Upper Grosvenor Garden (Westminster)
Brief Description
Upper and Lower Grosvenor Gardens are two small triangular gardens laid out to complement Thomas Cundy's French Renaissance style houses, the design for which was exhibited at the RA in 1864. The Upper Garden is simpler but retains 3 pairs of mid-C19th gate piers and rich wrought gates with the Grosvenor monogram. Upper Grosvenor Garden was re-landscaped and opened to the public for the first time in 2000. It has a central lawn, perimeter path and a few mature planes, with a bronze sculpture of a lioness hunting an antelope in the centre of a bed within the lawn. The Rifle Brigade Monument (1924/5) by John Tweed is on the north-eastern corner.
Practical Information
- Site location:
- Grosvenor Gardens, Belgravia
- Postcode:
- SW1
- What 3 Words:
- quick.bill.sharp
- Type of site:
- Public Gardens
- Borough:
- Westminster
- Open to public?
- Yes
- Opening times:
- 8am - dusk
- Special conditions:
- No dogs, ball games, alcohol
- Facilities:
- Events:
- Public transport:
- Rail: Victoria. Tube: Victoria (Victoria, District, Circle)
- Research updated:
- 01/09/2009
- Last minor changes:
- 01/08/2023
Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.grosvenor.com; www.grosvenor-gardens.co.uk
Full Site Description
The Grosvenor family were major landowners in this area of London. Lower Grosvenor Gardens (q.v.) and Upper Grosvenor Gardens are two small ornamental gardens laid out to complement Thomas Cundy's French Renaissance style houses, the design for which was exhibited at the RA in 1864. According to The Builder (1873) the ensemble formed a 'very remarkable neighbourhood'. Grosvenor Gardens and Grosvenor Place were laid out as the northwest extension of Victoria Street to Hyde Park. Both gardens are surrounded by a variety of listed buildings including C19th houses, a screen wall and the gateway to Beeston Place, and also a range of purpose-built flats ('maison meublée') designed by Thomas Cundy III in 1870. In the Lower (southern) Garden only the remains of the elaborate railings survive from the 1864 layout, the remainder of the square enclosed with utilitarian wire fencing. This Lower Garden was remodelled in 1952 by M. Moreux, Chief Architect to the Musees Nationaux de France as a memorial to Anglo-French understanding and a tribute to the Free French.
The Upper (northern) Garden is simpler but retains three pairs of mid C19th gate piers and rich wrought gates with the Grosvenor monogram; the rest enclosed with wire netting. The Upper Grosvenor Garden and railings were restored in 1999/2000 when it was re-landscaped and opened to the public for the first time in 2000. It has a central lawn, a path around the perimeter and a few mature planes. A bronze sculpture by Jonathan Kenworthy of a lioness hunting an Lesser Kudu antelope is in the centre of a bed set into the lawn and was commissioned by the Duke of Westminster. The Rifle Brigade Monument (1924/5) by John Tweed is on the north-eastern corner. A good late-C19th cabmen's shelter is to the west.
Sources consulted:
Simon Bradley and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 6: Westminster', (Yale University Press, 2003), p.751/3; Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, 'The London Encyclopaedia' (Macmillan, revised ed. 1993), pp.340 & 817; Edward Jones & Christopher Woodward, A Guide to the Architecture of London, London 1983, p.173; Hobhouse, p165; WCC, Grosvenor Gardens Conservation Area Audit, 2006
Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
- Grid ref:
- TQ287792 (528711,179278)
- Size in hectares:
- 0.177
- Site ownership:
- Grosvenor Estate
- Site management:
- Grosvenor Estate Gardens Dept
- Date(s):
- c1864, 2000
- Designer(s):
- Thomas Cundy III
- Listed structures:
- LBII: numerous surrounding C19th buildings, screen wall, gateway to Beeston Place, C19th gate piers, Rifle Brigade Monument
- 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:
- Grosvenor Gardens
- Tree Preservation Order:
- No
- Nature Conservation Area:
- No
- Green Belt:
- No
- Metropolitan Open Land:
- No
- Special Policy Area:
- Yes - Central Activities Zone
- Other LA designation:
- London Square
Photos
Upper Grosvenor Garden - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 01/08/23 14:57Click a photo to enlarge.
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.