Chester Square

This article is about the garden square in London. For the garden square in Boston, see Chester Square (Boston).

Coordinates: 51°29′43″N 0°8′59″W / 51.49528°N 0.14972°W / 51.49528; -0.14972

Chester Square is a small, residential garden square located in London's Belgravia district. Along with its sister squares Belgrave Square and Eaton Square, it is one of the three garden squares built by the Grosvenor family when they developed the main part of Belgravia in the 19th century. Chester Square is named after the city of Chester, near to which Eaton Hall – the ancestral home of the Grosvenor family – is situated.^[1]

Famous residents

• Roman Abramovich, Russian oligarch, second-richest person in the United Kingdom and owner of Chelsea FC.
• Margaret Thatcher, former British Conservative Prime Minister; her son Mark Thatcher is known to stay with her often as well as visits by her daughter, Carol.
• HM Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands, Monarch of the Netherlands, had her headquarters at Number 77 during World War II.
• Matthew Arnold, 1822–1888, poet and critic.
• Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, 1916–1999, American born violinist and conductor.
• Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, lived at No. 24 from 1846 to her death in 1851.
• Conrad Owen Norman ,Royal Artillery Dunkirk veteran and Senior Instructing Gunnery Officer at Woolwich Arsenal lived at No 56, 1945–1950. His son Ian Norman attended Eaton House and went on to become C.E.O. of Aga Twyford Limited.
• Elie Joseph Taktouk, notable entrepreneur.(Nigeria)
• Tony Curtis had a house when he was filming The Persuaders
• Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews lived here for a few years in the early 1970's after their departure from Hollywood.
• Bobby Darin may have lived here, and included it in his song Water Color Canvas.
• Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull lived here in 1966-67.^[2]
• Nigella Lawson celebrity chef and food writer. Daughter of former Conservative Cabinet Minister, Lord Lawson.

References

1. ^ Walford, Edward (1878). 'The western suburbs: Belgravia', Old and New London. pp. 1–14. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45218. Retrieved 2009-12-03. 
2. ^ Faithfull, Marianne (1995). Faithfull. Penguin. p. 182. ISBN 0140246533.