This shelter is on the south edge of Kensington Gardens, not far from The Royal Albert Hall.
It is evidently in use, with signs describing the many tempting dishes on offer. Sadly, however, on the particular day I was there, a handwritten notice announced that it was temporarily closed “due to broken oven” and “open as usual tomorrow!”. I shall go back.
The pavement was strewn with early-falling leaves, as the numerous trees in Kensington Gardens tried to cope with the heat and the drought.
This shelter is listed Grade II, reference number 1221262. It was built in 1888.
It bears a plaque saying it is supported by the “Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of London”. The Mark Master Masons are an organisation within the fraternity of Freemasons.
Also affixed to the outside is a black and white photo, apparently showing the shelter in the early twentieth century. The design of the shelter is different from today. For example the vent at the top is a different shape, and the roof is simply a gable with a dormer, rather than the more complicated Dutch gable roof of today. 1 There are also some wonderful spikes along the ridge of the roof in the photo, completely absent today. The design of the shelter in the photo resembles that of the shelter in Temple.
I completed my pen and ink drawing leaning on the wall of Kensington Park, and added the colours back at my desk.
Other cab drivers’ shelters I’ve sketched are on this page.
- I am indebted to the post on the website of the roofing company “Positive Roofing” for descriptions of roof types: https://positiveroofing.co.uk/blog/30-different-roof-types-and-styles-in-the-uk. The type of roof on today’s version of the shelter is also called a “half-hipped roof”. ↩︎
