Inventory Site Record

Hyde Park Square was built from 1837 as part of the development of the extensive Paddington Estate of the Bishop of London, which was laid out from the early C19th. The layout of the garden today bears little relation to its early layout and it has been replanted and re-stocked, together with a woodland style area to encourage more wildlife. New gates were erected on the north and west sides in 2005.

Site location:

Hyde Park Square, Paddington

Postcode:

W2

What 3 Words:

hopes.meant.origin

Type of site:

Garden Square

Borough:

Westminster

Open to public?

Occasionally

Opening times:

Has opened for OGSW. Otherwise private, for keyholders only
Has taken part in Open Garden Squares Weekend 8 times, most recently in 2025.

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Marble Arch, Lancaster Gate (Central), Paddington (Circle, District, Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City). Bus: 12, 94, 148, 274.

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/11/2007

Last minor changes:

08/09/2023

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

Land to the north of Hyde Park was for centuries farmland owned by the Church of England, the area known as Tyburnia after the river Tyburn that flows underground. It was at Tyburn Gallows at Marble Arch that public executions were held until 1783. The development of the Church Commissioners' Hyde Park Estate began soon after, and the early masterplan of Samuel Pepys Cockerell (1754-1827) was possibly begun in 1805 although little was built until the 1820s. Cockerell was succeeded as estate surveyor by George Gutch (c.1790-1874), who modified and intensified the layout, and drew up his 'Final Plan of Tyburnia' in 1838. Hyde Park Square was built from 1837, with the west and south side of the square designed by George Ledwell Taylor (1788-1873) with the exception of three houses of 1843-48. The garden was provided for the private use of residents of the surrounding houses and has notable London plane trees, shrub borders and flower beds, and is surrounded by hedge and mesh fencing.

In 1954 a 90-acre area of land within the Church Commissioners estate containing C19th terraces south of Sussex Gardens was consolidated as the Hyde Park Estate. The layout of the garden today bears little relation to its early layout and it has been replanted and re-stocked, together with a woodland style area to encourage more wildlife. New gates were erected on the north and west sides in 2005. The cost of maintenance of the gardens is through an annual service charge to lessees who have exclusive rights to use the gardens.

Sources consulted:

Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner 'The Buildings of England London 3: North West, (Penguin, 1999 ed), p.685; Gordon Toplis, The History of Tyburnia, Country Life 15, 22 November 1973.

Grid ref:

TQ271810 (527141,181041)

Size in hectares:

Site ownership:

Church Commissioners

Site management:

Estate Management Scheme, Gardens Committee

Date(s):

1830s/40s

Designer(s):

George Gutch

Listed structures:

LBII: Nos. 11-21 and 30-37 Hyde Park Square

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 (north & part of south terrace)

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Hyde Park Square - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 08/06/25 12:03

Click a photo to enlarge.

More photos