Leinster Gardens

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The first property is inhabited (N°22, left), but the second one is only a façade, with painted windows (N°23, right).

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Leinster Gardens is a street in the Bayswater area of London. It is known for having two false façades at numbers 23 & 24, constructed at the time of the originally steam engine-hauled underground railway that had a short section exposed to the surface in this area.

Locomotives were fitted with condensers to reduce the amount of fumes they produced, but "venting off" was still needed in open-air sections in order to relieve the condensers and keep the tunnels free from smoke.^[1] In this upmarket area, the railway company hid this unsightly practice from the view of the residents. The false façade also had the effect of maintaining a continuous frontage along a prestigious terrace.^[2]

The façade is 5 feet (1.5 metres) thick with 18 blackened windows.^[1] The doors, of course, have no letter boxes.^[3]

In the 1930s, a hoax was played on unwitting guests who were sold 10 Guinea tickets to a charity ball at Leinster Gardens, only to turn up in full evening dress to discover the address was fake.^[1]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c Slocombe, Mike (January 2007). Dummy houses in the heart of London. London Landmarks. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
^ William, Hywel. Cut & Cover Disused Stations. London Undeground History. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
^ Cooper, Nick (2004-2005). 23/24 Leinster Gardens. Hidden City. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.