The "Special Relationship" – NYC Counterparts to British Landmarks

Sarah Finkel

As uniquely spectacular and one of a kind New York City undoubtedly is, some of its greatness is owed to the old Motherland—and her name is Britain. Follow along for a brief roundup of a few hidden similarities between NYC and British landmarks, and be prepared to be awed.

The Chatsworth House & The Chatsworth

The Chatsworth House has belonged to the Cavendish family since 1549, and was finally completed in 1687. It is considered to be one of the most stately and impressive homes of England, having been inhabited by royalty and the aristocracy for countless generations, carrying on its legacy to present-day. Meanwhile, the year 1904 came and the luxury apartment building of NYC’s Upper West Side conveniently also became known as The Chatsworth, built with the same elaborate detailing and craftsmanship that its English counterpart boasts.  

Chelsea Pensioners Home & Chelsea

Credit – chelsea.pensioners.co.uk

Credit – chelsea.pensioners.co.uk

Our beloved Chelsea neighborhood came to be once retired British Major Thomas Clarke bought 94 acres of land before the American Revolution, located between what is now 21st and 24th Streets, and from Eighth Avenue to the Hudson River. Chelsea Pensioners are residents or former residents of the Royal Hospital of Chelsea, London, which is a retirement and nursing home designated for former British soldiers. Major Clarke built a home on the land he purchased in New York, naming it “Chelsea” after the Royal Hospital. The name has miraculously managed to stay intact all these years.  

Stonehenge & Manhattanhenge

Credit – Curbed NY

Credit – Curbed NY

Manhattanhenge, known as the Manhattan Solstice, is actually a reference to the prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire, England, called Stonehenge. It was specifically built in a manner that allows the rising sun to be seen at the center of the monument on the summer solstice, an alignment that inspires the Manhattanhenge event twice a year per sunrise and twice a year per sunset.

Puck Building & Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Credit – Kushner Companies

Credit – Kushner Companies

While Shakespeare’s literary masterpiece is not quite a landmark, it lays the groundwork for its main character to assume the name of the iconic red-brick Nolita building, the “Crown Jewel of Soho.” Puck himself is dispersed among various points of the building’s exterior, proudly glowing in his golden hue.

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