 View of the square in 2019 | |
  Location within Central London | |
| Former name(s) | Hans Town |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Sir Hans Sloane |
| Maintained by | Borough of Kensington and Chelsea |
| Location | Chelsea, London, England |
| Postal code | SW1 |
| Coordinates | 51°29′33″N0°09′26″W / 51.492521°N 0.157188°W /51.492521; -0.157188 |
| Construction | |
| Completion | c. 1771 |
| Other | |
| Designer | Henry Holland Snr. andHenry Holland Jnr. |
| Website | visitlondon.com |
Sloane Square is a small hard-landscaped square on the boundaries of thecentral London[1] districts ofBelgravia andChelsea, located 1.8miles (2.9 km) southwest ofCharing Cross, in theRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The area forms a boundary between the two largest aristocratic estates in London, theGrosvenor Estate and theCadogan.[2][n 1] The square was formerly known as 'Hans Town', laid out in 1771 to a plan of by Henry Holland Snr. andHenry Holland Jnr. Both the square and Hans Town were named afterSir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), anAnglo-Irish doctor who, jointly with his appointed trustees, owned the land at the time.[3]
The bulk of Chelsea, especially the east end more local to Sloane Square, is architecturally and economically similar toSouth Kensington,Belgravia,St James's, andMayfair. The largely retail at ground floorKings Road with its design and interior furnishing focus intersects at Sloane Square the residential, neatlycorniced and dressed façades ofSloane Street leading from theVictoria Embankment promenade to the small district ofKnightsbridge. On the northern side of the square is theSloane Square Hotel.
Estates on all sides are made up of ornate, luxuriously furnished private apartments set behind railings — a minority of these remain combined to form large townhouses, primarily in amongst those of rows of not more than four storeys. Gothic, classical andEdwardian architecture mix; the area has grown piecemeal, including ininfill, under strict character and aesthetic demands of localurban planning. Elements of almost every street were reinstated, in similar style, after theLondon Blitz.
In sociology, a smallsocial class of London has since the 1980s been cast and to some extentoutcast asSloane Rangers or Sloanies, relatively young, underemployed and ostentatiously well-off members of the upper classes who linguistically have their own evolvinglexicon, sloane(y) speak, spoken inreceived pronunciation. Some are heavily engaged investors in charities, new businesses and the arts, particularly with the influx of and integration with young, wealthy, foreign-born Chelsea residents. The endurance of this class is reflected in an occasional dramatic work orfly on the wall documentary such asMade in Chelsea.[4]
The square has two notable buildings.Peter Jones department store designed byReginald Uren of the firm Slater Moberly and Uren in 1936 and now a Grade II*listed building on account of its early curtain wall andmodernist aesthetic, pioneering in the UK for adepartment store.[5] The building was carefully restored 2003–2007 with internal upgrading in line with the original designs byJohn McAslan and Partners. This included making the three storey atrium full-height.[6] Peter Jones now operates as part of the employee-ownedJohn Lewis chain.
The other is theRoyal Court Theatre first opened in 1888 which was important for avant-garde theatre in the 1960s and 1970s when the home of theEnglish Stage Company.[7]
100m from the Square in Sloane Terrace, the formerChristian Science Church[8] was built in 1907 and converted in 2002 for concert hall use asCadogan Hall. It is now one of London's leading classical music venues.[9]
In 2005 revised landscaping of the square was proposed, involving a change to the road layout to make it more pedestrian friendly. One option was to create a central crossroads and two open spaces in front of Peter Jones and the Royal Court. The pedestrian area leading toPavilion Road now houses the flagship stores of many luxury brands includingBrora andLinks of London. This option was put out to consultation, and the results in April 2007 showed that over 65% of respondents preferred a renovation of the existing square, so the crossroads plan has been shelved. Since then, independent proposals[10] have been put forward for the square.
A short walk down Kings Road from the Square is theNational Army Museum.
Holy Trinity Sloane Street, theChurch of England parish church of 1890 (50m north of the Square) is sometimes known as the "Cathedral of theArts & Crafts Movement on account of its fine fittings. These include a complete set of windows bySir Edward Burne-Jones, the most extensive he ever created.
Sloane Square Underground station (District andCircle lines) is at the south eastern corner of the square and the lines cross under the square to the north west. TheRiver Westbourne is carried over thetube station platforms in plain view, in a circular iron aqueduct.
TheVenus Fountain in the centre of the square was constructed in 1953, designed by sculptorGilbert Ledward.[11][12][13] The fountain depictsVenus, and on the basin section of the fountain is a relief which depictsKing Charles II andNell Gwynn by theThames,[13] which was used in relation to a house located close by that Nell Gwynn had used.[12]
In 2006,David Lammy put forward a proposal to have the fountaingrade II listed,[12] which was successful.[13][14]
Also in the square, positioned slightly off-centre, is a stone cross that is known as ChelseaWar Memorial. Made ofPortland stone, and designed by an unknown architect, the cross has a capped head on a tapered shaft above a moulded three stage octagonal base. A large bronze sword is affixed to its west face. The cross is surmounted on a plinth which is inscribed with the following:
INVICTIS PAX
IN MEMORY OF THE
MEN AND WOMEN
OF CHELSEA
WHO GAVE
THEIR LIVES IN
THE GREAT WAR
MDCCCCXIV
MDCCCCVIII
AND
MCMXXXIX
MCMXLV
THEIR LIVES
FOR THEIR COUNTRYTHEIR SOULS TO THEIR GOD.
The monument has also beenGrade II listed, since 2005.[15]
