Description
The Grosvenor Estate's garden is in the area bounded by Rogers House and Tothill House. It is part of Sir Edwin Lutyens' famous 'chequerboard' Page Street Estate built from 1929-35 in conjunction with the WCC to replace housing due for clearance after the Thames flooded in 1928. Many of the Houses are listed, and together with a number of small related buildings such as lodges and dustbin shelters, provide the setting for the garden. It appears to have been laid out in the 1970s after part of the two largest blocks were demolished, and is roughly square, comprising a series of brick planters stepping down to a secluded central area that is provided with seating and a children's playground.
Practical Information
| Site location | Grosvenor Estate, Page Street, Westminster |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW1 |
| What3Words | ///every.pasta.models |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping |
| Borough | Westminster |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | appears to be unrestricted |
| Facilities | Children's playground |
| Public Transport | Rail: Victoria. Tube: Victoria (District, Circle, Victoria) |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ298788 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | WCC |
| Site Management | Parks and Leisure? - to check |
| Dates | 1929-35; 1970s |
| Designers | Sir Edwin Lutyens |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Tothill House, Rogers House, all gate piers & lodges by Lutyens. |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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
Regency Place at the junction of Horseferry Road and Regency Street was formed in the early C19th on what was the north-east corner of Tothill Field, now entirely rebuilt. The site is a dense but effective shrubbery below advertising hoardings to the south-west beside the Coroner's Court by CRW Wheeler of 1893. On the corner opposite is the RC Church of the Sacred Heart, a 1930s building, with a large front garden enclosed by a chain-link fence. The garden is enthusiastically tended and contains a lawn, shrubs and a chequer-board of cement slabs with masses of daffodils growing up through the interstices. In the centre of the junction is a curiosity, an iron hexagonal urinal with a pitched roof, very like a Parisian `pissoir', much resorted to by taxi drivers.
Hide Tower Garden is modest architect-designed landscaping at the base of Hide Tower, a 1970s point block built for WCC. When it was built it was described as one of 'the sheerest, most uncompromising towers of London' (Nikolaus Pevsner), nearly 65m high and an early use of precast concrete. To the west of Hide Tower is an area of grass with trees, bounded by a concrete screen wall. To the south a row of Japanese cherry trees sprout out of a cement terrace. The rest of the site is mainly devoted to car parking.
St John's Gardens is the former burial ground of St John's Smith Square, which was consecrated in 1731. It soon became overcrowded and an extension was acquired in 1823, but later closed to burials in 1853. The former burial ground was laid out as a public garden by a local committee with the involvement of the MPGA, and opened in May 1885. Many of the old gravestones were stacked against the perimeter with a few choicer monuments left in place. The garden is raised, surrounded by railings and contains some fine trees. The lawn is traversed by paths, with a central fountain and pool installed in 2001, to replace the C19th one that had become derelict.
