| |
|
> Enlarge picture |
Berkeley Square Gardens were originally laid out in 1740s, the present layout dating from 1766/7. Lord Berkeley of Stratton, Royalist commander in the Civil War, acquired extensive lands north of Piccadilly soon after the Restoration and the family's London residence, Berkeley House, was situated near here until 1733. When, in 1696, the 3rd Lord Berkeley sold Berkeley House to the 1st Duke of Devonshire, he agreed to keep a strip of land clear of development in order to protect the view north from the house. This condition was honoured when the Berkeley estate was laid out for speculative building in the 1730s and 1740s, and resulted in the present square. The garden was first enclosed in the mid 1740s when the west side of the square was completed. Having become neglected, it was laid out anew in 1766/7 since when the layout has remained virtually unchanged. Improvement works carried out in 1994 by WCC included restoration of the statue in the south 'Woman of Samaria' by Alexander Munro.
The surrounding London Plane trees are among the oldest in central London, planted in 1789. |
| |
|
| Previous / Other name: |
|
| Site location: |
Berkeley Square, Mayfair |
| Postcode: |
W1J 5AX |
| Type of site: |
Garden Square |
| Date(s): |
1740s, 1767 |
| Designer(s): |
William Kent |
| Listed structures: |
LBI: Nos. 44, 45, 46; LBII*: No. 47; LBII: Monro statue, shelter; Nos. 1, 2, 3, 24, 25, 27, 28, 34, 35, 41, 42, 43, 49, 50, 51, 52, 52A. |
| Borough: |
Westminster |
| Site ownership: |
Grosvenor Estate |
| Site management: |
WCC Parks Service (contractor: Continental Landscapes Ltd) |
| Open to public? |
Yes |
| Opening times: |
8am - dusk |
| Special conditions: |
|
| Facilities: |
|
| Events: |
|
| Public transport: |
Tube: Bond Street (Central, Jubilee), Green Park (Victoria, Piccadilly, Jubilee). Bus: 8 |
|
|
|
