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St John's Wood cabmen's shelter becomes last to be listed

Historic England Archive The green cabmen's shelter in Wellington Place, St John's Wood, with taxis either side of itHistoric England Archive
The cabmen's shelter in Wellington Place, St John's Wood, is one of only 13 which remains today

The final unlisted cabmen's shelter in London has now been awarded Grade II status, Historic England has announced.

The green wooden hut in Wellington Place, St John's Wood is one of only 13 shelters still standing in the capital.

First introduced to the city in 1875, the buildings were created to give cabmen a place to rest and get hot food, and are still in use today.

Twelve of them had previously been given protection, with the Wellington Place hut now also listed.

Sixty-one shelters are known to have been built across London between 1875 and 1950.

Historic England Archive Black and white image of horse-drawn cabs on Oxford Street taken in about 1890 to 1900Historic England Archive
Cabmen's shelters were introduced in Victorian times when all cabs were horse-drawn, like these on Oxford Street in about 1900

They were conceived by Capt George C Armstrong, who was editor of The Globe newspaper, after he struggled to find a cab during a storm because all the drivers had sought shelter from the elements in local pubs.

Working with a group of wealthy philanthropists, he helped establish the Cabmen's Shelter Fund which built the huts along many major thoroughfares to provide warm and dry rest stops at ranks.

The first was then erected in February 1875 on Acacia Road in St John's Wood - conveniently outside Armstrong's home.

All the shelters had the same proportions, with none bigger than a horse and cart as they were built on public highways at a time when cabs were all horse-drawn.

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They featured a small kitchen and space for about 10 drivers to sit, with gambling, drinking and swearing being strictly forbidden while inside them.

The shelters are still in use today and while drivers with "The Knowledge" are only able to take a seat inside, many of the huts do offer takeaway refreshments to the public too.

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Locations of London's remaining cabmen's shelters:

  • Chelsea Embankment, SW3
  • Embankment Place, WC2
  • Grosvenor Gardens, SW1
  • Hanover Square, W1
  • Kensington Park Road, W11
  • Kensington Road, W8
  • Pont Street, SW1
  • Russell Square, WC1
  • St. George's Square, SW1
  • Temple Place, WC2
  • Thurloe Place, SW7
  • Warwick Avenue, W9
  • Wellington Place, NW8
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The hut in Wellington Place, known locally as the Chapel, has been listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, giving it special protection against any possible redevelopment.

Luke Jacob, listing adviser at Historic England, said the shelters were "distinctive relics of the horse-drawn age in the capital".

"As we approach the 150th anniversary of the Cabmen's Shelter Fund it is fitting that the final shelter on Wellington Place - lucky number 13 - has received the official recognition it deserves through listing," he added.

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