As Europe’s smallest crescent, you might miss it if wandering the streets
Just off Caledonian Road, and a stone’s throw from King’s Cross, sits a picturesque, semi-circular street that appears frozen in Victorian times. Keystone Crescent, formerly known as Caledonian Crescent, was built to accommodate early Victorian workers.
With 24 houses lining both sides of the thoroughfare, it’s been dubbed Europe’s smallest crescent. Robert James Stuckey built the houses.
In 1846, the road was christened Caledonia Crescent. It later became Caledonian Crescent, taking its name from the nearby Caledonian Asylum for children.
According to Living London History, the properties were originally home to lower and middle class Victorian households. Approximately 240 residents occupied 22 houses along the street.
Robert let out many of the homes and operated number 2A as his estate office. Robert’s correspondence was discovered hidden beneath the bed at 2A Keystone Crescent and exposed a shocking revelation – he was leading a double life. He wed Hannah Bennewith and they produced seven offspring.
Meanwhile, he married Sarah Culver in 1864 and fathered another seven children. The correspondence demonstrated that Robert maintained relationships with both Hannah and Sarah simultaneously, though Hannah passed away in 1857.
The crescent received its current name, Keystone Crescent, in the early 1990s after Robert’s grandson, Algerton Stuckey, sought to regenerate the neighbourhood, as it had acquired notoriety for prostitution and overcrowding. Today, properties on the crescent don’t come cheap.
According to Rightmove, average prices exceeded £700,000 over the past year. The homes range from two-bedroom properties right through to five-bedroom residences, and carry Grade II listed status.
This means occupants require permission to carry out works on the building.
Properties on the crescent feature courtyard gardens.
The homes on the outer circle are larger, whilst the inner circle properties have fewer floors and somewhat more compact rooms.
One distinctive house is painted blue, whilst others boast brightly coloured doors.
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