Portman Estate
Encyclopedia
The Portman Estate is a property estate in Marylebone
, Central London. It lies between Oxford Street
and Edgware Road
, and includes Portman Square
, Manchester Square
, and some parts of Baker Street
and Gloucester Place.
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. 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 in 1941.
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.
Today the London estate extends to about 110 acre (0.4451546 km²). It encompasses Oxford Street from Marble Arch to Orchard Street on the western side of Selfridges and spreads west to Edgware Road, east to Manchester Square and north to Crawford Street. 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 2000000 square feet (185,806.1 m²) of space.
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, Central London. It lies between Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
and Edgware Road
Edgware Road (London)
Edgware Road is a major street which passes through the west of central London, England, starting at Marble Arch in the City of Westminster and working its way up to Edgware in the London Borough of Barnet. It is also the divider of several North London boroughs...
, and includes Portman Square
Portman Square
Portman Square is a square in London, part of the Portman Estate. It is located at the western end of Wigmore Street, which connects it to Cavendish Square to its east. It is served by London bus route 274...
, Manchester Square
Manchester Square
Manchester Square is an 18th century garden square in the Marylebone area in London, England, a short distance north of Oxford Street. It is one of the smaller but better preserved Georgian squares in central London...
, and some parts of Baker Street
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
and Gloucester Place.
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. 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 in 1941.
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.
Today the London estate extends to about 110 acre (0.4451546 km²). It encompasses Oxford Street from Marble Arch to Orchard Street on the western side of Selfridges and spreads west to Edgware Road, east to Manchester Square and north to Crawford Street. 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 2000000 square feet (185,806.1 m²) of space.
Construction
- 1764 - Portman SquarePortman SquarePortman Square is a square in London, part of the Portman Estate. It is located at the western end of Wigmore Street, which connects it to Cavendish Square to its east. It is served by London bus route 274...
- c.1770 - Manchester SquareManchester SquareManchester Square is an 18th century garden square in the Marylebone area in London, England, a short distance north of Oxford Street. It is one of the smaller but better preserved Georgian squares in central London...
- 1810 - BryanstonBryanston SquareBryanston Square is a square in Marylebone, Westminster, London, England. Named after its owner Henry William Portman's home village of Bryanston in Dorset, it was built as part of the Portman Estate between 1810 and 1815, along with Montagu Square a little to the east and Wyndham Place to its...
and Montagu SquareMontagu SquareMontagu Square is a square in Marylebone, London. It is situated a little north of Marble Arch. It is oriented on an axis approximately NNW on the same grid plan that extends eastwards as far as Portland Place. Montagu Place runs along the north end, George Street along the south end...
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