Leinster Gardens
Coordinates: 51°30′45.4″N 0°11′1″W / 51.512611°N 0.18361°W
Leinster Gardens is a street in Bayswater, London. It has two false façades at numbers 23 & 24, constructed at the time of the original steam engine-hauled underground railway that had a short section exposed to the surface.[1][2]
Locomotives were fitted with condensers to reduce fumes, but "venting off" was still needed in open-air sections to relieve the condensers and keep the tunnels free from smoke.[3] In this upmarket area, the railway company hid this unsightly practice from residents. The false façade also maintained a continuous frontage along a prestigious terrace.[4]
The façade is 5 feet (1.5 m) thick[5] with 18 blackened windows.[3] The doors have no letter boxes.[6]
In the 1930s, a hoax was played on guests who were sold ten-Guinea tickets to a charity ball at Leinster Gardens, only to turn up in evening dress to discover the address was fake.[3]
Adjacent streets and areas include Queensway and Craven Hill Gardens.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Day, John R. (1979) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground. London Transport. pp. 16–17. ISBN 0 85329 094 6.
- ^ Croome, Desmond F. (2003). The Circle Line - an Illustrated History. Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. p. 18. ISBN 1-85414-267-4.
- ^ a b c Slocombe, Mike (January 2007). "Dummy houses in the heart of London". London Landmarks. http://www.urban75.org/london/leinster.html. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
- ^ William, Hywel. "Cut & Cover Disused Stations". London Undeground History. http://underground-history.co.uk/cutncover.php#leinster. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
- ^ Simpson, Bill (2003). A History of the Metropolitan Railway. 1. Witney: Lamplight. p. 40. ISBN 1 899246 07 X.
- ^ Cooper, Nick (2004-2005). "23/24 Leinster Gardens". Hidden City. http://www.cwgcuser.org.uk/personal/hiddenc/23_24lg.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
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