Addison Avenue[1] is a street in the Notting Hill area of London.[2] Located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, it runs northwards from Holland Park Avenue to St James's Gardens and St James' Church, crossing Queensdale Road about halfway along. Norland Square is located to its east while Royal Crescent is a little way to the west. A broad, tree-lined avenue, it is largely residential with some commercial properties at the southern end. The smaller Addison Place mews street runs off the western side of the road, looping northwards until it meets Queensdale Road. Addison Avenue is in the wealthy London area of Holland Park.[3]

Addison Avenue
View of Addison Road
Looking northwards along Addison Avenue
NamesakeJoseph Addison (1672–1719), essayist and statesman
TypeStreet
AreaHolland Park
LocationRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England
Postal codeW11
Nearest metro stationHolland Park tube station
Coordinates51°30′09″N 0°12′34″W / 51.50246°N 0.20932°W / 51.50246; -0.20932
NorthSt James's Gardens, St James' Church
EastNorland Square
SouthHolland Park Avenue, Addison Road
WestRoyal Crescent
Construction
Construction start1840s
St James' Church, Norlands at the northern end of the street

The street, like nearby Addison Road to the south, is named after the early 18th-century writer and politician Joseph Addison[2] who lived at nearby Holland House.[4][5] The Holland Estate was gradually redeveloped for housing although Addison Avenue was actually built on the adjacent Norland Estate.[6][7] It was developed during the 1840s[1][8] by the architect and property developer Robert Cantwell. It was designed with a vista towards St James' Church at the northern end of the street, which was built at the same time.[9]

A number of buildings in the street are now Grade II listed,[10][11][12] including all those north of Queensdale Road.[13] The houses in the northern part of the street are attributed to F.W. Stent.[2] The street is part of the Norland Conservation Area, designated in 1969.[13]

Blue plaque commemorating Hugh Carleton Greene, Director-General of the BBC

Among the notable former residents was Hugh Carleton Greene (1910–1987), Director-General of the BBC during the 1960s, who is now commemorated by a blue plaque.[14]

In 2023 the "Friends of Pauline Boty" unveiled their own blue plaque for Pauline Boty.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Addison Avenue". Britain Express. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher, eds. (1983). "Addison Avenue". The London Encyclopaedia. Macmillan. p. 5.
  3. ^ Carponen, Claire (11 February 2023). "Londoners Pay a Pretty Penny to Live in Holland Park—Home to Summer Opera, Grand Mansions and Victoria Beckham". Mansion Global. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  4. ^ The London Encyclopaedia p.6
  5. ^ Bebbington p.16
  6. ^ "The Holland estate: To 1874". British History Online. UK.
  7. ^ "The Norland estate". British History Online. UK.
  8. ^ Cherry & Pevsner p.522
  9. ^ Curl p.189
  10. ^ "54–56, ADDISON AVENUE W11, non Civil Parish – 1080781". Historic England. UK.
  11. ^ "46–52, ADDISON AVENUE W11, non Civil Parish – 1358091". Historic England. UK.
  12. ^ "38–44, ADDISON AVENUE W11, non Civil Parish – 1080780". Historic England. UK.
  13. ^ a b Baty, Patrick (15 April 2016). "Addison Avenue, London W11". patrickbaty.co.uk. UK. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Hugh Carleton Greene | Broadcaster". Blue Plaques. UK: English Heritage.
  15. ^ "Blue plaque to be unveiled for Pauline Boty at Addison Avenue on Saturday 1st July 2023". Pauline Boty. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.

Bibliography

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  • Bebbington, Gillian. London Street Names. Batsford, 1972.
  • Cherry, Bridget & Pevsner, Nikolaus. London 3: North West. Yale University Press, 2002.
  • Curl, James Stevens. Victorian Architecture. David & Charles, 1990.
  • Hibbert, Christopher Weinreb, Ben, Keay, John & Keay, Julia. The London Encyclopaedia. Pan Macmillan, 2011.