Description
Emperor's Gate was built on land once part of the Edwardes Estate owned by Lord Kensington, which had been sold when the railway was constructed here in the 1860s. Surplus to railway requirements, it was sold and developed for housing in 1872-5. The terraces overlook the small railed garden, which has grass, seating and a number of trees, including horse chestnut.
Practical Information
| Site location | Grenville Place/Emperor's Gate |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW7 |
| What3Words | ///hood.juror.farmer |
| Type of Site | Garden Square |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Tube: Gloucester Road (District, Circle, Piccadilly) |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Metropolitan and District Railway was constructed between 1864-69. In 1869 the railway company then sold this triangular piece of land not required for the railway to Joseph Clark for residential development (see Daws' map of 1879). It was named for the 1873 compact between Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia. Building commenced in 1872 on Nos.1 and 4-10, with Nos. 11-25 constructed from 1875. Nos. 37-47 were probably designed by George Edwardes and built in 1876-8. Nos. 26-36 were also built in 1876-8, possibly designed by Edward Habershon and Brock, with gothic forms applied to a classical terrace.
In 1928 the small central garden was owned by Lt-Col Colville and vested in a Committee of rated inhabitants under the 1863 Town Gardens Act. It was maintained by the Committee out of rates levied by the Borough Council on the occupiers of houses that abutted it. It was described at that time as 'set apart for the use and enjoyment of the inhabitants of houses enjoining the enclosure', 'a small triangular area laid out as a grass plot with a few trees. Overlooked by dwelling-houses and a church'. On the corner of Emperor's Gate is now St Stephen's Church Hall but this was once the site of the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile. This had originated as the South Kensington Baptist Chapel, a gothic building of 1868-9 designed by the non-conformist architects C G Searle & Son, and was taken over in 1873 by the English Presbyterians, who used it until 1929, when it was acquired by the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile.
Famous residents include the poet TS Eliot, who lodged with the vicar of nearby St Stephen's Church (q.v.) at 9 Grenville Place and 11 Emperor's Gate from 1933-40, and Charles Booth who lived at 6 Grenville Place from 1875 to 1889.
In 1928 the small central garden was owned by Lt-Col Colville and vested in a Committee of rated inhabitants under the 1863 Town Gardens Act. It was maintained by the Committee out of rates levied by the Borough Council on the occupiers of houses that abutted it. It was described at that time as 'set apart for the use and enjoyment of the inhabitants of houses enjoining the enclosure', 'a small triangular area laid out as a grass plot with a few trees. Overlooked by dwelling-houses and a church'. On the corner of Emperor's Gate is now St Stephen's Church Hall but this was once the site of the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile. This had originated as the South Kensington Baptist Chapel, a gothic building of 1868-9 designed by the non-conformist architects C G Searle & Son, and was taken over in 1873 by the English Presbyterians, who used it until 1929, when it was acquired by the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile.
Famous residents include the poet TS Eliot, who lodged with the vicar of nearby St Stephen's Church (q.v.) at 9 Grenville Place and 11 Emperor's Gate from 1933-40, and Charles Booth who lived at 6 Grenville Place from 1875 to 1889.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ260789 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.015 |
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | 1872-78 |
| 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 | Kensington & Chelsea |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | De Vere, Kensington Court and Cornwall |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes - group TPO |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
Cornwall Gardens is an elongated garden square with three private communal garden enclosures. It was developed by Thomas and John Broadwood, whose family owned the land, and became famous as piano makers. The gardens have magnificent plane trees dating from the 1870s and are overlooked by Italianate terraces probably designed by the Broadwood estate surveyor Thomas Cundy III. The central garden has the original arched cast-iron entrance gates but the perimeter railings were removed during WWII, and the gardens are bounded by privet hedges.
St Stephen's Church was built in 1867 when new parishes were created in the large parish of Kensington to serve the growing population, as house development accelerated. A small area of the church garden is publicly accessible along Southwell Street with gravel, flower beds and a number of trees. A stone seat was installed here in memory of Susan Sadleir (d.1991). A further area of garden to the south of the church is not publicly accessible, where a Church Room has been built and the trees here have Tree Preservation Orders.
The private communal gardens were provided for residents of surrounding houses of Lexham Gardens, which were gradually built from the 1870s, the garden probably laid out in 1869. The gardens have the distinction of being the first London square to be offered for sale in 1987 for underground rights (the opposite of air rights). The garden was refurbished in 1990 and among the facilities are a children's play area and ponds with fountains.