London mews street where you can wave Hello to Adele

There aren’t many places in London where you can expect to get a cheery wave from an ‘A’ list celebrity as you open your front door, but if you live in a London mews street, that might well happen.

A recent convert to mews living is the singer Adele – who has bought not one but two mews houses for her family in Kensington. Other celebrity mews owners are David and Victoria Beckham and film director Guy Ritchie, while famous faces from the past have included the Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr, 1940s film star Judy Garland, Formula One driver James Hunt, film actor Michael Caine and Oasis band member Noel Gallagher.

When 37 year old Hanne Norstrøm rented a mews house in Paddington, she chose the property for its access to good transport links. “It never really occurred to me that living in a mews might be anything special ” Hanne explains. “But when I began to chat to the neighbours I realised what an extraordinary bunch of people they were. I lived next door to a novelist and across the street from a world-renowned surgeon, but almost everyone else had an interesting story. It made me realise that a mews is a very special place: now I’d never live anywhere else.”

Mews houses were originally built behind London’s grand houses to provide accommodation for servants, but they fell out of use during the first half of the 20th century. In the 1950s and 60s they began to attract the attention of the ‘in crowd’ of the time, whose antics led to the glamorous and slightly edgy image of mews houses that persists right up to the present day. Their unique design (Ruston mews is a great example) adds to their charm.

Ralph Gresham-Walker, now retired, has lived in the same London mews property for most of his adult life. “A mews is a place where you should be able to enjoy peace and quiet, and everyone here respects that. We all get on together well, but no-one gets special treatment. Our celebrity neighbours are treated just the same as everyone else.”

If you live in a mews house with a glamorous history, we’d love to hear your story. Either join us on Facebook or email us with your story. We’d be delighted to hear from you if you are interested in buying or renting a London mews property in the areas we serve, so call us today to view superb homes in some of London’s most exclusive, secluded streets: with or without celebrity neighbours.