Decorating Chester Terrace

Chester Terrace is one of the most elegant stuccoed streets in Belgravia, developed by Thomas Cubitt in the 1830s as part of the Grosvenor Estate's grand residential vision for the neighbourhood. The uniform cream-painted Italianate façades, shallow pilasters, and classical cornices give the street a cohesive grandeur typical of the finest Cubitt terraces. Handsome cast-iron balconies at first-floor level and original iron area railings complete an ensemble that remains largely intact.

The traditional lime-based stucco of Chester Terrace demands high-quality exterior paint systems that allow the substrate to breathe and flex with seasonal movement; oil-based and Keim mineral paints are the materials of choice. Achieving the crisp, sharp cornices and mouldings that define the terrace requires skilled cutting-in and specialist brush techniques.