Leinster Gardens, Victorian street in Bayswater, London, England.
Leinster Gardens is a residential street featuring rows of mid-Victorian townhouses with white stucco facades and tall sash windows that run continuously along its length in Westminster. The houses display the uniform elegance typical of 19th-century London development, with ornate detailing and a consistent architectural style throughout.
The street was developed during London's expansion in the 19th century as an affluent residential neighborhood. Construction of the Metropolitan Railway in the 1860s forced a creative solution involving the installation of false building facades at two locations to hide underground railway ventilation.
The street takes its name from the Irish province of Leinster, reflecting a common 19th-century London practice of naming new residential areas after Irish regions. This naming choice was popular among developers creating fashionable neighborhoods for wealthy residents.
The street is easily walkable and situated close to shopping and park areas in the Bayswater neighborhood. You can visit anytime since it is a public street, and nearby Lancaster Gate Underground station plus several bus routes provide convenient transportation links.
Two of the buildings on this street are complete fakes—they have windows and doors like real houses, but inside is only empty space hiding railway ventilation shafts. These convincingly realistic facades have survived over 150 years and remain one of London's most peculiar architectural solutions.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
