In 1846, Robert James Stuckey, the son of a Shoreditch bricklayer, built Keystone Crescent along with over 100 other properties in the area. The crescent, which originally comprised 24 houses, was constructed speculatively and was initially named Caledonian Crescent.
Keystone Crescent has a unique feature of a matching inner and outer circle. The houses are uniform in design, featuring a round arched doorway, Welsh slate roof, and a stucco band around the second storey.
The Stuckey family held onto many of the properties and rented them out, with the estate office located at number 2A.
During the construction of the Channel Tunnel in the early 1990s, plans were initially proposed to build a new station next to King’s Cross. This would have resulted in the destruction of 83 homes and 53 shops, covering 17 acres of land. Additionally, half of Keystone Crescent would have had to be demolished in order to excavate the necessary space for the station.
The plans were scrapped when Waterloo was (temporarily) chosen as the terminus instead.
