History notes: 49 Grafton Way

The archive photo above from 1911 shows the rear of 49 Grafton Way in Fitzrovia which had been used since the 1920s by Maple & Co for staff housing, and was converted in the late 1970s by UCL to student residences.

“The photograph was taken to illustrate the external staircase manufactured by the St Pancras Ironworks,” states the archive record.

It was captured by a photographer working for Bedford Lemere and is part of a series of photographic negatives and prints within a collection held by Historic England.

In the background can be seen the rear of houses which stood on Fitzroy Street, at the southeast corner of Fitzroy Square, where the Indian YMCA building now stands. The building on the left is part of what was Grafton Hall. Those buildings were badly damaged by bombing in WW2 and the site was redeveloped in the 1950s.

The building at 49 Grafton Way is still standing and is now the Rome wing of the Ramsay Hall of residents for University College London students. But the external staircase is no longer there.

St Pancras Ironworks manufactured many iron and steel fittings and structures, and the name can still be seen today on the streets of Fitzrovia on pavement lights, coal hole plates and highway inspection covers.

The company was founded by Henry Bessemer (1813-1898), famous for the steel-making process, and was based at St Pancras Road opposite Old St Pancras Church and at other sites nearby. The site is now part of the Somers Town housing estate.

This article was corrected on 1 July 2026 to state that it was used as staff accommodation by Maple & co. We originally stated it was built as a hall of residence for the nearby universities.

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