Zig. Zag.
That’s all it takes to glide through this hidden enclave of Westminster. 30 seconds of your time, richly rewarded. Barton Street becomes Cowley Street via a sharp but neighbourly right angle, gently escorting the modern inquisitor away as quickly as they arrive. Both streets developed and named by the great Georgian actor Barton Booth in 1722.
Since then luminaries have continued to domesticate this secluded and delightful quarter. TE Lawrence (a renowned cyclist) wrote Seven Pillars of Wisdom at No. 14. Lord Reith took the BBC public while living at No. 6 around the corner. Ralph Vaughan Williams composed from properties on both streets. Sir John Gielgud’s parrot would outstare passersby from a Cowley St window until the early 70s .
Despite the stresses of a central location with no easy escape, this tiny Georgian neighbourhood remains as desirable as ever. Its quirky layout and position place it on no sensible cycling route, which is exactly why it should be on yours.
Georgian street sign, Elizabethan street sign
Click to enlarge panorama
Lord Reith probably imagined the BBC iPlayer from here
Heart-breaking: “Whoever took my little bike, please return, I am v sad.” “I am very sad” “Where is my little bike, no more”
These houses have vaults, and those skulls look realistic.
The Liberal Democrats now strive for third place from the building to the right