Top Ten Spots For Seeing Beautiful Georgian London

The Georgian period (1714-1830) is a fascinating time in Britain and London’s story. It was one of immense change with Britain becoming a global power, with London at the centre of it all.

The empire was growing in strength and size, London became a hub for global trade and there was an explosion in political engagement. These great changes in the Georgian period can be seen in the city’s buildings.

Here are my top 10 best spots to see the grand, beautiful and charming Georgian architecture of London!

10. Somerset House

Step into the glittering, sunlit courtyard of Somerset House and you feel like you have entered a grand European palace. Built in 1776, it was one of the first examples of the pure Palladian style, taking inspiration from classical ancient Greece and Rome. In the courtyard you will even see a statue of George III portrayed as a Roman emporer.

It was built on the site of an old medieval Palace, once occupied by Elizabeth I as a princess. The British Government wanted a civic building to match Britain’s standing in the world and Somerset House was the result. It has been the home of many government departments over the years including HMRC, the Naval Board and the Stamp Office.

It is now purely an arts venue and welcomes 3 million visitors every year. See their website here.

9. Covent Garden- the Lamb and Flag And Rules

Covent Garden an areas in which the different classes of Georgian London mixed. It was an entertainment hub, with theatres, brothels and inns.

The Lamb and Flag became a pub in 1772. It was, at one stage, known as the ‘Bucket of Blood’ due to its reputation for bare-knuckle prize fighting. 

Set up in 1798, Rules restaurant in Covent Garden is the oldest restaurant in London. The original menu consisted of pies and oysters and its first clientele were the intelligentsia and dandies of the day.

It boasts having hosted Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle and, most famously, the future King Edward VII for his sultry dinner for two with his mistress Lily Langtry.

They also both feature in my Hidden History of Covent Garden Self-Guided Walk!

8. Burlington House and Arcade

From the boisterous chaos of Covent Garden to the calm elegance of Burlington House.

Burlington House was originally built in 1664 as a private mansion. It was remodelled by Lord Burlington in 1717 in the Palladian style, in collaboration with architect Colen Campbell. It is said to be the very first example in the country of this style.

The Royal Academy of Arts moved into Burlington House in 1868 and still occupy it to this day. See more about the exhibitions they put on and how to visit here.

The stunning Burlington Arcade was built adjoining Burling House in 1819. The Duke of Burlington first conceived the idea of a shopping arcade next to the house allegedly to stop Londoners throwing rubbish over his walls.

It originally contained 72 small shops selling jewellery, fashionable clothes and perfumes. If you walk down there today you’ll see that not a lot has changed. It is still policed by the Burlington Beadles who are the world’s oldest and smallest private police force. Rules that still are in place today are ‘no whistling’ and ‘no hurrying’!

7. St James’s Square

One of London’s most prestigious residences; St James’s Square was laid out in the 1660s for the aristocracy of London, around a beautiful central garden. It was chosen for easy access to Westminster but away from the slums of St Giles. At one time in the 1720’s seven dukes and seven earls lived here! Developed heavily in the Georgian period, it has some great examples of Georgian architecture.

Known as Chatham House; Number 10 is probably the most historically significant. It was home to no less than 3 UK prime ministers: William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Derby and William Gladstone.

6. Little Green Street

Little Green Street is a beautifully preserved row of Georgian cottages. Turn off Highgate Road and you are suddenly transported back 250 years. They were built in the 1780’s and are now grade ii listed.

The bow-fronted windows are the clue to the fact that these cottages were shops on the ground floor. Records show that items such as ribbons and mousetraps would have been sold here.

5. Pickering Place

Walk down an inconspicuous, dimly lit alley next to one of London’s oldest shops, Berry Bros and Rudd, and you will find Pickering Place.

It is London’s smallest square and was a well known spot for rambunctious activities such as cock-fighting and dueling. In fact, urban legend has it that London’s last ever duel was fought here.

It is a Georgian time-capsule with understated but authentic Georgian architecture and original gas lighting.

4. Craven Street- Benjamin Franklin House

Near to Trafalgar Square you will find the elegant Craven Street with its very well-preserved Georgian terraces. From 1757-1775 Benjamin Franklin lived at number 36.

Politician, civil servant, inventor and more; Franklin acted as the de facto American ambassador to Britain from this house before independence in 1776. He is the only person to have signed all four of the documents that created the new nation, including the Declaration of Independence. It is his only remaining residence in the world, so a very special historical gem.

Another resident at the time was William Hewson, an early pioneer of haematology. This is considered the reason behind the fact that the remains of six children and four adults were found underneath the house in 1994…

Read more about how to visit the house here.

3. St Martin-in-the-Fields

St Martin-in-the-Fields stands proudly on one corner of Trafalgar Square. There has been a church on this site since the medieval period but the beautiful church you see today was built between 1722-1726.

It was designed by architect James Gibbs with a blend of Baroque and Palladian styles. With its distinctive columns, pediment and central tower, it went on to be the model for many churches, particularly across the British empire.

2. Bedford Square

If you can find a more stunning, well-preserved example of a Georgian Square then please let me know.

In Bedford Square you feel like you have stepped back in time. It was built between 1776 and 1780 and the design shows so beautifully the drive towards elegance, simplicity and coherence in architecture at the time.

The most notable previous resident was Lord Eldon who served as Lord Chancellor in the early 1800s. With ornate gas lamps, a lush (but unfortunately private) square in centre and its location set back from the normal hubbub of central London, it is a lovely peaceful spot to visit.

1. Spitalfields- Fournier Street

Spitalfields has probably the largest collection of early Georgian terraced houses in London. They were built in the early 18th century and were inhabited predominantly by Huguenot silk weavers, originally Protestant refugees from France.

The houses were adapted as their workshops and warehouses. This can be seen from the large high-ceilinged attics for their looms.

Fournier Street in particular is extremely well-preserved and a conservation area.

One of these old Georgian townhouses, known as Denis Sever’s House, on Folgate Street nearby, has been restored internally to how it would have been like as the house of a Huguenot silk-weaver.

Thank you for reading! Have you read my Top Ten Spots To See Stunning Tudor Architecture?

More London history inspiration below: