Inventory Site Record

This strip of garden was originally provided for the use of lessees of the adjoining Victorian houses. At one time within the Manor of Chelsea, land in the area was purchased by Sir Hans Sloane in 1712. On his death his estate was divided between his two daughters, the eastern part going to Elizabeth, becoming the Cadogan Estate on her marriage to Charles Cadogan. Cadogan began developing the 90-acre estate from the 1770s, which was to be called Hans Town. Once a railed enclosure, Pond Street Shrubbery remains a low raised oval pavement. It was planted with a number of plane trees and at one time had York stone crazy paving. In 2021 it was relandscaped and planted with over 630 native trees, shrubs and other plants as part of a rewilding initiative and given the name Heritage Forest.

Previous / Other name:

Pont Street Gardens

Site location:

Pont Street/Cadogan Square, opposite Hans Place

Postcode:

SW1

What 3 Words:

stores.fires.gone

Type of site:

Public Gardens

Borough:

Kensington & Chelsea

Open to public?

No

Opening times:

Special conditions:

Facilities:

none

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Knightsbridge (Piccadilly), Sloane Square (District, Circle)

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

07/10/2024

Last minor changes:

07/10/2024

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.cadogan.co.uk

Part of the Cadogan Estate, this is a rare area of public landscaping along Pont Street, situated west of Sloane Street between Hans Place and Cadogan Square. At one time within the Manor of Chelsea, land in the area was purchased by Sir Hans Sloane in 1712; on his death his estate was divided between his two daughters, the eastern part going to Elizabeth, becoming the Cadogan Estate on her marriage to Charles Cadogan. With architect Henry Holland, Cadogan began developing the 90-acre estate from the 1770s, to be called Hans Town. Pont Street is shown on Bacon's Map of 1887 where the terrace of Nos. 31-39 Pont Street is set back behind a rectangular paved area with a number of mature plane trees, provided as an amenity to the lessees. In 1928 it was planted with shrubs and owned by Earl Cadogan and managed by the Trustees of the Cadogan Estate out of fees paid by adjoining lessees. Formerly railed, the shrubbery remained a low raised oval pavement with York stone crazy paving, a number of mature plane trees, and newer planting to the west end.

In 2021 Pont Street Shrubbery was replanted and given the new name Heritage Forest through a rewilding initiative of SUGi, 'a sustainability initiative to support our natural heritage for generations to come'. Surface gravel was cleared and topsoil added, with the centre of the plot built up above the height of bedding plants around the edge. Over 630 native trees and shrubs have been planted, including shade-tolerant species like dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), spindle (Euonymus europaeus) and hazel (Corylus avellana), and native trees including rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), crack willow (Salix fragilis) and oak. The aim is to provide a rich habitat for indigenous insects, including pollinators and butterflies. The new Heritage Forest has been created in a partnership between SUGi, Louis Vuitton and Cadogan Estates, with the aim of inspiring environmentally responsible planting in small urban spaces. The planting has been undertaken using the Miyawaki Method in order to encourage the rapid creation of the forest through planting four 'layers' of shrubs, sub-trees, trees and a canopy, and a forest floor dense with wildflowers. Based on the work of Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, this method, tried and tested on over 3,000 sites, has a 97% success rate for tree survival with little to no maintenance. The plant selection here was "based on extensive floral and faunal research, a soil survey and vegetation report, to provide an ecologically balanced and complementary self-sustaining ecosystem that requires less maintenance and watering, while alleviating the need for pesticides and artificial plant foods." While the planting is getting established the oval plot is surrounded with wooden paling.

Sources consulted:

Hans Town Conservation Area Proposals Statement, 2000; Report of the Royal Commission on London Squares, 1928; https://www.sugiproject.com/forests/heritage-forest; https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/londons-pocket-parks-pont-street-sw1-48184/; https://www.cadogan.co.uk/louis-vuitton-cadogan-and-sugi-join-together-to-rewild-chelsea/

Grid ref:

TQ277791 (527740,179140)

Size in hectares:

0.0314

Site ownership:

The Cadogan Estate

Site management:

Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea

Date(s):

1870s/80s

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

LBII: Nos 32-40 Pont Street

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

Hans Town

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Pont Street Shrubbery, Heritage Forest, September 2024. Photograph Colin Wing

Click a photo to enlarge.

More photos