Emergency plumber in Knightsbridge

Knightsbridge takes its name from a bridge over the River Westbourne, which still flows, culverted, beneath the area on its way from Hyde Park to the Thames. Above it sits one of London’s most distinctive mixes of housing: the red-brick Queen Anne revival mansions of the Cadogan estate, and the white stucco squares and terraces of Grosvenor’s land to the east.

Red-brick mansions, Victorian pipework

In the 1870s and 1880s the Cadogan estate rebuilt much of Hans Town, which Henry Holland had first laid out in the 1770s on land leased from Earl Cadogan. The result is the tall, ornate red-brick houses of Cadogan Square, Cadogan Gardens, Lennox Gardens and Hans Place. They are handsome, and they are well over a century old inside the walls. Supply pipes, wastes and heating runs have often been extended, rerouted and patched many times. When one fails, the water usually shows up some way from the cause. We trace it back properly rather than guessing.

Leasehold flats and licences

Many homes here are leasehold flats on a great estate. Cadogan’s guidelines say no alterations should start before a Licence for Alterations is granted, and that a head-lease holder’s consent may be needed as well. Stopping a leak and repairing like for like is not an alteration. Moving pipes, adding a bathroom or a new soil pipe may be. If your emergency repair is heading that way, we say so before we touch anything.

Worth knowing: Keep a short written note of any emergency repair, with photos. It makes conversations with a landlord, managing agent or insurer much easier afterwards.

Basements and the Westbourne

Kensington and Chelsea’s basement policy, adopted in 2015, limited new basements to a single storey under no more than half of a garden. That reflects how sensitive the ground and drainage are here. The Westbourne runs south from Knightsbridge under Bourne Street towards Sloane Square, and lower floors near its course can take water when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. If water is coming in from outside, switch off the electrics in that part of the home, then call us.

Conservation areas on both sides

Knightsbridge sits across two boroughs. On the Kensington and Chelsea side, the Hans Town Conservation Area was designated in 1971. On the Westminster side, the Knightsbridge Conservation Area dates from 1968. External changes such as a new flue on a street-facing wall can need permission in either, so we look for a route at the back first.

From Montpelier Square to Hans Place, call 07862 142953 or WhatsApp us a photo. If your hot water has stopped, see what to check first.