London's Alleys: Back Kingsgate Parade, Victoria, SW1

"However, they were swept away in post-WWII rebuilding and replaced with long slabs of monolithic offices, and it was then that Back Kingsgate Parade was created as a goods-yard entrance to the offices."

"It's also when the passage gained its name, Back Kingsgate Parade, after the Kingsgate Parade of shops that used to sit under the old offices. The old goods delivery route never seemed to have been named, as it was generally private, so they needed to give it one when it became a public place."

"If coming from the western side, you'll be entering the passage by walking over the top of the Underground railway - a plot of pavement that is today a car park. The paved floor soon turns into a metal grill through - as you're walking over the ventilation systems for the basement car park, and on the other side, behind the decorative wall, are the London Underground tracks."

"And sitting between the street and the trains was a long row of mansion blocks fronting Victoria Street. However, they were swept away in post-WWII rebuilding and replaced with long slabs of monolithic offices, and it was then that Back Kingsgate Parade was created as a goods-yard entrance to the offices."

A back entrance to modern buildings facing Victoria Street in central London is about 60 years old. Despite proximity to power, the area remained fields until urban development expanded in the 18th century. Victoria Street was proposed in 1844 and largely completed in the 1880s, cutting through land north of the street and creating a cut-and-partially covered Underground line between Victoria and St James’s Park. Mansion blocks fronting Victoria Street were swept away after WWII and replaced with monolithic office slabs. Back Kingsgate Parade was created as a goods-yard entrance to these offices, later replaced by modern offices with new passages. The passage gained its name after Kingsgate Parade shops that sat under the old offices, and it can be entered by walking over the Underground railway via a car-park plot of pavement.

Read at ianVisits