One of the pleasures of having lunch at Bibendum yesterday was the opportunity to walk down Pelham Crescent which I used to do often when I worked at the V&A.   It was designed by George Basevi in the early 1830s for  Smith’s Charity Estate, following the bankruptcy of Samuel Harrison and William Bristow in 1832 who ran the Brompton Nursery.   Built by James Bonnin, houses originally cost 
£1,000 and were occupied by clergymen, clerks and a private tutor.   No more.   But it remains the epitome of west London suavity: