HISTORY OF THE HOUSE
As has been mentioned, 53 Green Street came into being in 1882. According to Estate records, it was “one of group of red-brick and terra cotta houses erected on the site of the demolished St. Mary’s chapel and churchyard.” The architect was Mr. J. T. Wimperis who had acted numerous times on behalf of the Grosvenors. As builder they chose Mr. Charles Fish.
No. 53 was one of those which helped expedite the plan to take all vestiges of business or “trade” establishments out of the northern half of Mayfair. It was, in essence, a speculative house since the Estate granted Mr. Fish the leasehold on the property for the cost of the building.
Contemporaneous plans for No. 53 in the Grosvenor archives show that the arrangement of rooms was essentially unchanged from what exists today. The small baths which were converted in the 1970s were closets. The dumbwaiter was available at all floors except the attic. The furnace was naturally coal-fired and these houses were among the first to have some degree of central heating.
As one of the first houses in Green Street to be rebuilt by the first Duke of Westminster, it helped establish the style and size for later development in the 80s and 90s. All had four full stories (eight half-stories) and a full basement. No. 53 was twenty-three feet four inches wide and sixty-six feet three inches deep, and, like all to follow, used dark red brick and terra cotta as facing material. All principal rooms had fireplaces and most of the flues remain in existence today. We are, of course, not allowed to use them under terms of the so-called “Smog Acts” of 1954-56.
The occupants since completion in 1883 seem to have been a varied lot. The first leaseholder, as mentioned, was the builder, Mr. Fish. His lease was approved on 3 August 1883. The lease term was from Ladyday 1883 to Ladyday 1972. The annual ground rent was sixty pounds sterling.
For the next two years Mr. Fish essentially sublet the new house, renting first to Hon. Francis Mostyn, M.P., and then to Frank Morgan, Esq. a barrister. Additional sublets of the house include the following:
22 Oct. 1956 Dr. Atkinson died; Mrs. Atkinson remained in possession of the house.
1957-1958 Sublease to St. Hubert’s Sporting Club. The activities of this club are not recorded and the Estate Records are unclear. The actual tenancy is listed only in the London Street Directory.
1959-1960 Vacant
1960-1969 Short leases by Mrs. Atkinson to various individuals as a private dwelling.
27 Feb. 1969 Assignment by Mrs. Atkinson to Edward A. James, Esq.
25 Jan. 1972 Assignment by Edward James to London Indemnity and General Insurance Co. Ltd.
30 April 1974 Assignment by London Indemnity & General Insurance Co. Ltd. to Charter Trading Co. (Name changed to Charter Oil (UK) Ltd. in 1975).
19 Dec. 1984 Assignment by Charter Oil (UK) to Leonard K. Firestone
1 July 1987 Assignment by Leonard K. Firestone to Martin Edward Stein, Esq.
5 Jan. 1988 Assignment by Martin E. Stein to Belgravia Research Ltd. Inc., a Florida corporation.
The above listings were developed primarily from the Grosvenor Lease Books (GLB) Vol. IX/245. Information on non-leaseholding occupants comes from London Post Office Directories. These are available at the Victoria Library and go back to 1762.
It can be seen from the above record that No. 53 Green Street has had a remarkable history. It was clearly built, along with its two neighbors, as models for the continued redevelopment of the street into an avenue of substantial single family dwellings. With solid masonry walls, No. 53 and its companions were certainly built to last. This becomes obvious when one tries to penetrate walls or run wires or pipes, as we have had to do on occasion.
Without doubt the property is valuable for both its present use and for other possible uses, i.e. as maisonettes or flats. This was envisioned by the Estate in the 1946 lease which presently allows a leaseholder to convert the house into three units, two maisonettes and one flat (the basement). As we know, no business activities are allowed except for physicians’ use of the ground floor space as a consulting room.
We, Belgravia partners, were fortunate to obtain the lease on No. 53 Green Street. All of us have worked diligently to keep it in good order and to use it in such fashion as not to jeopardize our leasehold. It is, indeed, a home for all of us in the most active and desirable part of London.
