Description
Ebury Square was laid out in 1820 on a former nursery garden that had earlier been the site of Ebury or Eabery Farm, part of the estate of Elizabeth I, later owned by the Grosvenor family. The central garden, on the site of the homestead of the Saxon farm, has been open to the public since 1884. The surrounding terraced houses were partially destroyed in 1860, the remaining fabric subsequently badly bombed, so none of the original houses survive. Recently restored, the garden comprises a lawn crossed by paths, perimeter shrubs, bedding displays and mature London plane and golden acacia trees. In the centre is a flowerbed and cast iron fountain.
Practical Information
| Site location | Ebury Square/Buckingham Palace Road, Pimlico |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW1 |
| What3Words | ///deputy.handy.hurry |
| Type of Site | Garden Square; |
| Borough | Westminster |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Special Conditions | No dogs |
| Public Transport | Tube: Victoria (District, Circle, Victoria). Bus: 11, 44, 170, 211, C1, C10 |
| Research Updated | 1 February 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
There are early references to Ebury or Eabery Farm in 1307 when the then king, Edward I, permitted John de Benstede to fortify it. From 1676 the farm was owned by the Grosvenor family, whose land in Belgravia was developed from the early C19th. The garden of the square was formed upon the homestead of the Saxon farm, and, initially private, it was opened to the public from 1884. Its layout as the public garden may have been the work of Fanny Wilkinson, landscape gardener to the Kyrle Society around this time, who became landscape gardener to the MPGA, for whom she designed over 75 public gardens in London over a period of 19 years. An estimate from Wilkinson for Ebury Square appears in minutes of a meeting of the MPGA in May 1884, with reference made to asphalt paths, which were more costly but harder wearing than gravel.
The surrounding terraced houses of Ebury Square were partially destroyed in 1860, and the remaining fabric of the square was subsequently badly bombed and none of the original houses survive. The garden is now surrounded by large C20th buildings, including the rear of Victoria Coach Station. Nevertheless, the garden square has recently been thoroughly restored. The layout comprises a central lawn crossed by paths, with shrubs around the perimeter, and bedding displays. In the centre is a flowerbed containing laurel standards and a cast iron fountain. The garden has replacement railings and mature trees include London planes and golden false acacias. Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), stayed at No. 42 Ebury Street in 1847.
The surrounding terraced houses of Ebury Square were partially destroyed in 1860, and the remaining fabric of the square was subsequently badly bombed and none of the original houses survive. The garden is now surrounded by large C20th buildings, including the rear of Victoria Coach Station. Nevertheless, the garden square has recently been thoroughly restored. The layout comprises a central lawn crossed by paths, with shrubs around the perimeter, and bedding displays. In the centre is a flowerbed containing laurel standards and a cast iron fountain. The garden has replacement railings and mature trees include London planes and golden false acacias. Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), stayed at No. 42 Ebury Street in 1847.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ285785 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.24 |
| Site Ownership | Grosvenor Estate |
| Site Management | WCC Parks Service (contractor: Continental Landscapes Ltd) |
| Dates | 1820; 1884 |
| 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 | Westminster |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Archaeological Priority |
| Other LA Designation | London Square |
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.
Nearby parks and gardens
On both sides of Cundy Street are blocks of flats in well-tended landscape settings. To the north is a development by T P Bennett of 1952 and to the south a series of 1930s blocks with curved balconies with curved brick and stone retaining walls at the entrances. Both estates have lawns with shrubberies at the margins. Nikolaus Pevsner described Cundy Street Flats as 'four generously spaced blocks. . . These funny creatures have the upright profiles and coloured cylindrical columns of the fifties, with the long rounded balconies of the thirties used to create a kind of vertical crenellation, and sashes of early Georgian pattern'.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Eaton Square was laid out as part of a largely intact planned development of houses and gardens on the Grosvenor Estate. The private gardens of Eaton Square consist of six enclosures of comparable character. All railed, they have shrubbery around peripheral paths and lawns containing beds. The square has numerous major trees, dominated by London planes many dating from the original planting, together with smaller, ornamental varieties. Former residents of Eaton Square include Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain at No.37 and actress Vivien Leigh at No.54.
Eaton Square was laid out as part of a largely intact planned development of houses and gardens on the Grosvenor Estate. The private gardens of Eaton Square consist of six enclosures of comparable character. All railed, they have shrubbery around peripheral paths and lawns containing beds. The square has numerous major trees, dominated by London planes many dating from the original planting, together with smaller, ornamental varieties. Former residents of Eaton Square include Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain at No.37 and actress Vivien Leigh at No.54.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Chester Square was laid out as part of a largely intact planned development of houses and gardens on the Grosvenor Estate. The private gardens of Chester Square originally consisted of three enclosures, but by the 1890s the central and south-western gardens had become one, separated from the north-eastern garden by Eccleston Street. Enclosed by cast-iron railings, the gardens have mature plane trees. The larger western garden was restored in 1997 to the layout shown in the OS Map of 1867. Rope edging tiles and some original trees survive, and the garden is planted with shrubs and herbaceous borders, and a central rose garden.
Chester Square was laid out as part of a largely intact planned development of houses and gardens on the Grosvenor Estate. The private gardens of Chester Square originally consisted of three enclosures, but by the 1890s the central and south-western gardens had become one, separated from the north-eastern garden by Eccleston Street. Enclosed by cast-iron railings, the gardens have mature plane trees. The larger western garden was restored in 1997 to the layout shown in the OS Map of 1867. Rope edging tiles and some original trees survive, and the garden is planted with shrubs and herbaceous borders, and a central rose garden.
