Neighbourhood guide · SW1
Belgravia
White stucco squares, private gardens and the quietest addresses in SW1.
Built in one go in the 1820s and 1830s, Belgravia still looks like a single design: white stucco squares, private gardens and long mews behind them. It is a few minutes from Hyde Park and very quiet once the shops close.
Living in Belgravia
A quarter laid out with a ruler
Belgravia was farmland until the Grosvenor family asked the builder Thomas Cubitt to lay out a new district on it. He gave it three great squares, Belgrave, Eaton and Chester, and lined them with tall stucco houses painted the same cream. Most of the estate still belongs to the Grosvenors, which is why the paintwork, the railings and the street lamps match from one end to the other.
Behind every grand terrace runs a mews where the horses and carriages once lived. Those mews houses are now some of the most sought-after small houses in London: two or three floors, a garage on the cobbles and the squares a minute away.
Buyers come for the calm. There is very little through traffic, the garden squares are locked to keyholders, and Elizabeth Street and Motcomb Street give the area the feel of a village with excellent shops. Many houses are let or sold on long leases from the estate, so it pays to understand the lease before falling for the house.
Streets we know
Four of our favourites
I
Eaton Square
The longest of the three squares, with six private gardens in a row.
II
Chester Square
Smaller and quieter, with St Michael's church at its eastern end.
III
Elizabeth Street
Bakers, florists and a cheese shop, a short walk from Sloane Square.
IV
Eaton Mews North
Cobbled and almost hidden, directly behind Eaton Square.
On the map
Belgravia, close up
The houses we are selling here and the places our buyers ask about first: parks, shops, stations and the odd museum.
Good to know
Before you move
Red brick and Dutch gables, a few streets from the squares.
A stucco corner house in autumn.
For sale and sold
Homes in Belgravia
Off market
Not everything is listed
Tell us what you are looking for in Belgravia and we will call you before a house comes to market.
From the journal
Stories from Belgravia
Keep exploring
Other neighbourhoods
Selling in Belgravia?
We know who is looking here
A partner visits, walks every floor and gives you a written valuation within five working days.