Dolphin Square
Encyclopedia
Dolphin Square is a block of private apartment
s and business complex built near the River Thames
at Pimlico
in London
, between 1935
and 1937
.
At one time, the huge development was home to more than 70 MPs, and at least 10 lords. At the time of their construction the development was billed, according to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner
as the "largest self-contained block of flats in Europe" and, to an extent, their design has been a model for later municipal developments.
A. P. Herbert
, 'Dolphin Square', 1935 (illustrations by H. M. Bateman
) described the Square as 'a city of 1,250 flats, each enjoying at the same time most of the advantages of the separate house and the big communal dwelling place'; the provision of a restaurant made him fear that 'fortunate wives will not have enough to do. A little drudgery is good for wives, perhaps. The Dolphin lady may be spoiled'. This booklet was produced as a promotional puff for the firm that owned and built the complex, Richard Costain Ltd
. On purchasing the site, Richard Rylandes Costain remarked to a colleague: ‘in two or three years we'll either drive up to this spot in a Rolls-Royce, or we'll be standing here selling matches’.
Sir Max Joseph bought the complex in 1958 for £2.4 million, selling it to Lintang Investments. Westminster Council later owned the estate.It was sold to Westbrook Holdings (January 2006), and the hotel/restaurant closed down in 2006 only to have another hotel open in its place.
Accommodation is provided in 13 'houses' each named after a famous navigator or admiral. At the south (Thames) side of the Square the houses are Grenville
, Drake
, Raleigh
and Hawkins
. Moving from the river up the west side, there are Nelson
, Howard
, Beatty
, and Duncan
. An hotel and administration offices, situated at the north side of the Square, is in Dolphin House, previously known as Rodney
. Heading south from the hotel there is Keyes
, Hood
, Collingwood
and Frobisher
.
The estate contains a swimming pool, bar, brasserie (all of which were renovated in 2008), gymnasium, and shopping arcade. In the basement are a launderette and car park. A tennis court and croquet lawn overlook the River Thames. Until 21 January 1970, London Transport
bus route 134
showed PIMLICO Dolphin Square as a destination and actually terminated in Chichester Street.
The development has many judges, senior civil servants, and MPs living at favourable market rates. Notable residents have included: comedians Ben Lyon
and Bud Flanagan
; actor Peter Finch
; politician Harold Wilson
; writer Radclyffe Hall
; former Lord Chief Justice Lord Goddard; Christine Keeler
; journalist Norman Cliff; Anne, the Princess Royal
. John Vassall
, the Soviet spy, was arrested at his Dolphin Square apartment in 1962. It provided a base for the Free French during World War II and number 308 Hood House was used by MI5
section B5(b) responsible for infiltrating agents into potentially subversive groups from 1924 to 1946.
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s and business complex built near the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at Pimlico
Pimlico
Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. Like Belgravia, to which it was built as a southern extension, Pimlico is known for its grand garden squares and impressive Regency architecture....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, between 1935
1935 in architecture
The year 1935 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:*Fallingwater designed by Frank Lloyd Wright*De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, by Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff, completed...
and 1937
1937 in architecture
The year 1937 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Chelsea Bridge in Pimlico, London, designed by G. Topham Forrest, former head of London County Council's Architect's Department, is completed....
.
At one time, the huge development was home to more than 70 MPs, and at least 10 lords. At the time of their construction the development was billed, according to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
as the "largest self-contained block of flats in Europe" and, to an extent, their design has been a model for later municipal developments.
A. P. Herbert
A. P. Herbert
Sir Alan Patrick Herbert, CH was an English humorist, novelist, playwright and law reform activist...
, 'Dolphin Square', 1935 (illustrations by H. M. Bateman
H. M. Bateman
Henry Mayo Bateman was a British humorous artist and cartoonist.H. M. Bateman was noted for his "The Man Who..." series of cartoons, featuring comically exaggerated reactions to minor and usually upper-class social gaffes, such as "The Man Who Lit His Cigar Before the Loyal Toast", "The Man Who...
) described the Square as 'a city of 1,250 flats, each enjoying at the same time most of the advantages of the separate house and the big communal dwelling place'; the provision of a restaurant made him fear that 'fortunate wives will not have enough to do. A little drudgery is good for wives, perhaps. The Dolphin lady may be spoiled'. This booklet was produced as a promotional puff for the firm that owned and built the complex, Richard Costain Ltd
Costain Group
Costain Group plc is a British construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Maidenhead. It was part of the original Channel Tunnel consortium and is involved in Private Finance Initiative projects.-History:...
. On purchasing the site, Richard Rylandes Costain remarked to a colleague: ‘in two or three years we'll either drive up to this spot in a Rolls-Royce, or we'll be standing here selling matches’.
Sir Max Joseph bought the complex in 1958 for £2.4 million, selling it to Lintang Investments. Westminster Council later owned the estate.It was sold to Westbrook Holdings (January 2006), and the hotel/restaurant closed down in 2006 only to have another hotel open in its place.
Accommodation is provided in 13 'houses' each named after a famous navigator or admiral. At the south (Thames) side of the Square the houses are Grenville
Richard Grenville
Sir Richard Grenville was an English sailor, sea captain and explorer. He took part in the early English attempts to settle the New World, and also participated in the fight against the Spanish Armada...
, Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
, Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
and Hawkins
John Hawkins
Admiral Sir John Hawkins was an English shipbuilder, naval administrator and commander, merchant, navigator, and slave trader. As treasurer and controller of the Royal Navy, he rebuilt older ships and helped design the faster ships that withstood the Spanish Armada in 1588...
. Moving from the river up the west side, there are Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
, Howard
Edward Howard (admiral)
Sir Edward Howard, KG , son of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Surrey and his first wife, Elizabeth Tilney, and a younger brother of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. He was the first of the Howards to win fame as an admiral, participating in his first naval battle while in his teens...
, Beatty
David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy...
, and Duncan
Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan of Camperdown
Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan was a British admiral who defeated the Dutch fleet off Camperdown on 11 October 1797. This victory was considered one of the most significant actions in naval history.-Life:...
. An hotel and administration offices, situated at the north side of the Square, is in Dolphin House, previously known as Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782...
. Heading south from the hotel there is Keyes
Roger John Brownlow Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes
Admiral of the Fleet Roger John Brownlow Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes, Bt GCB KCVO CMG DSO RN was a noted British admiral, with an active service life that included 19th-century African anti-slavery patrols to the Allied landings in Leyte in World War II...
, Hood
Admiral Hood
Admiral Hood may refer to::* Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood * Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport * Sir Samuel Hood, 1st Baronet * Arthur Hood, 1st Baron Hood of Avalon...
, Collingwood
Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as Nelson's successor in commands.-Early years:Collingwood was born in Newcastle upon Tyne...
and Frobisher
Martin Frobisher
Sir Martin Frobisher was an English seaman who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage...
.
The estate contains a swimming pool, bar, brasserie (all of which were renovated in 2008), gymnasium, and shopping arcade. In the basement are a launderette and car park. A tennis court and croquet lawn overlook the River Thames. Until 21 January 1970, London Transport
London Transport Board
The London Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1963-1969. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.-History:The...
bus route 134
London Buses route 134
London Buses route 134 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
showed PIMLICO Dolphin Square as a destination and actually terminated in Chichester Street.
The development has many judges, senior civil servants, and MPs living at favourable market rates. Notable residents have included: comedians Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon was an American film actor and a 20th Century Fox studio executive.-Life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention in the highly successful film Flaming Youth , and steadily developed into...
and Bud Flanagan
Bud Flanagan
Bud Flanagan was a popular English music hall and vaudeville entertainer from the 1930s until the 1960s. Flanagan was famous as a wartime entertainer and his achievements were recognised when he was awarded the O.B.E. in 1960.- Family background :Flaganan was born Chaim Reuben Weintrop in...
; actor Peter Finch
Peter Finch
Peter Finch was a British-born Australian actor. He is best remembered for his role as "crazed" television anchorman Howard Beale in the film Network, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and a...
; politician Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
; writer Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall was an English poet and author, best known for the lesbian classic The Well of Loneliness.- Life :...
; former Lord Chief Justice Lord Goddard; Christine Keeler
Christine Keeler
Christine Margaret Keeler is an English former model and showgirl. Her involvement with a British government minister discredited the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan in 1963, in what is known as the Profumo Affair....
; journalist Norman Cliff; Anne, the Princess Royal
Princess Royal
Princess Royal is a style customarily awarded by a British monarch to his or her eldest daughter. The style is held for life, so a princess cannot be given the style during the lifetime of another Princess Royal...
. John Vassall
John Vassall
William John Christopher Vassall was a British civil servant who, under pressure of blackmail, spied for the Soviet Union....
, the Soviet spy, was arrested at his Dolphin Square apartment in 1962. It provided a base for the Free French during World War II and number 308 Hood House was used by MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
section B5(b) responsible for infiltrating agents into potentially subversive groups from 1924 to 1946.