Geograph - photograph every grid square

TQ2680 : 23/24 Leinster Gardens, the "fake house" TQ2680 : Leinster Gardens, London W2 3AN TQ2680 : Leinster Gardens, London TQ2680 : Leinster Gardens, London

The fake houses in Leinster Gardens.
23 and 24 Leinster Gardens fit in well with their neighbours in style and appearance, but neither of the front doors has a letter box and the windows have a blank look about them. There are no houses behind the facade.

The Metropolitan Railway - the world's first underground railway - had subterranean lines constructed using a method called 'cut and cover'. The route of the line between Paddington and Bayswater (opened in 1868) necessitated the demolition of 23 and 24 Leinster Gardens, situated on a long, upmarket terrace of five storey houses, and it was decided to build a 5ft-thick facade which matched the houses either side of the break.

Now part of the Circle Line, the exposed portion of line provided a vent for the steam-powered trains, to keep the tunnels clear of steam and smoke.

TQ2680 : Behind 23/24 Leinster Gardens TQ2680 : Behind the false house at Leinster Gardens, Bayswater TQ2680 : Circle Line as seen from Porchester Terrace