Chester Terrace is one of the neo-classical terraces in

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...

, London. The terrace has the longest unbroken facade in Regent's Park, of about . It takes its name from one of the titles of

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

before he became king,

Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester () was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, ...

.Weinreb, B. and Hibbert, C. (ed) (1983) ''The London Encyclopaedia'' Macmillan It now lies within the

London Borough of Camden The London Borough of Camden () is a London boroughs, borough in Inner London, England. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the former Metropolitan boroughs of the Cou ...

. As with Cornwall Terrace and York Terrace, the architectural plans were made by John Nash but subsequently altered almost beyond recognition by

Decimus Burton Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century. He was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and Reg ...

, who was responsible for the existing design, built by his father

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana, United States) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also ...

in 1825. Nash was so dissatisfied with Decimus's design that he sought the demolition and complete rebuilding of the Terrace, but in vain. It is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Architecture

All 42 houses are Grade I

s. At each end there is a Corinthian arch bearing at the top the terrace's name in large lettering on a blue background, possibly the largest street signs in London. Five houses are semi-detached with one of these being Nash House (3 Chester Terrace, although the main entrance is in Chester Gate), having a bust of John Nash on its west side, appearing identical to the bust on All Souls Church, Langham Place. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the Nash buildings around the park, including Chester Terrace, fell into what one newspaper called "a sad state of neglect … caused by bombing and the ravages of time"."The Glory of John Nash's London", ''The Sphere'', 13 September 1952, p. 395 An official report commented "there is not a single terrace which does not give the impression of hopeless dereliction". Restoration work followed in the early 1950s. The terrace was mainly occupied by government departments during and after the war, but by 1957 the freeholder of the terrace, the

Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priva ...

, had adopted the policy of returning it, and the other Nash terraces, to private residential use, as recommended ten years earlier in the report of a government committee on the post-war future of the terraces."Nash Houses Turned Down As a New "Whitehall", ''Illustrated London News'', 26 April 1947, p. 423

Former residents

There are two blue plaques on the street: one at No. 13 for the architect

Charles Robert Cockerell Charles Robert Cockerell (27 April 1788 – 17 September 1863) was an England, English architect, archaeologist, and writer. He studied architecture under Robert Smirke (architect), Robert Smirke. He went on an extended Grand Tour lasting sev ...

, and one at No. 27 for Air Marshal John Salmond. The politician

John Profumo John Dennis Profumo ( ; 30 January 1915 – 9 March 2006) was a British politician whose career ended in 1963 after a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler in 1961. The scandal, which became known as the Profumo affai ...

lived at the aforementioned Nash House, No. 3 Chester Terrace, from 1948 until 1965. His former mistress

Christine Keeler Christine Margaret Keeler (22 February 1942 – 4 December 2017) was an English model and showgirl. Her meeting at a dance club with society osteopath Stephen Ward drew her into fashionable circles. At the Cold War (1953–1962), height of the ...

later lived in the nearby Chester Close North. The composer

Arnold Bax Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax (8 November 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His prolific output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral music ...

lived at No. 19 from 1911 to 1918. The actor Sir Ralph Richardson and his wife Meriel Forbes lived at No. 1 Chester Terrace until 1983. The Ooni of Ife, King Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II lived in No. 24. Other residents of Chester Terrace have included the artist

Aubrey Beardsley Aubrey Vincent Beardsley ( ; 21 August 187216 March 1898) was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Woodblock printing in Japan, Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. ...

, the Nigerian businessman MKO Abiola, the architect Charles Cockerell, the surgeon William Coulson, the Nigerian diplomat Philip Asiodu, the swindler Leopold Redpath, and the journalist

Emma Tennant Emma Christina Tennant FRSL (20 October 1937 – 21 January 2017) was an English novelist and editor of Scottish extraction, known for a post-modern approach to her fiction, often imbued with fantasy or magic. Several of her novels give a femi ...

, who was born there.

In popular culture

This location was used for '' The Avengers'' episode "You'll Catch Your Death" (1968). It featured in the 1997 film version of

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

's '' Keep The Aspidistra Flying''. It is a major location in the film '' The End of the Affair'' (1955). It also features in the film ''

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish wikt:fashionista, fashionista from Flushing, Queens, who becomes the nanny of three children ...

'' (1965). It is shown in the 1968

Robert Wise Robert Earl Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an American filmmaker. He won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for his musical films ''West Side Story'' (1961) and ''The Sound of Music'' (1965). He was als ...

musical film '' Star!'', in a brief scene during which

Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Early life Lawrence was born in 1 ...

(played by

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

) receives a

writ In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrant (legal), Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, and ''certiorari'' are commo ...

for unpaid bills. The location is also featured in the film '' Mrs Henderson Presents'' as the home of Laura Henderson (played by

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...

Gallery

File:Chester Terrace N 2.jpg, North end File:Chester Terrace 01.JPG, South end File:Chester Terrace 02.JPG

References

{{Reflist

External links