Ladbroke Square is a

garden square A garden square is a type of communal garden in an urban area wholly or substantially surrounded by buildings; commonly, it continues to be applied to public and private parks formed after such a garden becomes accessible to the public at large. ...

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

, west London, England.The Ladbroke estate: The 1840s
''Survey of London: volume 37: Northern Kensington'' (1973), pp. 200–220.

Location

Ladbroke Square and its gardens lie north of

Holland Park Avenue Holland Park Avenue is a street located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London. The street runs from Notting Hill Gate in the east to the Holland Park Roundabout in the west, forms a part of the old west road ...

and

Notting Hill Gate Notting Hill Gate is one of the main thoroughfares in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in Inner London. Historically the street was a location for Tollbooth, toll gates, from which it derives its modern name. Location At Ossingto ...

(part of the

A40 road The A40 is a trunk road which runs between London and Goodwick (Fishguard), Wales, and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road (A40) in all legal documents and Acts. Much of its length within England has been superseded by motorw ...

). To the west is

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove ( ) is a road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, which passes through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also the name of the sur ...

(part of the B450 road), to the north is Kensington Park Gardens (with houses on the south side backing onto the gardens), and to the northeast is Kensington Park Road (part of the B415), forming borders to the gardens in the centre. Formally, the houses of Ladbroke Square lie on the south side of the gardens. To the southeast is

Notting Hill Gate tube station Notting Hill Gate is a London Underground station near Notting Hill, London. It is located on the street called Notting Hill Gate. The station is served by three lines: Central line (London Underground), Central, Circle line (London Underground) ...

, the nearest underground station. The Ladbroke Square

Montessori School The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

is located at 43 Ladbroke Square.

Gardens

The gardens form the largest of the 16

communal garden A communal garden (often used in the plural as communal gardens) is a (normally formal) garden for shared use by a number of local residents, typically in an urban setting. The term is especially used in the United Kingdom. The centre of many c ...

s of the historic Ladbroke Estate.Ladbroke Square Garden W11

Open Garden Squares Weekend
London, UK. Covering approximately 7 acres, it is one of the largest private garden squares in London and is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

. Surrounded by railings, there are mature trees in the gardens and a long straight walk along the north side, together with other curving paths. The three-hectare garden is only open to local residents.

History

The garden square was originally the site of a

racecourse A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

, known as the

Hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". The term hippodroming refers to fr ...

, which was created in 1837 by John Whyte, but which was unsuccessful. The area was laid out and developed in the 1840s. An 1849 plan by the architect

Thomas Allason Thomas Allason (1790–1852) was an English architect, surveying, surveyor and landscaper, noted in particular for his work at Connaught Square and the Ladbroke Estate in Kensington. Early life Allason was born in London, England, in 1790. H ...

included the gardens laid out as they are today.

Notable residents

Sir John Scott John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon, (4 June 1751 – 13 January 1838) was a British barrister and politician. He served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827. Early life Background Eldon ...

(1814–1898), a governor of

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

, retired to 21, Kensington Park Gardens, as Ladbroke Square was then called. * Maurice Cole, concert pianist, lived at No. 8 with his violinist wife Winifred Small, after their marriage in 1927 and into the 1930s.''Who's Who in Music'' (1935), p. 69

References

Squares in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Notting Hill Garden squares in London Communal gardens Ladbroke Grove {{London-geo-stub