Description
The terrace of Gloucester Gate is separated from Outer Circle by a private roadway and a long narrow garden enclosure with shrubbery and mature trees. Originally called Gloucester Terrace, it was built in 1827 as part of John Nash's plan of 1811 to develop the Crown Estate lands as a fashionable residential area, with the backing of the Prince Regent, later George IV. Authorisation had been given in 1794 for developing the land, once part of Henry VIII's hunting park but by then leased mainly as farmland, which was due to revert to the Crown in 1811. Gloucester Terrace was named for George III's daughter Mary who was married to William Duke of Gloucester.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Gloucester Terrace |
|---|---|
| Site location | Outer Circle, Regent's Park |
| Postcode | NW1 4HG |
| What3Words | ///closes.oven.truly |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Rail/London Overground/Tube(Northern/Victoria):Euston.Tube:Camden Town (Northern), Great Portland St, Euston Sq (Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, Circle), Regent's Park (Bakerloo) |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
A long narrow garden enclosure forms the common frontage to the houses of Gloucester Gate facing the Outer Circle and Regent's Park. Separated from the houses by a private roadway, the garden was laid out with shrubbery and trees, with cast iron railings at the boundary and square cast iron gate piers. The stucco terrace of 11 houses is a symmetrical design of 3-storey houses with the central and end houses of 4 stories, and having projecting porticoes. Originally called Gloucester Terrace, and built by Richard Mott in 1827, it was the last Nash terrace to be built in Regent's Park. Previously known as Marylebone Park it formed part of the royal hunting chase appropriated by Henry VIII in 1538 and remained so until 1646, and later used as farmland. At the end of the Civil War it had been sold by Cromwell to John Spencer but reverted to the Crown at the Restoration and was subsequently leased to various noblemen, finally the Duke of Portland, whose lease was due to revert to the Crown in 1811. John Fordyce, appointed Surveyor General of His Majesty's Land Revenue in 1794 was authorised to produce a plan for the area of Marylebone Park and various architects competed for the tender. On Fordyce's death the offices of Land Revenue were combined with those of Woods and Forests and the architects of the two departments were asked to produce plans. John Nash (1752-1835), who was official architect to the Commission of Woods and Forest and a friend of the Prince Regent, designed the layout of the park as it is today as part of his grand plan for London that was approved by the Treasury in October 1811. His plan had an avenue stretching from Marylebone via Portland Place and Regent Street to Carlton House Terrace and Gardens (q.v.), and included the 400-acre park was to be surrounded by palatial terraces and villas.
Gloucester Terrace was named for George III's daughter Mary who was married to William Duke of Gloucester. Sir Henry Wellcome, founder of the Wellcome Trust and pharmaceuticals manufacturer, lived at No. 6 from 1920 until his death in 1936.
Gloucester Terrace was named for George III's daughter Mary who was married to William Duke of Gloucester. Sir Henry Wellcome, founder of the Wellcome Trust and pharmaceuticals manufacturer, lived at No. 6 from 1920 until his death in 1936.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ286833 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0888 |
| Site Ownership | The Crown Estate |
| Site Management | Crown Estate Paving Commission |
| Dates | 1827 |
| Listed Structures | LBI: Nos 2-11 Gloucester Gate and attached railings. |
| 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 | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Regent's Park |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Character: Central London Area |
| Other LA Designation | Private Open Space |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
St Katharine's Precinct was built in 1826-8 and was originally the Royal Hospital of St Katharine, founded in 1148 by Queen Matilda and later known as the Hospital of St Katharine. It occupied a site near the Tower of London before moving to Regent's Park, where a new Chapel together with other collegiate buildings were built. The Foundation moved back to East London in 1948, and St Katharine's College Chapel was granted to the Danish community in London for its Lutheran Church. There is landscaping in front of the chapel, with trees and shrubs, and an area of lawn containing the stone monument surrounded by gravel driveway. Further garden areas to east
Two long narrow enclosures laid out as a private communal garden form the common frontage to Cumberland Terrace, the grand terrace designed by John Nash and James Thomson as part of Nash's plan of 1811 to develop the Crown Estate lands as a fashionable residential area, with the backing of the Prince Regent, later George IV. Authorisation had been given in 1794 for developing the land, once part of Henry VIII's hunting park but by then leased mainly as farmland, which was due to revert to the Crown in 1811. Cumberland Terrace, named after George III's son Ernest, King of Hanover and Duke of Cumberland, resembles a palace overlooking the landscape of Regent's Park and would have faced the King's pleasure palace in the park if it had been built.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Although the majority of Regent's Park is in Westminster, a small part is in LB Camden, being the strip to the east of the Broad Walk, which forms the borough boundary. South of Chester Road this wide path passes through a formal Italian Garden, with an informal English Garden to the east, both dating from 1861-64 and restored since 1996. The Regent's Park was laid out between 1812-30 to designs of John Nash as a fashionable estate of fine villas and terraces set in a private landscaped park. Named for the Prince Regent, the land had been part of the Crown Estate since 1539. While details of Nash's plan were much modified, the overall conception was, and remains, his own. Although some areas remain in separate use and ownership, part of the park had been opened to the public in 1835 and today the majority of the park is accessible. During WWI part of the park including the strip to the east was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence for a military camp and drill ground, restored to public use after the war. See Westminster entry for the majority of the park's features.
Although the majority of Regent's Park is in Westminster, a small part is in LB Camden, being the strip to the east of the Broad Walk, which forms the borough boundary. South of Chester Road this wide path passes through a formal Italian Garden, with an informal English Garden to the east, both dating from 1861-64 and restored since 1996. The Regent's Park was laid out between 1812-30 to designs of John Nash as a fashionable estate of fine villas and terraces set in a private landscaped park. Named for the Prince Regent, the land had been part of the Crown Estate since 1539. While details of Nash's plan were much modified, the overall conception was, and remains, his own. Although some areas remain in separate use and ownership, part of the park had been opened to the public in 1835 and today the majority of the park is accessible. During WWI part of the park including the strip to the east was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence for a military camp and drill ground, restored to public use after the war. See Westminster entry for the majority of the park's features.
