Portman Estate

Portman Estate
Seymour Place, one of the major streets within the Estate
Portman Estate  Portman Estate shown within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ285815
London borough	Westminster
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	W1/NW1
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Cities of London and Westminster
London Assembly	West Central
List of places UK England London

Coordinates: 51°30′57″N 0°09′21″W / 51.5157°N 0.1557°W / 51.5157; -0.1557

The Portman Estate is a property estate in Marylebone, Central London in the United Kingdom. It lies between Oxford Street and Edgware Road, covering about 110 acres (0.45 km²).^[1] The estate has been the property of the aristocratic Portman Family since the 16th Century. The present grid layout of streets was established when the Estate was developed in the 18th Century and it is characterised by Georgian architecture, similar to Edinburgh's New Town.

Area

The southern extent of the Estate includes part of Oxford Street from Marble Arch to Orchard Street (on the western side of Selfridges). It extends west to Edgware Road, east to Manchester Square and north to Crawford Street. The area includes Portman Square, Manchester Square, and some parts of Baker Street and Gloucester Place.

History

Map of Portman Square (1830)

Adam's neoclassical Home House (1777)

The Portman Estate in London was originally an area of 270 acres (1.1 km²) and was acquired in 1532 by Sir William Portman of Somerset (1498–1557), who later became Lord Chief Justice to King Henry VIII.^[2] Initially, Sir William took assignment of a lease in respect of 11 fields and the manor of Lilleston, Middlesex. The lease had 30 years left to run and was purchased for £70 subject to an annual rental of £8. He subsequently bought the freehold of the property in June 1554 under the reign of Queen Mary. Reputedly, Sir William needed the land as a source of goat’s milk for his ailing wife and to rest cattle en route to market from his vast Dorset and Somerset Estates.

Development of the Estate was started some time later by Henry William Portman (1738–96). Orchard & Portman Streets were the first to be developed in the 1750s and Portman Square followed in 1764. The Square became very fashionable and was to owe its popularity to buildings by Robert Adam - Home House, 19/20 Portman Square, built for the Countess of Home, survives today as a private club - and James "Athenian" Stuart, the architect of Montagu House, built in the northwest corner of Portman Square for Mrs Elizabeth Montagu, which was demolished following bomb damage during The Blitz in 1941.^[3]

The Estate also includes Manchester Square dating from the 1770s, and Bryanston and Montagu Squares - both established around 1810. The actual building was not undertaken directly by the Estate, though the architect responsible for the design and characteristics of the residential squares of Montagu & Bryanston was James Thompson Parkinson, who was no doubt instructed by the Estate.

The development of London through this period relied on the Estate owners who would draw up plans for street layouts and open spaces, and then lease the land to developers who were responsible for building houses. The Estate would typically specify the design and the subsequent use and would collect a ground rent.

Construction timeline

• 1764 - Portman Square
• c.1770 - Manchester Square
• 1810 - Bryanston Square and Montagu Square

Notable buildings

Management

Today the estate continues to be managed by the Portman Estate management company,^[4] owned by Christopher Portman, 10th Viscount Portman.^[5]

The estate is either the freeholder of or directly manages 633 properties which include some 800 flats and houses, 215 offices, 130 shops and restaurants, 32 hotels and 8 pubs: in all some 2,000,000-square-foot (190,000 m²) of space. The company promotes a particular area of its estate (Seymour Place and New Quebec Street) which is occupied by boutiques and restaurants as the Portman Village,^[6] and publishes its own magazine for tenants on the estate.^[7]

In addition to its core landlord operation, the Portman Estate runs The Portman Foundation, a charitable trust which supports charities and other causes which are located in or benefit the Marylebone area.^[8]

See also

Other large privately owned historic estates in London include:

• Grosvenor Estate
• Cadogan Estates
• Bedford Estate
• Smith's Charity Estate (South Kensington, SW7)
• Pettiward Estate (West Brompton, SW10)

References

External links

• A History Of The Portman Estate
• Independent Resident Community and Research Forum for Past and Current Residents and concerned with topical and historical issues
• Portman Estate Marylebone’s Glorious Past – Death Sentence For Servant Girl