Inventory Site Record

Orme Square is thought to be the earliest town square in Bayswater. Under the will of John Carver, the garden was owned by Trustees, who by 1928 had sold the houses in the square, the purchasers having a right to use the garden enclosure subject to an annual payment for its upkeep. The garden contains three notable if enigmatic ornaments: two columns surmounted by pineapples and a double Tuscan column with a stucco eagle on top.

Site location:

Orme Square, Bayswater

Postcode:

W2

What 3 Words:

lush.tracks.bill

Type of site:

Garden Square

Borough:

Westminster

Open to public?

No

Opening times:

private, residents only

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Queensway (Central)

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Research updated:

01/11/2007

Last minor changes:

14/07/2022

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news.

Orme Square is thought by Nikolaus Pevsner to be the earliest town square in Bayswater, and the houses on the east and west sides date from c.1818. Under the will of John Carver, the garden was owned by Trustees, who by 1928 had sold the houses in the square, the purchasers having a right to use the garden enclosure subject to an annual payment for its upkeep to the Trustees. It was described at that time as 'a narrow enclosure laid out as a lawn with shrubs around the border' with 'one or two fine trees'. The Trustees' expenditure on its maintenance was restricted to what was received from the householders.

Thomas Carlyle in 1851 described Bayswater as 'an airy suburb, half town, half country' but called Orme Square 'a dingy little grass-plot' (Life of John Sterling). The surrounding railings were removed during WWII. A 1944 photograph shows a sign attached to railings in front of the eagle that states: 'The driver of any vehicle entering the square except on business to the houses will be prosecuted'. By 1961, the garden was well on the way to a sad state of neglect and it has lost a number of large trees that are shown in photographs in the 1950s. WCC manages 3 small beds on the roadside.

Sources consulted:

Halsey, 'Some London Squares', (1991 MS in Westminster City Archives); Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 3: North West' (Penguin, 1999 ed); Report of the Royal Commission on London Squares, 1928

Grid ref:

TQ257806 (525709,180620)

Size in hectares:

c.0.045

Site ownership:

Private

Site management:

Date(s):

1815

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

LBII: Buildings on the north side, Nos.1 and 2; on the east side No.3; on the west side Nos.10 and 11.

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:

Yes

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:

Bayswater

Tree Preservation Order:

Yes

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Orme Square - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 12/05/21 13:45

Click a photo to enlarge.