Hyde Park Gate (Kensington & Chelsea)
Brief Description
The layout of this cul-de-sac with its roughly circular area of garden was delineated on plans from the 1820s, although the full complement of houses as it exists today was not completed until the end of the C19th. The secluded private garden appears to be little changed since the early C20th when it was described as 'a circular area enclosed by palings and attractively laid out as a shrubbery', at which time it was leased to one of the residents for his sole use.
Practical Information
- Site location:
- Hyde Park Gate, off Kensington High Street
- Postcode:
- SW7
- What 3 Words:
- tunes.tiles.gifted
- Type of site:
- Garden Square
- Borough:
- Kensington & Chelsea
- Open to public?
- No
- Opening times:
- private
- Special conditions:
- Facilities:
- Events:
- Public transport:
- Tube: Gloucester Road (District, Circle, Piccadilly), High Street Kensington (District, Circle)
- Research updated:
- 01/10/2007
- Last minor changes:
- 19/07/2023
Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news.
Full Site Description
The land was owned by the Trustees of the Campden Charities estate, one of the three estates in this area, and also the largest, and the first to be built on. Part of the estate was also known as Butt's Field, and in the south the old workhouse of 1778 was located, later the site of Kensington Gate (q.v.). A development plan drawn up in 1810 by S P Cockerell attracted no interest from builders and was abandoned. In 1821 Thomas Drew produced a plan for four deep plots fronting onto Kensington Road behind a wide planted strip, with a road between the middle plots leading to a 'square' of eight further plots. This was hardly more successful although some building took place; the remainder of the estate was auctioned in 1828 and 1831, after which the present layout was established. In 1838 and 1840 Stoke Lodge and Cleeve Lodge, now No. 42 and No.45 Hyde Park Gate were built, since altered, and their former stables became Nos. 43 and 44. In 1849 the workhouse was demolished and the site laid out by Inderwick and built as Kensington Gate in 1852. The area to the east of the Campden Charities' land was developed by Joshua Hanson from 1833, with Hyde Park Gate Mews laid out in 1836 to serve the first three houses he built. The Hyde Park Gate development was completed by the mid 1840s, although substantially altered in subsequent years.
In 1928 the garden on the circular cul-de-sac was leased by the Campden Charities Estate to a Mr H M Hubbard who had sole use of it and who was responsible for its maintenance. It was at that time described as 'a circular area enclosed by palings and attractively laid out as a shrubbery, and overlooked by dwelling-houses'. The lease expired in c.1948. The post-and-chain that was around its boundary has now been removed.
In the garden of one of the houses, 9 Hyde Park Gate, are remains of work by Pulham & Co. undertaken for E W Cooke in 1853.
Sources consulted:
RBKC Queen's Gate Conservation Area Proposals Statement, 1989; Report of the Royal Commission on London Squares, 1928
Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
- Grid ref:
- TQ262795 (526230,179490)
- Size in hectares:
- 0.0972
- Site ownership:
- private
- Site management:
- Date(s):
- 1838 onwards
- Designer(s):
- Listed structures:
- None
- 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:
- Queen's Gate
- Tree Preservation Order:
- Yes
- Nature Conservation Area:
- No
- Green Belt:
- No
- Metropolitan Open Land:
- No
- Special Policy Area:
- No
- Other LA designation:
- None
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.