London’s Great Estates: The Bedford Estate

Over time asset classes such as shares, bonds and art have developed, but land and property ownership has not lost its lustre.

Historically London has comprised of several key landowners, or estates, the most significant and perhaps well-known of which have been with us for more than three hundred years, as far as their London activities and ownership are concerned.  While the ownership and patterns of these historic estates have changed over the years, the great estates of Grosvenor, Cadogan, Howard de Walden, Portman,
Bedford, City of London and the Crown Estate are all examples of sustainable environments; developed to accommodate a proportion of affordable housing, absorb a mixture
of uses, provide better environments and standards of housing, and manage both open and public spaces.

With over four decades of experience in Prime Central London property, Beauchamp Estates is familiar with property, commercial and residential, located in all of these London estates.

The Bedford Estates

The Bedford Estate is the largest private landowner in the Bloomsbury area of London and manages a varied portfolio of properties. These range from office and educational premises, hotels, restaurants and retail premises to residential properties, lock up garages and famously its formal garden squares, of which there are 10.

Today, Bloomsbury remains a distinctive part of the Central London property market, with its historic squares and period architecture giving the neighbourhood a character of its own.

Bloomsbury’s boundaries are marked by Portland Place to the west, Gray’s Inn Road to the east, Euston Road to the north, Oxford Street and Theobald’s Road to the south. However, the main Bedford Estate boundaries were originally marked by Tottenham Court Road to the east, Euston Road to the north and Southampton Row and New Oxford Street to the south. In addition to this, the estate also had two separate areas on the western side of Tottenham Court Road and north of Euston Road, as well as holding the Covent Garden Estate, just north of The Strand.

Bloomsbury

In 1669, the Bloomsbury Estate came into ownership of the Russell family when William, son of William Russell, 1st Duke and 5th Earl of Bedford (1616–1700), married Lady Rachel Vaughan, one of the daughters of Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton (1607-1667), who had recently inherited the agricultural fields, now known as Bloomsbury, from her late father.

Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford (1765-1802) was a spendthrift and gambler, whose interest was primarily farming on the Woburn Estate in Bedfordshire. He was not interested in Bedford House in Bloomsbury, instead living in the West End of London. In 1800, the contents of Bedford House were put up for auction and the house was demolished. It was replaced by a wide avenue, Bedford Place, leading north to the large Russell Square. Francis Russell commissioned James Burton (1761–1837) to develop the land into a residential area with Russell Square forming the focal point.  The development of Bloomsbury was continued by Francis Russell’s brother, John Russell, the 6th Duke of Bedford (1766-1839) who was responsible for the building of Covent Garden Market. Over time the full estate north of Russell Square was developed with formal squares and grand houses, and any of these houses remain today, albeit slightly altered externally since they were built.

Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford (1858–1940) succeeded to the title in 1893, by which time the owners of large estates were not in favour, driving Herbrand to start selling some of the estates under his control: this included Covent Garden. The contract for sale was signed in 1914 and finalised with Sir Thomas Beecham (English conductor and impresario) in 1918.

By the last years of the 19th century, The British Museum’s collections had increased to the extent that its building was no longer large enough. In 1895, the trustees purchased the 69 houses surrounding the museum with the intention of demolishing them and building around the west, north and east sides of the museum. The first stage was the construction of the northern wing, which began in 1906.

As the British Museum and the University of London grew, large parts of the estate were replaced, whilst the remainder are still owned and managed by The Bedford Estates.

For buyers considering property in Central London, Bloomsbury offers an unusually varied mix of architecture. Properties in the area range from imposing period mansion blocks and Victorian and Edwardian buildings to Art Deco homes and Georgian terraced houses, the majority of which have been converted into flats.

Its location, between the West End and the City of London, together with its garden squares and established cultural institutions, such as the British Museum which sees up to six million visitors a year continues to distinguish Bloomsbury from many neighbouring Central London residential areas.

For more information on The Bedford Estates, visit www.bedfordestates.com