Leinster Gardens

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Coordinates: 51°30′45.4″N 0°11′1″W / 51.512611°N 0.18361°W / 51.512611; -0.18361

The left-hand property (N°22) is inhabited, but the right-hand one (N°23) is only a façade. The "windows" are painted grey and the door is false.

Leinster Gardens is a street in Bayswater, London. It has two false façades at numbers 23 and 24, constructed in the late 1860s, 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. The façade of 22 & 23 played a part in the BBC TV series Sherlock, being used in the episode His Last Vow.[7]

See also

References

  1. Day, John R. (1979) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground. London Transport. pp. 16–17. ISBN 0-85329-094-6. 
  2. Croome, Desmond F. (2003). The Circle Line - an Illustrated History. Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. p. 18. ISBN 1-85414-267-4. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Slocombe, Mike (January 2007). "Dummy houses in the heart of London". London Landmarks. Retrieved 2007-04-12. 
  4. William, Hywel. "Cut & Cover Disused Stations". London Underground History. Retrieved 2007-04-12. 
  5. Simpson, Bill (2003). A History of the Metropolitan Railway 1. Witney: Lamplight. p. 40. ISBN 1-899246-07-X. 
  6. Cooper, Nick (2004-2005). "23/24 Leinster Gardens". Hidden City. Retrieved 2007-04-12. 
  7. "Sherlock Locations: Leinster Gardens". londonist.com. Londonist. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014. 


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