Excellent news this morning that the green cabmen's shelter on Wellington Place in St John’s Wood, London has now been listed at Grade II level by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Known locally as 'The Chapel' shelter it is the final example in the capital to be protected by listing.
As regular readers of Shedworking know, these wooden huts were built by the Cabmen's Shelter Fund as rest stops for licenced cab drivers when cabs were all horse-drawn. The first was built in 1875 and only 13 survive in the city today, continuing to serve modern-day taxi drivers. All 13 shelters were restored in a campaign by Heritage of London Trust during the 1980s and 1990s and they are still overseen by the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund, which celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025.
Only drivers with 'The Knowledge' can take a seat inside but many huts offer takeaway refreshments to the public too.
"We’re really pleased that the Wellington Place shelter now has protected status, along with all the other remaining shelters," said Colin Evans, Trustee Cabmen's Shelter Fund. "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."
Image courtesy Historic England Archive
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