Footnote

In the margins of the visit to the Royal Institution noticed at reference 1, we were reminded that the back passages of houses in smart areas are not that different to those of houses in less smart areas. With this snap being of that for a basement in Albemarle Street.

Perhaps the point is that the building above was no longer a house for a family, rather for some business or other. Business people are not going to fuss about appearances at the margins in the way of, for example, a Belgravia housewife.

Or is it more down to landlords? With the agents for the Duke of Westminster, who owns large chunks of Belgravia, harassing tenants about appearances in a way that the agents for whoever owns Mayfair north of Piccadilly does not?

Reference 1: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/fields.html.