Known locally as ‘The Chapel’ shelter, the green cabmen’s shelter on Wellington Place in St John’s Wood, London has been listed at Grade II by DCMS on the advice of Historic England.
It is the final example in the capital of the wooden huts, and its protection means the thirteen remaining shelters dotted around the capital are now all listed buildings.
13 Historic Cabmen’s Shelters in London
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
The wooden huts were built by the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund as rest stops for licenced cab drivers, at a time when cabs were all horse-drawn. The shelters continue to serve modern-day taxi drivers and are still overseen by the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund, which celebrates its 150th anniversary next year.
All 13 shelters were restored in a campaign by Heritage of London Trust during the 1980s and 1990s. Heritage of London Trust most recently supported the repair of ‘The Pier’ shelter on Chelsea Embankment by Albert Bridge in 2022.
Colin Evans, Trustee of the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund, said: “We’re really pleased that the Wellington Place shelter now has protected status, along with all the other remaining shelters. We know how special the shelters are but we need the London taxi trade and public’s support more than ever so that this important part of our heritage and working class history lives on.”
