Alexander Square
Alexander Square is not actually a square, but rather a street, which derives its name from John Alexander (1762-1831), the owner of the Thurloe Estate (Ricahrdson, 2003:110).
It is one of the streets that ‘fades into’ Knightsbridge, although I’m sure the residents would deny that there were any fading involved. And as we move towards Knightsbridge, so the aroma of money intensifies. Alexander Square is not unusual in that it is a private road, but it is the first one I’ve encountered where this privacy seems to extend beyond parking and yet appears to be freely accessible – unlike many of the private roads in SW3 which are guarded by locked iron gates (but more on that topic later). Anyway, at the risk of trespassing, I did walk the length of Alexander Square and my over-riding impression is that residents’ parking is the hot issue of the moment, but when you’re less than half a mile from Harrods, I suspect that you get pretty fed up of coming home to find a camper van with a foreign number plate in your parking spot.
Anderson Street
An unprepossessing street, which links the King’s Road and Sloane Avenue. At 207 feet, it is possibly one of the shortest streets in SW3, but as there are another 186 to explore, I don’t want to make sweeping statements based on guesswork rather than empirical evidence. There was a frisson of excitement in January when a Plastic Jesus artwork appeared on the wall by the zebra-crossing, but sadly, it didn’t last more than a week, so we have to content ourselves with an empty coconut shell.
Atlantic Court
A tiny (private) road that leads to a gated complex, where the entry is heavily barred, chained and locked. Atlantic Court seems to be the smoking room for staff working in the shops on the King’s Road.