Lowndes Square History: A Short Guide to the Cubitt Square
Lowndes Square's history is a compact story of Victorian London: two fields beside a river, a family estate, a building boom led by the Cubitt brothers, and then a long run as one of the smartest addresses in Knightsbridge. The square lies just east of Sloane Street, a few minutes' walk from Knightsbridge station, and you can see most of what matters from the pavement in half an hour. Here is how it came to be, and what to look for when you visit.
From fields to the Lowndes estate
Before any houses were built, the land here was two fields lying on either side of the Westbourne, one of London's lost rivers, which ran south towards the Thames. The ground belonged to the estate of William Lowndes of Chesham, and the square takes his family's name. Further east, in the same decades, the low, marshy land known as the Five Fields was drained and laid out as Belgravia, and Lowndes Square shares much of that story and many of the same builders.
Building the square
Work on Lowndes Square began in 1836. The east and north sides were built between 1838 and 1849, and the west side was begun in 1844. The developer was Lewis Cubitt, younger brother of the master builder Thomas Cubitt, whose firm shaped so much of Belgravia; Lewis is better remembered today as the architect of King's Cross station. The result was a long rectangle of tall, stucco-fronted terraces in cream and white, with the central garden running parallel to Sloane Street. Much of that uniformity has since gone: the north and east sides were partly rebuilt as mansion blocks in the twentieth century, and numbers 11 and 12 are among the houses that keep statutory listed status.
The garden
The private communal garden at the centre, a little under an acre, was laid out for the residents of the square and is still reserved for them. A survey in 1928 described it as a long, narrow enclosure laid out as an ornamental garden with shrubberies, and the outline has changed little. It keeps its original gate piers, though the railings date from the twentieth century. Inside are fine mature plane trees, a path around the edge and shrubs along the boundary. Even from outside the railings, it is the plane trees that give the square its character, softening the tall terraces on either side. From the north-west corner, look across to the side of Harvey Nichols, a reminder of how close the square sits to the shopping streets of Knightsbridge.
Lowndes Street and The Lowndes London
Lowndes Street runs south from the square into the quieter streets of Belgravia. At number 21 is The Lowndes London, now a Jumeirah Partner Hotel, a hotel that leans into discreet British charm. Its website highlights the spa facilities at its larger sister, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, a few minutes away on Cadogan Place. If you want a sit down after your walk, Motcomb Street, with its boutiques and pubs, is just to the east.
Holy Trinity Sloane Street
To round off the walk, head south down Sloane Street to Holy Trinity, at the Sloane Square end. It was built in 1888 to 1890 to designs by John Dando Sedding, one of the leading figures of the Arts and Crafts movement, after the 5th Earl Cadogan and his wife Beatrix decided to replace an earlier church. Sir John Betjeman called it the Cathedral of the Arts and Crafts. Inside, the great east window designed by Burne-Jones is the largest window Morris and Company ever made, and there is fine sculpture by F.W. Pomeroy and others. The parish's history page has much more detail.
Good to know: the houses and garden are private, so enjoy Lowndes Square from the street. Holy Trinity is currently open from 10am to 5pm on weekdays and 10am to 7pm on Sundays, and is usually closed on Saturdays unless there is an event. Knightsbridge is the nearest station for the square; Sloane Square is closer for the church.
