Chester Terrace is one of the neo-classical terraces

Terraced house

In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...

 in Regent's Park

Regent's Park

Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, designed by John Nash

John Nash (architect)

John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...

 and built in 1825. The terrace has the longest unbroken facade in Regents Park (about 280 metres). It takes its name from one of the titles of George IV

George IV of the United Kingdom

George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...

 before he became king, Earl of Chester

Earl of Chester

The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs-apparent to the English throne, and from the late 14th century it has been given only in conjunction with that of Prince of Wales.- Honour of Chester :The...

. It now lies within the London Borough of Camden

London Borough of Camden

In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...

.

Architecture

All 42 houses in the Terrace are Grade I listed buildings. They were designed by John Nash, and built by James Burton in 1825. At each end of the terrace there is a Corinthian arch bearing at the top the terrace name in large lettering on a blue background, probably the largest street signs in London. Five houses are semi-detached. One of these, Nash House (3 Chester Terrace, although the main entrance is on Chester Gate), has a bust of John Nash on its west side, looking identical to the bust on All Souls Church, Langham Place

All Souls Church, Langham Place

All Souls Church is an Anglican Evangelical church in central London, situated in Marylebone at the north end of Regent Street on Langham Place, just south of BBC Broadcasting House. As well as the core church membership, many hundreds of visitors come to All Souls, bringing the average number of...

.

Former residents

There are two blue plaques on the street, one for the architect Charles Robert Cockerell

Charles Robert Cockerell

Charles Robert Cockerell was an English architect, archaeologist, and writer.-Life:Charles Robert Cockerell was educated at Westminster School from 1802. From the age of sixteen, he trained in the architectural practice of his father, Samuel Pepys Cockerell...

 and one for Air Marshal John Salmond

John Salmond

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Maitland Salmond, GCB, CMG, CVO, DSO and Bar was a British military officer who rose to high rank in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I...

. The politician John Profumo

John Profumo

Brigadier John Dennis Profumo, 5th Baron Profumo CBE , informally known as Jack Profumo , was a British politician. His title, 5th Baron, which he did not use, was Italian. Although Profumo held an increasingly responsible series of political posts in the 1950s, he is best known today for his...

 lived in this street in 1963. His mistress Christine Keeler

Christine Keeler

Christine Margaret Keeler is an English former model and showgirl. Her involvement with a British government minister discredited the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan in 1963, in what is known as the Profumo Affair....

 later lived in Chester Close North, 100 yards (91.4 m) away.

Literary and other media appearances

The Avengers (TV series)

The Avengers (TV series)

The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...

used this location in the episode "You'll Catch your Death" (1968).
It featured in the 1997 film version of George Orwell

George Orwell

Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...

's "Keep The Aspidistra Flying".
The street is mentioned in the book "All Roads Lead to Calvary" by Jerome K. Jerome

Jerome K. Jerome

Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...

, who also used the location in the story "Malvina of Brittany".
It was a major location in the film The End of the Affair

The End of the Affair (1955 film)

The End of the Affair is a 1955 film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Deborah Kerr, Van Johnson, Peter Cushing and John Mills. It is based on the novel The End of the Affair by Graham Greene....

(1955)
It featured in the film The Nanny (1965).

External links

• http://www.ph.ucla.edu/EPI/snow/1859map/chester_terrace_a4.htmlChester Terrace in 1827. Painting by Thomas H. Shepherd
  Thomas H. Shepherd
  Thomas Hosmer Shepherd was a watercolor artist well known for his architectural works. Brother of topographical artist George "Sidney" Shepherd, Thomas was employed to illustrate architecture in London, and later Edinburgh, Bath and Bristol...
  
  ]
• Photograph about 1900