Lancaster Gate
The square at Lancaster Gate is the focal point of a large residential estate, laid out in the late 1860s by the speculative developer Henry de Bruno Austin. The estate reputedly take sits name from the nearby north gate into Hyde Park, which honours Queen Victoria, the Duchess of Lancaster.
The square was refurbished by Westminster City Council in 2002 and creates a new setting for the restored Memorial Cross.
Bayswater Road follows the route of a Roman Road 'Via Trinobantia'. The area was predominantly farmland until the 19th century.
The botanist and playwright John Hill had his physic garden here until 1775. In 1795, the locality flourished as the Bayswater Tea Gardens, famous for its springs and salubrious air. Later, the name was changed to the Flora Tea Gardens and then Victoria Tea Gardens which finally closed in 1854 for comprehensive development.
Lancaster Gate is a fine example of a mid-Victorian London development. The layout and scale of its long imposing terraces represent Bayswater's most ambitious architectural achievement.
The Grade II listed stuccoed terraces are richly ornamented with classical porticoes, colonnaded balconies and console cornicing.. The terraces south of Lancaster Gate are the work of architect Sancton Wood. Those to the north, adjacent to the former Christ Church, are the work of architect John Johnson.
Meath Memorial
The monument at the junction with Bayswater Road is the Meath Memorial.
The memorial was designed by Hermon Cawthra RA and commemorates Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath (1841-1929). It was unveiled in 1934. The Earl of Meath was actively engaged in social and philanthropic work. He was the first chairman of the Young Men's Friendly Society, first President of the British College of Physical Education, and founder and first President of the Lad's Drill Association.
Lord Meath was also the first chairman of both the London County Council Parks Committee and the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association.
Steps in the memorial lead to a tall pedestal with a portrait medallion together with a domed top surmounted by the figure of a seated boy.
The monument is Grade II listed.
Former Christ Church
Spire house occupies the site of Christ Church and incorporates the surviving church tower and spire.
Christ Church was built in 1854-55 by Messrs F and H Francis in the Gothic style. The tower and spire were added in 1863. William Boyd Carpenter, later Bishop of Rippon, was the illustrious incumbent from 1879-1884.
Whilst surviving World War II the church suffered from fungal decay and in 1977 it was demolished. The remaining 205 ft (63m) tower and spire are Grade II listed.
Memorial Cross
The Christ Church war memorial commemorates those residents of the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington who sacrificed their lives during the Great War (1914-1918).
Designed by Sir Walter Tapper RA and sculpted by Lawrence A Turner, the memorial was erected on the footpath outside Christ Church and originally unveiled on March 27, 1921, by the Bishop of Kensington. The memorial is in the Gothic style.
The tabernacle below the gilded crucifix accommodates eight niches with statues. The figures are of St George of England, St Louis of France & the warrior saints of Christendom, being Adrian, Eustace, Florian, Longinus, Maurice and Victor.
The Grade II listed memorial was severely damaged during the storms of October 1987. Westminster County Council has restored the memorial and moved it to its present location as part of the Lancaster Gate street improvement scheme.
The restored memorial was unveiled on November 11, 2002.
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