Description
Hanover Square was laid out from c.1715 and named after George I, who was also Elector of Hanover, Germany. By the 1750s the central garden enclosure had paths in the shape of a cross with diagonals, replaced some time before 1787 with a circular perimeter path bordered by trees. After WWII it was re-landscaped with diagonal paths and a pond with a fountain near the north end. The statue of William Pitt the Younger has stood at the southern end of the square since 1831. The gardens had previously been for the private use of occupiers of the square, and owned by Hanover Square Garden Committee. They were purchased by Westminster City Council in 1997 to prevent them from becoming derelict.
Practical Information
| Site location | Hanover Square, Soho |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W1 |
| What3Words | ///bossy.glee.quit |
| Type of Site | Garden Square; |
| Borough | Westminster |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Public Transport | Tube: Oxford Circus (Central, Bakerloo, Victoria) |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In 1725 Hanover Square was reported as being the centre of an 'amazing scene of new foundations, not of houses only, but as I might say of new cities, new towns, new squares, and fine buildings, the like of which no city, no town, nay, no place in the world, can show'. The square, conceived with obvious affiliation to both town and country, was an incident in a long channelled vista from the southern end of George Street looking north to Cavendish Square (q.v.) and beyond. Dayes's late C18th engraved view shows it as a grassed hexagon defined by railings with lamp standards at intervals. Horwood's 1819 map shows the garden edged with shrubbery, paths and a lawn in the centre. On the south side is a statue of William Pitt The Younger (1759-1806) by Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey, on a lofty granite plinth, looking down South George's Street. It was erected in 1831 and survived an attempt by Reform Bill agitators to pull it down on the day it was opened. The buildings around the square are much rebuilt, but various substantial original town houses of 1718-20 overlook the garden and nearby is the Church of St George designed by John James in 1721-24.
In 1928 the garden was described as an 'oval shaped area laid out as an ornamental garden with well-kept lawns and flower beds, surrounded in part by a shrubbery and in part by a rockery' and contained 'some fine trees'. After WWII the garden was re-landscaped with diagonal paths and a pond with a fountain near the north end, a bronze sculpture in the centre of the small ornamental pond. The garden is now enclosed by replacement iron railings and has four entrance gates; it is planted with shrubs, lawn and mature trees, and has bedding displays. It is crossed by paths made of slabs of York stone laid as crazy paving.
The gardens were originally provided for the private use of inhabitants of surrounding houses, and were owned by Hanover Square Garden Committee, a committee of inhabitants appointed under the Metropolis Management Act, 1855. The Committee maintained the garden out of rates levied for the purpose by Westminster Borough Council on occupants of the Square. It was later purchased by Westminster City Council in 1997 to prevent them from becoming derelict, prior to which WCC had already been providing funding to the Garden Committee. A picturesque small building is located just outside the north side of the garden enclosure.
In 1928 the garden was described as an 'oval shaped area laid out as an ornamental garden with well-kept lawns and flower beds, surrounded in part by a shrubbery and in part by a rockery' and contained 'some fine trees'. After WWII the garden was re-landscaped with diagonal paths and a pond with a fountain near the north end, a bronze sculpture in the centre of the small ornamental pond. The garden is now enclosed by replacement iron railings and has four entrance gates; it is planted with shrubs, lawn and mature trees, and has bedding displays. It is crossed by paths made of slabs of York stone laid as crazy paving.
The gardens were originally provided for the private use of inhabitants of surrounding houses, and were owned by Hanover Square Garden Committee, a committee of inhabitants appointed under the Metropolis Management Act, 1855. The Committee maintained the garden out of rates levied for the purpose by Westminster Borough Council on occupants of the Square. It was later purchased by Westminster City Council in 1997 to prevent them from becoming derelict, prior to which WCC had already been providing funding to the Garden Committee. A picturesque small building is located just outside the north side of the garden enclosure.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ288810 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.24 |
| Site Ownership | WCC |
| Site Management | Parks Service (contractor: Continental Landscapes Ltd) |
| Dates | 1715-30 |
| Listed Structures | LBI: Church of St George. LBII*: various C18th houses round the square. LBII: Statue of William Pitt; various C18th houses round the square |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Mayfair |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes |
| 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
Cavendish Square was the first part of the development of this part of Marylebone, undertaken by Edward Harley, the second Earl of Oxford. The central circular area contained grass, on which sheep once grazed, but it was laid out as a garden by Charles Bridgeman in 1717. It was originally provided for the private use of occupants of Cavendish Square but was opened to the public in the C20th.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Berkeley Square Gardens were originally laid out in 1740s, the present layout dating from 1766/7. Lord Berkeley of Stratton, Royalist commander in the Civil War, acquired extensive lands north of Piccadilly soon after the Restoration and the family's London residence was situated near here until 1733. When, in 1696, the 3rd Lord Berkeley sold Berkeley House to the 1st Duke of Devonshire, he agreed to keep a strip of land clear of development to protect the view north from the house. This condition was honoured when the Berkeley estate was laid out for speculative building in the 1730s/40s, and resulted in the present square. The garden was first enclosed in the mid 1740s. Having become neglected, it was laid out anew in 1766/7 since when it has remained virtually unchanged. Improvements carried out in 1994 by WCC included restoration of the statue 'Woman of Samaria'. The surrounding London Plane trees are among the oldest in central London, planted in 1789.
Berkeley Square Gardens were originally laid out in 1740s, the present layout dating from 1766/7. Lord Berkeley of Stratton, Royalist commander in the Civil War, acquired extensive lands north of Piccadilly soon after the Restoration and the family's London residence was situated near here until 1733. When, in 1696, the 3rd Lord Berkeley sold Berkeley House to the 1st Duke of Devonshire, he agreed to keep a strip of land clear of development to protect the view north from the house. This condition was honoured when the Berkeley estate was laid out for speculative building in the 1730s/40s, and resulted in the present square. The garden was first enclosed in the mid 1740s. Having become neglected, it was laid out anew in 1766/7 since when it has remained virtually unchanged. Improvements carried out in 1994 by WCC included restoration of the statue 'Woman of Samaria'. The surrounding London Plane trees are among the oldest in central London, planted in 1789.
Shortly after the pleasure gardens were laid out in Soho Square in 1680/1, the developers of Golden Square established their own garden here, probably completed by 1688. An ornamental garden with perimeter wooden palisade, its layout and planting were identical to Leicester Fields. In 1750s this was replaced with a new octagonal design, iron railings and a statue of King James at its centre. In the 1820s, following neglect, the garden was restored, at which time it presumably reverted to its earlier square shape, and paths, trees and shrubs were laid out. In 1952 the garden was somewhat controversially re-designed to its current configuration of a large raised stone terrace and three geometrical beds.