Description
Kensington Green is a new complex built in 1989-91 by architects Norman and Dawbarn, designed in neo-Victorian Italianate style with terraces, a medical centre and two nursing homes set within landscaping. It is built on the site of St Mary Abbots Hospital, which developed around the workhouse of 1848. Some of the gardens that were part of the workhouse survive, as well as old buildings such as Stone Hall and the gate piers on Marloes Road. Stone Hall was the male wing of the workhouse and designed by Thomas Allom.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | St Mary Abbots |
|---|---|
| Site location | Marloes Road |
| Postcode | W8 |
| What3Words | ///oval.steps.luck |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Tube: High Street Kensington (District, Circle) |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ255791 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.3273 |
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | 1840s; 1989-91 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Stone Hall |
| 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 | Kensington & Chelsea |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| 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
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.
Grounds of the Maria Assumpta Centre, built on the site of two former bishops' palaces, where the earliest plan of a garden dates from 1766. In 1859 the Sisters of the Assumption were invited by Cardinal Wiseman to open a house of Prayer at Kensington Square. They established a girls boarding school there in 1865, adding the Elementary School in 1870 and the Chapel in 1870/1. Other buildings were added over the years with different functions including a domestic training centre for young women, the first Montessori school, a primary school and a teacher training college. In 1978 the Maria Assumpta Centre was formed, providing educational and pastoral facilities. The garden has a variety of trees including mulberry, plane and fruit trees, and a Lourdes-style grotto.
Iverna Court Garden was first developed and laid out in 1894 prior to which the land here was used for gardens. Iverna Court, an Edwardian mansion block, was built in 1901 and overlooks the small central garden. Seven mature plane trees have long surrounded the garden, and a layout of 1973 had a formal ornamental garden enclosed by low walls. In 2004 the garden was completely re-landscaped and now has railings, a water feature, paved seating area, a long oak pergola with scented climbers over a wide path suitable for playing boules, and a raised central lawn. Adjacent is the Armenian church of St Sarkis built by Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian in 1922, which has a paved garden with a few trees including a large plane.