Description
Great Cumberland Place was built as part of the Portman Estate development, which took place between the 1760s and 1820. On an axis with Marble Arch, the southern part of Great Cumberland Place was planned as a circus or double crescent, but only the eastern crescent was completed, built in 1789. The crescent of houses, including the Western Marble Arch Synagogue at No.32, are now set back from the road behind a landscaped open space, which was laid out as a memorial to the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, with a statue unveiled in 1998.
Practical Information
| Site location | Great Cumberland Place, Marylebone |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W1H 7TH |
| What3Words | ///admits.forces.radar |
| Type of Site | Garden Square |
| Borough | Westminster |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Marble Arch (Central). Bus: 2, 6, 7, 10, 15, 16, 23, 30, 36, 73, 74, 82, 94, 98, 137, 148, 159, 274, 390, 414, 436. |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Great Cumberland Place was built as part of the development of the Portman Estate, which took place between the early 1760s and 1820. The Portman family had held the land here from 1532 and their estate covered some 270 acres between what is now Oxford Street in the south and the Regent's Canal in the north, bounded by Regent's Park in the east and Edgware Road in the west. Part of the area remains in ownership of the Portman Family today. Development of the estate began after Henry William Portman inherited in 1761, with Portman Square (q.v.) and adjoining area the first to be built, laid out in a hierarchical grid of streets, squares and mews from the 1760s. On an axis with Marble Arch (q.v.), the southern part of Great Cumberland Place was planned as a circus or double crescent, but only the eastern crescent was completed, built in 1789. Great Cumberland Place was extended to the north in 1811 with Bryanston Square (q.v.). The crescent of houses of Great Cumberland Place are marked on Horwood's map of 1799, and are now set back from the road behind a landscaped open space, which forms a memorial to the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.
Among the buildings overlooking this garden is the Western Marble Arch Synagogue, which came into being in 1986 when the Western Synagogue, founded in 1761, merged with the Marble Arch Synagogue, which had been formed in 1957 as part of the United Synagogue after its Great Synagogue was destroyed by WWII bombing. The site at No.32 Great Cumberland Place was acquired in 1955 for the new synagogue, which was consecrated for worship in 1961.
The memorial garden was laid out by Donald Insall Associates for the Wallenberg Appeal Committee, a paved area containing a number of trees, paving, benches and a bronze statue of Wallenberg by artist Philip Jackson, shown standing against a wall. An inscription records Wallenberg's courageous rescue of thousands of Jews in Budapest from 1944. As a member of the neutral Swedish Legation he was able to afford them protection under the Swedish crown by issuing false passports or 'Schutzpasses', and flying the Swedish flag from safe houses. The statue was unveiled in 1998 and the memorial garden won a Civic Trust Award in 2000.
Among the buildings overlooking this garden is the Western Marble Arch Synagogue, which came into being in 1986 when the Western Synagogue, founded in 1761, merged with the Marble Arch Synagogue, which had been formed in 1957 as part of the United Synagogue after its Great Synagogue was destroyed by WWII bombing. The site at No.32 Great Cumberland Place was acquired in 1955 for the new synagogue, which was consecrated for worship in 1961.
The memorial garden was laid out by Donald Insall Associates for the Wallenberg Appeal Committee, a paved area containing a number of trees, paving, benches and a bronze statue of Wallenberg by artist Philip Jackson, shown standing against a wall. An inscription records Wallenberg's courageous rescue of thousands of Jews in Budapest from 1944. As a member of the neutral Swedish Legation he was able to afford them protection under the Swedish crown by issuing false passports or 'Schutzpasses', and flying the Swedish flag from safe houses. The statue was unveiled in 1998 and the memorial garden won a Civic Trust Award in 2000.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ277812 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | WCC |
| Site Management | Highways land, maintained by Parks |
| Dates | 1789/90; 1998 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos 24-42 Great Cumberland Place (No. 32, The Western Marble Arch Synagogue) |
| 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 | No |
| Local Authority | Westminster |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Portman Estate |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Marble Arch, once the site of the Tyburn gallows, is near Speaker's Corner to the north-east of Hyde Park. Originally built in 1828 for John Nash's scheme for Buckingham Palace, the Arch was erected in its present position in 1851 as the triumphal northern gate to Hyde Park. Re-landscaped for traffic improvements in the 1960s, the Arch and its surrounding gardens became a traffic island, accessible by underpass, comprising an extensive pavement with raised planters, terraces and beds; an extension to the west was laid out with another terrace and a fountain. These areas are now linked by a new path.
Montagu Square is the only purely residential square left in Westminster and has a narrow oblong garden. Developed for the Portman Estate, Montagu Square was designed by Joseph Parkinson, District Surveyor of Westminster, as a twin for Bryanston Square. It is named after Mrs Elizabeth Montagu of Portman Square. The houses were built from 1811 but the garden was laid out in c.1800. Famous residents include Anthony Trollope, who lived in No 39 from 1873-1880. In 1999 the residents restored the railings, which had been removed during WWII.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The Portman family's estate in Marylebone in the C18th comprised 200 acres of meadowland that had been passed down from a Tudor ancestor. When Henry William Portman began to develop his land from 1764, Portman Square was the first square to be built, acting as the centrepiece of the new development. The garden enclosure was laid out c.1780 as a Wilderness and in the C19th had a movable temple erected by the Turkish ambassador, which enabled him to enjoy the seasons. It remains a private garden for residents of Portman Square, surrounded by privet hedge and containing fine London plane and other trees and shrubs. A major renovation of the gardens was undertaken in 2005.
The Portman family's estate in Marylebone in the C18th comprised 200 acres of meadowland that had been passed down from a Tudor ancestor. When Henry William Portman began to develop his land from 1764, Portman Square was the first square to be built, acting as the centrepiece of the new development. The garden enclosure was laid out c.1780 as a Wilderness and in the C19th had a movable temple erected by the Turkish ambassador, which enabled him to enjoy the seasons. It remains a private garden for residents of Portman Square, surrounded by privet hedge and containing fine London plane and other trees and shrubs. A major renovation of the gardens was undertaken in 2005.