BELGRAVIA
nise the brothers in the series. He said: “Belgravia was born of the prosperity that came at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Industry and trading shot up.
“They generated enormous fortunes for individuals, and it became clear that Mayfair was no longer big enough to accommodate everyone smart.
“The Marquess of Westminster, or his advisers, realised this and they approached the brilliant Cubitt brothers, who understood at once that the proposed site on the edge of London was perfectly placed for a new development.”
In Lord Fellowes’ new drama – based on his
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Emily Reid and Jeremy Neumark Jones filming in Belgravia 2016 book of the same name – one of the central characters, James Trenchard, joins the Cubitts as they construct the new “City of the Rich”. Episode one opens with a lavish ball in 1815 that was famously attended by the Duke of Wellington, just days before the Battle of Waterloo. That night, the lives of two wealthy families become forever entwined – but 25 years on, their past comes back to haunt them in Belgravia. The production team, led by Killing Eve producer Colin
Philip Glenister in the period drama
Wratten, could not film the series in Belgravia itself because of restrictions from the embassies.
So instead, they recorded at more than 100 locations across Britain – and found Edinburgh doubled up nicely as the affluent London district.
“We found the right architecture in a fantastic square called Moray Place,” producer Colin said.
“We shot the outside scenes in these fabulous streets, but there’s a lot of pollution on the stone so we used visual effects to change it in postproduction. We cleaned it up because Belgravia, at the time of this drama, was new and in a grey part of London. “Suddenly to have these wedding cake white frontages would have been really spectacular to see.” Lord Fellowes adds: “Belgravia was a manifestation of prosperity, but it wasn’t just the upper classes who lived there. “The aristocracy were no longer in charge – they had to accommodate their neighbours, as we must all do. “If we live long enough, the world changes considerably and we just have to deal with it. That’s a lesson we are all obliged to learn, sooner or later.” grace.macaskill@reachplc.com Belgravia starts on ITV tonight at 9pm.
Historian Dan Cruickshank
Harriet Walter and Tamsin Greig
A market trader who ended up becoming one of the Duke of Wellington’s principal suppliers. Nicknamed The Magician.
Does not want to work for a living. He is married to Susan Trenchard, the daughter of a wealthy merchant and a terrible
Beautiful Sophia is deeply in love with her beau Lord Bellasis… but he is due to march off to the Battle of Waterloo.
A t§ypical aristocrat, who is depressed over the forthcoming Battle of Waterloo. He loves his wife Caroline, despite it being a ‘marriage of custom’.
The handsome son of Lord and Lady Brockenhurst and Sophia Trenchard’s beau.
London was a stinking, filthy city. Cubitt offered people well-lit streets and hygiene DAN CRUICKSHANK HISTORIAN ON THOMAS CUBITT’S SUCCESS