The History of Cartwright Gardens

Cartwright Gardens History

A lot of Mentone Hotel guests ask us about the Cartwright Gardens history. Our location definitely has a story to tell, and our street’s local history panel put up by the Skinner’s Company which owns the estate has become a popular stop-off point for tourists and local history enthusiasts looking to learn more about the area’s past.

It’s difficult to imagine anywhere around here as farmland, or any part of London for that matter. But that’s what Cartwright Gardens was for the most part, at least up until the early 19^th century when James Burton set about transforming it.

Burton was considered the most successful property developer of Regency and Georgian London. He was responsible for building more than 3,000 buildings across 250 acres of the Capital, including Bloomsbury’s Bedford Square, Russell Square, Bloomsbury Square and Tavistock Square. He was also known as the ‘architect of Regent’s Park’.

In 1809, Burton leased land from the Skinners, a city livery company, and set about building what was originally named as Burton Crescent, completing it in 1811.

The curved street’s brick and stucco town houses were adorned with Burton’s trademark wrought iron balconies, decorative front doors and recessed sash windows, and fronted by gardens with lawns and circular walks.

Changing names – the sinister story behind the demise of Burton Crescent

If you’re wondering what Burton Crescent has to do with Cartwright Gardens London, stay with me, because the two are one in the same.

I know there are lots of garden squares in London, but I’m not sure any of them can say they changed their name due to such sinister circumstances.

In 1878, Number 4 Burton Crescent was the scene of the brutal killing of elderly widow, Rachel Samuel. It became known as ‘The Burton Crescent Murder’, which wasn’t the best moniker for prime real estate built to attract distinguished residents.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, in 1884, there was a second murder. At Number 12 Burton Crescent, Mary Anne Yates met a violent end, leading to national coverage in The Times.

As you can imagine, local residents were far from impressed by the bad press that was damaging the name of Burton Crescent, and petitioned to get the name changed.

They got their way, eventually. In 1908, the road was renamed Cartwright Gardens after John Cartwright, who’d lived at number 37 from 1820 to his passing in 1824. As far as I’ve read, he was quite a character, known for his radical political opinions which he outlined in his book, The English Constitution.

You’ll see a bronze statue of John Cartwright at the entrance to the gardens. For anyone interested, it details his ‘useful and meritorious career’.

Also, if you have time during your stay at the Mentone and you’re interested in seeing how Cartwright Gardens London looked originally, then I recommend a visit to the Sir John Soane’s Museum (about a 15 minute walk from the Mentone). There’s a painting there of a panoramic view of Burton Crescent dated c.1817, showing the gardens and their lawns and shrubs.

Cartwright Gardens London history – then and now

These days, Cartwright Gardens London is surrounded by halls of residence serving the many educational establishments in the area, including a number of reputable language schools near Cartwright Gardens.

The gardens have recently been opened to the public (you used to need a key to get in), and provide a leafy place for tourists, students and businesspeople to take a pit stop and ponder the intrigue of the Cartwright Gardens history. The tennis courts are equally popular.

Hotels have for many years – since between the two World Wars I believe – played a big part of the make-up of Cartwright Gardens.

There were originally eight hotels occupying the town houses on the crescent. They were all family owned back in the day, but now I think only three or four of the seven remaining can say that.

Mentone Hotel Cartwright Gardens history

My family bought the Mentone Hotel in 1972. Mum was from King’s Cross and Dad was from Euston.

Along with my two sisters, we all moved into one room in the hotel, and so our new life in the world of hospitality began. Dad would cook breakfast for guests every morning, whilst Mum did the serving.

We didn’t have any staff, so my sisters and I spent our weekends and school holidays getting up at the crack of dawn and pitching in.

I remember Mum taking huge pride in making the hanging baskets for the front of the hotel. She won several prizes for her efforts. I’ve tried to follow in her footsteps by keeping our window boxes in bloom, although with four kids of my own now there’s not much time for flower arranging.

In the 90s, my family bought the Devon House Hotel next door to the Mentone. So now we had 40 rooms to look after. Needless to say we had a few members of staff to help us out by then.

It was around then that technology started to make things a lot easier for us, especially with the bookings. I remember in the 70s and 80s, we used to have lots of visitors from America. Arranging their stays was quite a process.

First we’d receive an Airmail letter in the post enquiring about availability. We’d write back with our reply, post our Airmail envelope, then two or three weeks later, we’d receive a deposit cheque.

Now of course it’s just a case of ‘click and book’. Although I have to say the exchange of letters seemed a bit more exciting.

Connections with the French Riviera

Lots of people ask us how the Mentone Hotel got its name. That’s another interesting piece of Cartwright Gardens London history.

The family who owned the hotel before us were Italian. They named the hotel ‘Mentone’ after a town called Menton on the French Riviera.

Menton – nicknamed the ‘Pearl of France’ – is known for its beaches, gardens and rare plants. It sits on the Mediterranean Sea, close to the Italian border. The Italian spelling of Menton is Mentone – hence the name, the Mentone Hotel.

I mentioned we used to have a lot of visitors from America stay at the hotel. These days, we welcome more of a diverse set of guests from around the world, from tourists to corporate stays.

I would say the shift is mostly down to Eurostar coming to St Pancras International. The station is only a seven minute walk from the hotel, so we’ve become a popular stop-off for international travellers, business or pleasure. It’s also a great jumping-off point for exploring the top things to do and attractions near King’s Cross St Pancras.

And then we have our academic guests. We’re just around the corner from the British Library, the British Museum, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and University College London Medical School.

We’ve welcomed an array of guests since 1972, and are proud to be a part of the Cartwright Gardens history.

If you’d like to make a booking at The Mentone, please get in touch. All direct bookings benefit from a 10% discount and complimentary breakfast. We look forward to welcoming you. If you’re arriving early or have time after check-out we can hold your luggage for you or there are luggage storage options around King’s Cross so you can explore stress-free.

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