on top. The originals were made by Cochrane & Co of Dudley, Worcestershire, and later replicas by...

Place, Craft / Design

2 memorials