Melbury Road
 Looking northeast along Melbury Road from Addison Road | |
| Namesake | Dorset home of the Earl of Ilchester |
|---|---|
| Type | Street |
| Length | 440 m (1,440 ft) |
| Area | Holland Park |
| Location | Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England |
| Postal code | W14 |
| Nearest metro station | High Street Kensington tube station |
| Coordinates | 51°29′58″N 0°12′14″W / 51.49936°N 0.20397°W |
| West end | Addison Road (A3220) |
| Major junctions | Abbotsbury Road Holland Park Road |
| South end | Kensington High Street |
| North | Abbotsbury Road |
| East | Addison Road (A3220) |
| South | Holland Park Road Kensington High Street |
| West | Design Museum |
| Construction | |
| Commissioned | 1874 |
| Construction start | 1875 |
| Other | |
| Known for | Holland Park Circle |
Melbury Road is a residential road in the Holland Park area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England.[1] It is known for houses owned by the Victorian Holland Park Circle, an informal group of 19th-century artists, including William Burges, Luke Fildes, Frederic Leighton, Valentine Prinsep, Hamo Thornycroft, and George Frederick Watts.[2]
The road links Addison Road (A3220) to the west with Kensington High Street to the south. There is a junction with Holland Park Road, location of the Leighton House Museum.
History[edit]
The road was created on the Ilchester Estate, named in 1875 after the Dorset home of the Earl of Ilchester.[1] The Kensington home of Lord Holland was demolished in 1875 to make way for the road.[2]
Buildings[edit]
The following historic houses are of special interest,[1][3] many listed and some with blue plaques for members of the Holland Park Circle[2] and others:
- 2, 2a, and 2b Melbury Road, designed by John Belcher for the sculptors Thomas and Mary Thornycroft and their family, built 1876–7; their son Sir Hamo Thornycroft, also a sculptor, lived at 2b Melbury Road.
- 6 Melbury Road ("Little Holland House"),[4] designed by Frederick Pepys Cockerell for George Frederick Watts, built 1875–6; gallery extension by George Aitchison, 1878; demolished 1964 and replaced in 1965 by a block of flats, Kingfisher House. Watts lived here from 1878 until his death in 1904; he and his wife, the actress Ellen Terry, also lived in an earlier house here.
- 8 Melbury Road (Grade II* listed),[5] designed by Richard Norman Shaw for Marcus Stone, built 1875–7; later the film director Michael Powell (1905–1990) lived here during 1951–1971. Both Stone and Powell are recorded with plaques on the front of the building.
- East House, 9 Melbury Road (Grade II listed).[6]
- 10 and 12 Melbury Road, two detached four-storey houses built by William Turner of Chelsea; demolished c.1964 and replaced by Stavordale Lodge.[3]
- 14 Melbury Road, designed by J. J. Stevenson for Colin Hunter, built 1876;[7] destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.
- 18 Melbury Road (Grade II listed along with Nos 16 and 18A),[8][9] built by William Turner of Chelsea; home of the Pre-Raphaelite painter, William Holman Hunt, from 1903 until his death in 1910;[10][11] Cetshwayo kaMpande (died 1884), King of the Zulus, stayed here in 1882. Both Holman Hunt[12] and Cetshwayo are recorded with blue plaques on the building.
- 22 Melbury Road, home of the composer Benjamen Britten during 1948–1853; he wrote Billy Budd, Gloriana, The Little Sweep, and Spring Symphony here.[13]
- The Tower House, 29 Melbury Road (formerly No 9, Grade I listed),[14] designed by William Burges for himself, built 1876–8;[15][16] later owned by the rock guitarist Jimmy Page.[17]
- Woodland House, 31 Melbury Road (formerly 11, Grade II* listed),[18] designed by Richard Norman Shaw for Luke Fildes, built 1876–7; later owned by the film director Michael Winner and then the singer Robbie Williams.[19]
- 47 Melbury Road (Grade II listed).[20]
- 55 and 57 Melbury Road (Grade II* listed).[21]
See also[edit]
- Holland Park
- Holland Park Circle
- List of English Heritage blue plaques in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher, eds. (1983). "Melbury Road". The London Encyclopaedia. Macmillan. p. 507.
- ^ a b c Banerjee, Jacqueline. "Melbury Road, Leighton House, and the Holland Park Artists' Houses". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ a b "The Holland estate: Since 1874". Survey of London. Vol. 37, Northern Kensington. London: London County Council / British History Online. 1973. pp. 126–150. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Sons, Hampton (1935). "Little Holland House, 6, Melbury Road, Kensington, W."
- ^ Historic England. "8, Melbury House (1225615)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "East House West House (1225642)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Bell, Godfrey (2021). The Story of 14 Melbury Road, Holland Park, London: The Homes and Residents of This Address Since 1876. Godfrey Bell Publications. ISBN 978-1527294837.
- ^ Historic England. "16 18 and 18A, Melbury Road W14 (1225643)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "16, 18 and 18A, Melbury Road W14". British Listed Buildings. UK. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Banerjee, Jacqueline. "The Home and Studio of William Holman Hunt in Holland Park". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "W. Holman Hunt, 18 Melbury Road, Kensington, W., to [Sir Edward] Poynter". RA Collection: Archive. UK: Royal Academy of Arts. 7 January 1906. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "Holman-Hunt, William, O.M. (1827–1910)". UK: English Heritage. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "Melbury Road, W14". W14, West Kensington. The Underground Map. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "The Tower House (1225632)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Minshall, Col. (1933). "Kensington: the Tower House, 9 Melbury Road, Kensington W. 14".
- ^ Bicknell, John (1952). "Plans of the Tower House, 9 Melbury Road, Kensington, by William Burges".
- ^ Saunders, Tristram Fane (19 December 2018). "Robbie Williams, Jimmy Page and their battle over London's most A-list mansions". The Telegraph.
- ^ Historic England. "Woodlands House (1225541)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Joseph, Claudia (9 December 2013). "The history of Robbie Williams' new £17.5m Kensington house". Daily Express.
- ^ Historic England. "47, Melbury Road W14 (1266315)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "55 and 57, Melbury Road W14 (1225641)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melbury Road, Kensington.
- The Melbury Road Set, 1987 documentary by Colin Cunningham on YouTube (24 minutes)
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