The Grosvenor Estate: Eaton Square

Eaton Square is not actually a square. It is a long, narrow rectangle that stretches for a third of a mile, divided into six distinct, private garden segments by intersecting roads. The developer Thomas Cubitt laid it out this way in the eighteen twenties, transforming what was once a marshy, dangerous area known as the Five Fields into one of the most exclusive addresses in the world. Its massive scale was a deliberate statement of power and ambition, meant to impress the aristocracy who sought homes as close as possible to the royal court at nearby Buckingham Palace.