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Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End
West End of London

The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres....
 of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 in the City of Westminster
City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
, originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect
Architect

An architect is trained and licenced in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e....
 William Kent
William Kent

William Kent was an eminent England architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century....
.






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Lansdowne House Greenwood's Map London 1830 Edited
Berkeley Square Evening December 2005
Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End
West End of London

The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres....
 of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 in the City of Westminster
City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
, originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect
Architect

An architect is trained and licenced in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e....
 William Kent
William Kent

William Kent was an eminent England architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century....
. It is named after the noble Gloucestershire
Berkeley, Gloucestershire

Berkeley is a town and civil parish between the south bank of the River Severn and the M5 motorway within the Stroud of Gloucestershire, England, at ....
 family of the same name whose London home, Berkeley House, which had stood nearby until 1733 and which had served as their London residence when they were away from their ancestral Gloucestershire home Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle

Berkeley Castle is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom .It was constructed from 1154 A.D., on the orders of Henry II of England, with the aim of defending the Bristol - Gloucester Road, the River Severn estuary and the Wales border....
.

Berkeley Square is a mostly residential enclave inhabited almost exclusively by residents who are typically extremely well-to-do and some even of titled or peeraged gentry. A residence in Berkeley Square is highly sought after, and residences do not come up on the market very often. The limited supply and great demand has created a market where a residence in Berkeley Square commands higher-than-usual prices on the realty market compared to similar residences, even in other affluent neighborhoods.

The square features a statue by Alexander Munro
Alexander Munro

Alexander Munro was a Great Britain tug of war competitor who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics.In 1908 he won the bronze medal as member of the British team Metropolitan Police Service "K" Division....
, a Pre-Raphaelite sculptor
Sculpture

Sculpture is Three-dimensional space artwork created by shaping or combining hard and or plastic material, sound, and or text and or light, commonly Stone sculpture , metal, glass, or wood....
, made in 1858. The surrounding London Plane
London Plane

The 'London Plane' or 'Hybrid Plane' is a tree in the genus Platanus. It is usually thought to be a Hybrid of the Platanus orientalis, P....
 trees are among the oldest in central London, planted in 1789. Gunter's Tea Shop
Gunter's Tea Shop

Gunter's Tea Shop in London's Berkeley Square had its origins in a food business named ?Pot and Pine Apple? started in 1757 by Italian Domenico Negri....
, founded under a different name in 1757, is also located in Berkeley Square.

The buildings around the square include several by other notable architects including Robert Adam
Robert Adam

Robert Adam was a Scotland neoclassicism architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him....
, who designed Lansdowne House
Lansdowne House

Lansdowne House is a building to the south west of Berkeley Square in central London. It was designed by Robert Adam as a private house and for most of its time as a residence it belonged to the Petty family, Marquesses of Lansdowne....
 (since 1935 home of the Lansdowne Club) in the south-west corner of the square.

50 Berkeley Square
50 Berkeley Square

50 Berkeley Square is a town house within the famous Berkeley square in the West End of London of London in the City of Westminster....
 is the most infamous haunted house
Haunted house

A haunted house is defined as a house that is believed to be a center for supernatural occurrences or paranormal phenomena. A haunted house may allegedly contain ghosts, poltergeists, or even malevolent entities such as demons....
 in London. The house is currently occupied by Maggs Brothers Antiquarian Booksellers.

Residents of Berkeley Square have included:

  • George Canning
    George Canning

    George Canning was a British statesman and politician who served as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and briefly Prime Minister of the United Kingdom....
    , UK Prime Minister (1827) — at no. 50
  • Winston Churchill
    Winston Churchill

    Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
     lived at no.48 as a child
  • Robert Clive of India — bought no. 45 in 1761 and committed suicide
    Suicide

    Suicide is the intentional taking of one's own life. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"....
     there in 1774.
  • A famous fictional resident of Berkeley Square is P G Wodehouse's character Bertie Wooster
    Bertie Wooster

    Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of United Kingdom author P. G. Wodehouse. A British gentleman, member of the "idle rich" and the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of his friends from numerous awkward situations....
     who lives in a flat there along with his Valet
    Valet

    Valet and Varlet are terms for male Domestic workers who serve as personal attendants to their employer. In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young courtiers, though in England, unlike France, these court roles later came to be called "Groom of the Chamber"....
     Jeeves
    Jeeves

    Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the "gentleman's personal gentleman" of Bertie Wooster ....
    , not far from the Drones Club
    Drones Club

    The Drones Club is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a gentlemen's club in London. Many of his Jeeves and Blandings Castle stories feature the club or its members....


See also

  • Lansdowne House
    Lansdowne House

    Lansdowne House is a building to the south west of Berkeley Square in central London. It was designed by Robert Adam as a private house and for most of its time as a residence it belonged to the Petty family, Marquesses of Lansdowne....
  • A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
    A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square

    A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square may refer to:*A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square , a 1940 song by Manning Sherwin and Eric Maschwit...
     — a 1940 song
    A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (song)

    "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is the title of a well-known romantic United Kingdom popular song with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin and Jack Strachey....
     written by Manning Sherwin
    Manning Sherwin

    Manning Sherwin was an United States composer. Born in Philadelphia, Sherwin attended Columbia University before embarking upon a long career in musical theatre and films....
     and Eric Maschwitz
    Eric Maschwitz

    Albert Eric Maschwitz Order of the British Empire , known as Eric Maschwitz and sometimes credited as Holt Marvell, was an England entertainer, writer, broadcaster and broadcasting executive....
    , associated in England with singer Vera Lynn
    Vera Lynn

    Dame Vera Lynn Order of the British Empire is a popular United Kingdom vocalist whose career flourished during World War II, when she was nicknamed "Forces Sweetheart"....
     or in America with the Glenn Miller
    Glenn Miller

    Alton Glenn Miller , was an United States jazz musician, arranger, composer, and band leader in the Swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1942, leading one of the best known "Big band"....
     Band, and a 1979 film
    A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (film)

    A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square is a 1979 in film British heist film directed by Ralph Thomas, written by Guy Elmes and starring Richard Jordan, Oliver Tobias, and David Niven....
     directed by Ralph Thomas
    Ralph Thomas

    Ralph Thomas was an England film director, born in Kingston upon Hull. He is perhaps best known for directing the Doctor Series of films.His brother, Gerald Thomas, was also a film director....
    .
  • Berkeley Square
    Berkeley Square (film)

    Berkeley Square is the title of a 1933 in film film produced by Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Frank Lloyd and stars Leslie Howard , Heather Angel , Valerie Taylor and Colin Keith-Johnston....
    , the 1933 film starring Leslie Howard
    Leslie Howard (actor)

    Leslie Howard was an English people Academy Award-nominated Stage and film actor, director, and Theatrical producer. He is best known by international audiences as Ashley Wilkes in the film Gone with the Wind ....
  • Horror at Number 50
    Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator

    Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator is the main title of a planned series of eight amateur adventure games made by Francisco "Grundislav" Gonzalez with freeware adventure game engine Adventure Game Studio....
    , Case 4 in the amateur adventure game series Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator
    Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator

    Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator is the main title of a planned series of eight amateur adventure games made by Francisco "Grundislav" Gonzalez with freeware adventure game engine Adventure Game Studio....
    .
  • Berkeley Square, a 1998 TV mini-series produced by, and shown on, the BBC.


External links