Does the word mews mean anything to you? If the answer is no, let this article guide you into one of the hidden worlds within London. Sheltered from the great traffic of the streets with their high-sounding names, the city has a network of about eight thousand streets. With their regular sequences of cobblestones that divide two rows of buildings, high at most two floors, and whose walls may have bright shades of colour and even plants.

Well, between the 18th and 19th centuries, London began to expand westward and this prompted large noble families to build their homes along the plots in the Mayfair, Kensington and Marylebone areas. In addition to the main building, there was a need to build on the back also stables for horses and carriages, in addition to housing for servants and here the mews took shape! Most of these buildings had stables on the ground floor while the first floor was the home of the barn and the rooms of the servants, who usually used a tunnel under the garden to reach the basement and the other rooms of the main house, without disturbing the residents. A curious feature of almost allmews was the absence of windows at their back and the presence of a service road for the transit of carriages.

At the beginning of the 20th century, with the arrival of the first cars and the shortage of service personnel, most of the mews were sold by their owners. Until the 1960s their name was associated with a shabby and shabby place. The theatre of shady gangsters with p rominent personalities such as drivers John Surtees and James Hunt rehabilitated the mews as their practicality and low cost allowed them to live in an essential environment, in the elegant heart of London and with their roaring cars parked on the ground floor. Since then, the mews are among the most sought after homes in the capital. In fact their quiet location is located among the most exclusive areas of the city and have all been tastefully restored to provide everything you need suitable for a chic and pleasant lifestyle. These buildings and their cobbled alleys, are some of the most beautiful corners that the city has to offer and therefore I highly recommend you to come and see them.

This is one of the city’s most instagram worthymews to the point that, in recent years, it has appeared in many book covers. The building stands out for its black painted facade enriched with green plants and now belongs to the esteemed gallery owner Rebecca Hossack, famous for having promoted Australian Aboriginal art in Europe.

Address: Fitzrovia W1T 6AD

Metro: Warren Street

This is one of the largest mewsin London; in fact there are 63 properties inside. Nestled between the streets of Hyde Park Estate, the entire complex still retains its historic roots as it houses the last two riding schools in central London. The stables have been in constant use since 1830, except for a brief period during World War II, when they housed automobiles. During the war, terraced houses and cobbled road survived an air raid that devastated nearby Westbourne Terrace. Bathurst Mews, with its houses and its horses, give us the atmosphere and an idea of how these places were once seen and inhabited.

Address: Bayswater, W2 2SB

Metro: Lancaster Gate/Paddington

Debingh Close’s number 18 appears for the first time in the movie The Italian Job (1969). In a famous scene, Lorna, Michael Caine’s girlfriend, catches him in his apartment full of colourful junk with three very attractive girls. Frightened by the anger of the woman, the three young girls run off in bikinis along the way, causing the hilarity of the officers watching the house. Caine has owned several mews in his life, the last of which is located in nearby Albion Close, a delightful property that the actor recently sold for about £5 million. Denbigh Close is located just outside Portobello Road Market, made famous by another great British film, Notting Hill (1999). Denbigh Close is located just outside Portobello Road Market, made famous by another great British film, Notting Hill (1999).

Address: Kensington, W11 2QH

Metro: Notting Hill Gate

The western entrance of the Holland Park Mews passes under an arch of 1862 classified by Grade II in the National Heritage List for England. Beyond this you will find the 67 properties built between 1860 and 1879 that still have many of the characteristics of the time, including the wrought iron stairs that lead to terraced balconies on the second floor, the original bandeau windows and even water pumps. A famous former resident of the Holland Park Mews was actor Ian Holm, a versatile actor who took part in some great film masterpieces such as Alien, Chariots of fire and the Lord of the Rings.

Address: Kensington, W11 3SU

Metro: Holland Park

By the mid-19th century, the area now containing the 86 properties was known to have comfortable living conditions and ordinary family earnings by the time the London poverty maps were published. Since 1969, these Mews are part of the protected area “Queen’s Gate” of Kensington and since then well known celebrities such as Madonna and Guy Ritchie have lived in the Mews. The area was also used in filming Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake (2004) and The Bank Job (2008) with Jason Statham. Queen’s Gate Mews also have a hidden gem that is The Queen’s Arms, a classic British pub that boasts original features including a fireplace and dark oak panels.

Address: Kensington, SW7 5QN

Metro: Gloucester Road

What strikes you immediately when you get here is a “ski” mural made in 2015 on the side of a property immediately in front of the house of Francis Bacon, one of the most illustrious artists in Britain. This mural by London artist Johny Midnight was commissioned by a company specialized in snow holidays in the French Alps founded in 1932 by Miss Erna Low, pioneer of mountain vacations and member of the British Travel Industry Hall of Fame.

Address: SW7 3HE

Metro: South Kengsington