Addison Place, Holland Park, London, W11

Addison Place is a secluded crescent within the Norland Conservation Area and situated between Addison Avenue and Queensdale Road. This is a real backwater, a tranquil winding street of old cottages and mews houses in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The name of the road derives from the essayist and statesman Joseph Addison (1672–1719), as with Addison Avenue nearby. In nearby Addison Road the novelist and playwright John Galsworthy lived at 14 during 1905–13.[2] Other notable inhabitants have included Chaim Weizmann, the first President of the State of Israel, who lived at No. 67 between 1916–19 and David Lloyd George, who resided at No. 2 between 1928–36.

EXTRACT FROM THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH – SEPTEMBER 1989

An Architect (Pierre Botshi) and his mews – Addison Place

“On opening the front door there is a vertiginous, spiralling staircase made out of warm red painted scaffolding with round black steps covered in non slip rubber. Climbing up is an unnerving experience – there are no handrails and, by the time you get to the top, you do not want to look down. The staircase has claimed only one victim and that was Botschi himself. He suffered for his art when, while attempting to water a plant, he over-reached himself, walked on air and landed in a heap at the bottom. “I had to go to the hospital where they checked me over, but fortunately I hadn’t broke anything”.

BOROUGH: Kensington and Chelsea.