23-24 Leinster Gardens, London's False-Front Houses
12 days ago
- #Victorian Architecture
- #Urban Legends
- #London Underground
- The Metropolitan Line's construction in the 1860s used 'cut and cover' technique, creating underground tunnels.
- Numbers 23 and 24 Leinster Gardens were demolished but replaced with false facades to hide steam venting from steam locomotives.
- The false fronts are 5 feet thick, with painted windows and no letterboxes, blending seamlessly with neighboring houses.
- The houses have been used in pranks, including fake deliveries and a fraudulent charity ball in the 1930s.
- Featured in BBC's 'Sherlock', the facades gained cult status.
- Maintained by Transport for London, located near Bayswater and Queensway tube stations.
- The Henry VIII Hotel is mistakenly thought to be part of the false-fronted properties but is real.