Chester Square


Chester Square is an elongated residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It presents with sister squares: Belgrave and Eaton Squares the garden squares directed to be built by the Grosvenor family when allowing the development of the main part of this semi-rural part of Westminster, being known thenceforth as Belgravia, in the 19th century; the family's trust has retained minor but overarching legal interests in the land, after long-leasing instead of selling as freehold the houses, that is have kept the reversions of most of Belgravia and Mayfair.
The square is named after the city of Chester, the market town nearest Eaton Hall, the ancestral home of the Grosvenor family.
№32 was used as a backdrop for video accompanying Morrissey's track "Suedehead".
The whole except №s 80a, 81, 81a, 82, 83 and 83a is listed Grade II for architectural merit.
The gardens are Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

St Michael's Church

The Anglican church of Saint Michael in Chester Square was built in 1844 along with the rest of the square, and consecrated two years later. The Ecclesiologist magazine criticised the opening, saying it was "an attempt - but happily a most unsuccessful one - to find a Protestant development of the Christian styles". The church is in the late Decorated Gothic style, with an exterior of Kentish Ragstone. The architect was Thomas Cundy the younger.

Notable residents

W H Elliott, a broadcaster on religious matters for the BBC, and known as "the Radio Chaplain", was vicar of St Michael's in the mid-20th century.