Warwick Road, Earl's Court

Warwick Road, Earl's Court
Warwick Road area map
AreaEarl's Court
LocationRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Coordinates51°29′33″N 0°11′59″W / 51.49237°N 0.19971°W / 51.49237; -0.19971
Construction
Construction startc. 1822
Other
Known for
  • Earls Court Exhibition Centre (former)
  • Earl's Court Station western entrance
  • Warwick Road Estate

Warwick Road is located in the Earl's Court district of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea in London. The road began to be laid out around 1822 and was gradually extended south to Old Brompton Road over a number of decades. It is a major north–south traffic route in west London.

Its buildings include the Warwick Road Estate, designed by Arup Associates, Warren House, the western entrance to Earl's Court Station, and the apartment blocks which replaced the old Earls Court Exhibition Centre.

Location

Warwick Road runs from the junction of Kensington High Street and Holland Road in the north to the junction of Old Brompton Road and Finborough Road in the south. It is crossed by the Cromwell Road which becomes the West Cromwell Road, and joined by a number of minor roads. Both ends of the crescent Philbeach Gardens join Warwick Road on its west side.[1]

The Survey of London describe the character of Warwick Road, part of the A3220, as "largely determined by its role as a major traffic route".[2]

History and architecture

The Warwick Arms public house
The southern block of the Warwick Road Estate with pedestrian bridge over Pembroke Road (left)
Earl's Court Station western entrance
The Radnor Arms public house in 2005, before its demolition to make way for luxury flats[3]

Warwick Road was laid out from around 1822, when it was known as Moiety Road, and gradually extended south to Old Brompton Road over a number of decades.[2]

Notable buildings include the Warwick Road Estate of Broadwood Terrace, Chesterton Square, and associated buildings, which is on the east side of the road, bisected by Pembroke Road with the north and south blocks joined by a pedestrian bridge. It was built by Mowlem from 1972 to 1975 to a design by Arup Associates.[2][4] Plans to redevelop or demolish it have led to calls for it to be listed,[4] however, a certificate of immunity was granted instead in July 2015 which stated that there were no plans to list the buildings before 1 July 2020.[5]

Opposite the north block of the Warwick Road Estate is the post-modern Warren House on the corner with Beckford Close.[6]

Close to the southern end, with its main entrance on Warwick Road, was the Earls Court Exhibition Centre built from 1935 to 1937 and demolished in 2017 to be replaced by apartment blocks and shops.[7] Opposite is the grade II listed 1937 extension to Earl's Court tube station, a rotunda of brick and glass with a 1970s circular atrium that Historic England describe as being of "no merit".[8]

Crime

In October 2017, LGBT rights campaigner Julian Aubrey was found dead with 22 stab wounds at his home in Shaftesbury Place on Warwick Road.[9][10][11] His neighbour, Enrique Facelli, a Uruguayan former diplomat, admitted killing him because of a "long-standing" dispute between them, and pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "The Edwardes estate: Warwick Road (north) and West Cromwell Road". Survey of London. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Radnor Arms, West Kensington". whatpub.com. CAMRA. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Residents of 'gardens in sky' estate seek listed status to save". Evening Standard. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  5. ^ Pembroke Road Depot and Housing including Chesterton Square and Broadwood Terrace. Historic England. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Warwick Road" in Christopher Hibbert; Ben Weinreb; John Keay; Julia Keay (2008). The London Encyclopaedia (3rd ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 985. ISBN 978-0-230-73878-2.
  7. ^ Carmichael, Sri (22 January 2010). "On the Bill: Earls Court Demolished To Make Way for 8,000 Flats". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  8. ^ Historic England. "Earls Court Station (1358162)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Two arrests after man found stabbed to death in Kensington home". Evening Standard. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  10. ^ Man charged with LGBT campaigner murder, BBC News, 28 February 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  11. ^ a b Diplomat admits killing LGBT campaigner, BBC News, 7 August 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Diplomat Enrique Facelli admits stabbing LGBT campaigner to death". Evening Standard. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2019.

Media related to Warwick Road at Wikimedia Commons