Description
These private communal gardens were provided for residents of the houses that overlook it, which were built in c.1886 as part of the Smith's Charity Estate development. The Trustees of the Estate began building from 1823, appointing George Basevi as architect in 1828, subsequently Henry Clutton from 1845, later succeeded by Charles James Freake from 1865. Prior to this the site of Lennox Gardens had been that of Prince's Cricket Club, itself laid out on former nursery gardens, which was forced to close when the area was redeveloped.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Prince's Cricket Club |
|---|---|
| Site location | Lennox Gardens |
| Postcode | SW1 |
| What3Words | ///flood.gather.drill |
| Type of Site | Garden Square |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private, for keyholders only |
| Public Transport | Tube: Sloane Square, Knightsbridge |
| Research Updated | 1 August 2002 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Lennox Gardens was laid out on land belonging to the Smith's Charity and was formerly the site of the Prince's Cricket Club established here in c.1870 by George and James Prince, who had founded the club in 1858. The cricket ground was laid out on the former Cattleugh's nursery gardens that were famous for their pines. The cricket club had a skating rink and racket courts as well as the cricket field and in 1870 had 700 members of the 'nobility and gentry', with exclusive membership and high charges. It was described in Wisden's Cricket Almanack of 1872 as 'grand and quick and one of the finest playing grounds in England'.
The Cadogan and Hans Place Improvement Act of 1874 led to the redevelopment of the area and the cricket club was forced to close in 1886, although the ground had probably been excavated the previous year. Lennox Gardens approximates the shape of the former cricket ground. The surrounding houses are a mixture of gothic and baroque detail. The central gardens were owned by the Trustees of the Smith's Charity Estate and managed by a garden committee with lessees paying a proportion of the cost of maintenance and railings repair. In 1928 it was described as surrounded by thick privet hedge and shrubs with ornamental garden and well-kept lawn.
The Cadogan and Hans Place Improvement Act of 1874 led to the redevelopment of the area and the cricket club was forced to close in 1886, although the ground had probably been excavated the previous year. Lennox Gardens approximates the shape of the former cricket ground. The surrounding houses are a mixture of gothic and baroque detail. The central gardens were owned by the Trustees of the Smith's Charity Estate and managed by a garden committee with lessees paying a proportion of the cost of maintenance and railings repair. In 1928 it was described as surrounded by thick privet hedge and shrubs with ornamental garden and well-kept lawn.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ275790 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.461 |
| Site Ownership | Smith's Charity |
| Dates | 1870; 1886 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: 1, 3 and 5, 2-8 (even), 17-43 (odd), 52 (Lennox Lodge) and 54 Lennox Gardens |
| 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 | Kensington & Chelsea |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Hans Town |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| 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
Cadogan Square Small is an intimate, well-kept communal garden accessible to residents of the terrace of houses, with small lawn and shrubbery, with an entrance from the street via a short flight of stone steps with balustrade and planted urn.
Cadogan Square is a fine example of Queen Anne revival architecture of the 1870s and 1880s favouring red brick rather than stucco, which was carried out by the Cadogan Estate and Hans Place Estate. The private communal garden has fine mature trees, areas of lawn, ornamental planting, roses, gravel paths, a rustic shelter and tennis courts. A circular planted feature has a figurative statue in its centre by David Wynne, 'Dancer with Bird', 1975 and a collection of David Austen roses. The garden suffered in the storms of 1987, losing many plane trees, and was subsequently replanted with ornamental trees. Former residents included poet John Betjeman and novelist Arnold Bennett.
This strip of garden was originally provided for the use of lessees of the adjoining Victorian houses. At one time within the Manor of Chelsea, land in the area was purchased by Sir Hans Sloane in 1712. On his death his estate was divided between his two daughters, the eastern part going to Elizabeth, becoming the Cadogan Estate on her marriage to Charles Cadogan. Cadogan began developing the 90-acre estate from the 1770s, which was to be called Hans Town. Once a railed enclosure, Pond Street Shrubbery remains a low raised oval pavement. It was planted with a number of plane trees and at one time had York stone crazy paving. In 2021 it was relandscaped and planted with over 630 native trees, shrubs and other plants as part of a rewilding initiative and given the name Heritage Forest.
