Think of a typical London street, and one might come up with the major thoroughfares: Oxford Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly Circus. But step away from the shopping streets and into the residential areas of West and Central London, and you’ll find a very different, altogether prettier alternative: the mews. (Mews’? Mews’s? Or is mews already the plural?) These wonderful streets hide gorgeous pastel houses and dreamy visions of house goals.
The houses along these streets began life with a very different purpose though. Wealthy residents of Chelsea, South Kensington, and Notting Hill originally had them built as stables and carriage houses. The stables were built with living quarters above. When cars, buses, and the Tube took over, they found new life as small but characterful houses.
As time has gone by, their quirky features, serene settings, and historic background has made them desirable properties. This means the houses can regularly fetch a sale price in the multiple millions of pounds. And whilst we here at Secret London are unlikely to ever live in one (barring a lottery win), we can certainly dream of it… In the interim, we’ll settle for a lazy wander around the prettiest mews in town. Here are a few of our favourites!
1. Bathurst Mews
Of all the mews in London, Bathurst Mews is one of the few staying true to its traditional roots: the street is home to two of the last horse stables and riding schools in central London, plus a tack shop for good measure. The arched entryways at either end are a little nondescript in comparison to others on this list, but once you’re in, you’ll have a good chance of spotting some horses. Plus, it’s just a stone’s throw away from Hyde Park!
🚇 Nearest stations are Lancaster Gate and Paddington.
2. Sussex Mews West
This tiny street is found directly opposite Bathurst Mews (and the two are often lumped together in one) and it’s certainly one of the cosier places we’ve featured. It’s the kind of place where you can actually imagine the neighbours might all be friends – or is that just us with rose-tinted glasses on?
🚇 Nearest station is Lancaster Gate.
3. Conduit Mews
Pretty pastel houses stretching the length of the street make this place a treat for the eyes. Easily the toughest decision you’ll have here is – given enough money, of course – whether you’d paint your mews house a warm yellow colour or a bright blue. Hey, we can dream…
🚇 Nearest station is Paddington.
4. Kynance Mews
One of the most popular mews in the capital, this place becomes extra busy in spring when wisteria hysteria hits and part of the street explodes in a riot of purple. Kynance Mews would be effortlessly gorgeous even without the wisteria – the Grade II-listed arches aren’t exactly shabby – but the spring blossoms just kick the aesthetics into hyperdrive. Just be careful you don’t run into Joe, from Netflix hit ‘You’, as this was the site of his house in the show!
🚇 Nearest station is South Kensington.
5. Hyde Park Garden Mews
Just around the corner from Bathurst Mews, you’ll find this street, which couldn’t really be much closer to Hyde Park if it tried. It’s quite a long street, so I’d peg the chances of a property coming up for sale a little higher than the others listed here. Mind you, since prices can reach as high as £4,250,000 (and that was even before the current housing market!), you’re going to need some serious savings to move in.
🚇 Nearest station is Lancaster Gate.
6. Cresswell Place
Mews attract the rich and famous, and Cresswell Place is no different, perhaps due to the fact that it looks like the kind of village you’d find squirrelled away in the Cotswolds or South Downs. Agatha Christie is the street’s most famous past resident, having lived at Number 22 during the 1920s. She even set her short story Murder in the Mews – a case solved by Hercule Poirot – on a street widely believed to be based on Cresswell Place.
🚇 Nearest station is Gloucester Road.
7. St Luke’s Mews
Best known for an unforgettable appearance in Love, Actually featuring Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, and a declaration of love that hasn’t aged especially well, St Luke’s Mews is unsurprisingly a firm favourite with film fans, influencers, and tourists. Whilst the whole row is enchanting, it’s Number 27 (the pink house) you’ll be looking for if you’re hoping to hunt down some film history.
🚇 Nearest stations are Westbourne Park and Ladbroke Grove.
8. Stanhope Mews South
Branch off of Gloucester Road next to the European Bookshop, and you’ll find a street where everyone appears to be on the same page. That’s because every single house has got the memo about decorating with flowers and shrubs, a commitment to aesthetics that may have landed the spot its part in the Kingsman film series.
🚇 Nearest station is Gloucester Road.
9. Queen’s Gate Mews
Tucked in amongst the embassies of South Kensington, Queen’s Gate Mews offers an escape from the business of Queen’s Gate. Best of all, the street boasts its very own pub, The Queen’s Arms – a handy stopping point for a well-earned pint before continuing (snag a seat by the open fire if you’re stopping by in winter). Visit here and you’ll be well-placed to strike out for the likes of Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum.
🚇 Nearest stations are Gloucester Road and High Street Kensington.
10. Warren Mews
There’s almost no escaping this one: if you follow any London Instagrammer, you’re almost certain to have seen the striking black façade before. The street itself is unsurprisingly cute, but unlike many of the other places on this list, the money shot here is found before you even enter. It’s maybe the prettiest all-black building in London…
🚇 Nearest station is Great Portland Street.
11. Drayson Mews
Residents of Drayson Mews are well-positioned for a haircut, given that Number 1 is a salon! The rest of the street admittedly won’t be competing with Kynance and Holland Park for social media attention, but the smartly-kept houses will please architecture fans.
🚇 Nearest station is High Street Kensington.
12. Osten Mews
Located just off the grandly-titled Emperor’s Gate, this cul-de-sac is filled with charming little properties. Take Number 15, for instance, which has been completely wrapped up in ivy!
🚇 Nearest station is Gloucester Road.
13. Ensor Mews
An impressive brick archway invites you towards this place, where the wisteria has been known to bloom plentifully come springtime. Which, coincidentally, is the time we start wishing we lived in a wisteria-draped house…
🚇 Nearest stations are South Kensington and Gloucester Road.
14. Holland Park Mews
Another heavyweight on the Instagram scene, Holland Park Mews has been featured on screen in at least two films and remains utterly charming to this day, especially as it’s easily accessed from nearby Kyoto Garden. Constructed in the 1860s and 70s, it’s one of the best-preserved examples in town and beckons you in through the historic archway. The street is also distinctive from the rest on this list in that many of the houses are accessed by external steps – which have inevitably been co-opted for photoshoots…
🚇 Nearest station is Holland Park.
15. Adam and Eve Mews
Easily the quaintest name on this list, Adam and Eve Mews lies just off of Kensington High Street, a stone’s throw away from the Kensington Roof Gardens. You’ll find plenty of red-brick houses here, bringing a different splash of colour to our tour.
🚇 Nearest station is High Street Kensington.
16 & 17. Kendrick Mews & Reece Mews
These adjoining streets come as a pair, and you’ll know you’ve found them when you spot the giant ski mural upon entering the cobbled lane. The artwork is an Instagram favourite, but you’ll spot a smaller and less splashy tribute to its right: a painting of artist Francis Bacon, who lived and worked on Reece Mews for years. His former studio is at Number 7 and is marked with a blue plaque in recognition of its history.
🚇 Nearest station is South Kensington.
18. Redcliffe Mews
Pristine white arches at either end give this spot a sweeping sense of grandeur, and the half-brick, half-painted facades are pleasantly uniform. What a delight!
🚇 Nearest station is West Brompton.
19. Cornwall Mews South
Tiny yet photogenic, Cornwall Mews South isn’t as well-known as some of our other dreamy streets, but the abundant plant pots and architectural features mean it rarely lacks for visitors.
🚇 Nearest station is Gloucester Road.
20. Colville Mews
This colourful mews can be found in the heart of Notting Hill and has a very key upside: food! You’re absolutely spoiled for choice with nearby Portobello Road, Ledbury Street, and Westbourne Grove all lined with well-regarded restaurants. If you can’t live in a mews house, at least you can eat like you do!
🚇 Nearest station is Ladbroke Grove.
21 & 22. Ennismore Mews & Ennismore Garden Mews
Another two for the price of one deal! Look up Ennismore Mews from Ennismore Street and you’ll find the skyline dominated by the ornate tower of the Dormition Cathedral, a basilica-styled Russian Orthodox place of worship. But arguably the better-looking of the pair is nearby Ennismore Garden Mews, where the pastel-coloured houses are often ornamented with plants.
🚇 Nearest stations are Knightsbridge and South Kensington.
23. Atherstone Mews
A world away from neighbouring Cromwell Road, Atherstone Mews has the cobbled street and colourful houses that by now you know are de rigueur for the capital. Residents here have been known to stray from the pretty pastels, though. Stormy dark blue and vibrant yellow are just some of the colours you’ll find here. And just look at how they stand out in the snow!
🚇 Nearest station is Gloucester Road.
24. Spear Mews
A little oasis of calm just removed from the busy Earl’s Court Road. Many of the houses are artfully dressed with floral window boxes, and the cobbled street only adds to the old-school charm.
🚇 Nearest station is Earl’s Court.
25. Fulton Mews
A wonderfully lesser-known example, the properties here are larger than you’d expect. In fact, the small area only holds 13 properties! Right off Porchester Terrace, Fulton Mews is one that you definitely don’t want to miss.
🚇 Nearest stations are Bayswater and Queensway.
26. Pindock Mews
The likes of Sid Vicious, Boy George, and Janet Street-Porter once called this street home. Now, it’s a conservation area, home to 350 listed buildings. Talk about some history and prestige all wrapped up in one mews!
🚇 Nearest station is Warwick Mews.
So there it is – the Secret London guide to the prettiest mews. Hopefully, we’ve found you a few hidden surprises that you can impress your mates with. Head down, grab a snap, and rake in the sweet, sweet social media validation.