Description
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Manchester Square was built in the late C18th on what was then the outskirts of the City. The land had been owned by the Portman family since the C16th. Almost circular in plan, the garden is overlooked by Hertford House to the north, which was built as Manchester House in 1777 by the 4th Duke of Manchester from whom the square gets its name. The garden layout today is little changed from its late C18th layout. Railings surround mixed shrubbery with a circular path enclosing the central lawn, and there are a number of notable mature plane and lime trees. Major replanting of the garden took place in 2006-08.
Manchester Square was built in the late C18th on what was then the outskirts of the City. The land had been owned by the Portman family since the C16th. Almost circular in plan, the garden is overlooked by Hertford House to the north, which was built as Manchester House in 1777 by the 4th Duke of Manchester from whom the square gets its name. The garden layout today is little changed from its late C18th layout. Railings surround mixed shrubbery with a circular path enclosing the central lawn, and there are a number of notable mature plane and lime trees. Major replanting of the garden took place in 2006-08.
Practical Information
| Site location | Manchester Square, Marylebone |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W1U 3AB |
| What3Words | ///audio.method.universally |
| Type of Site | Garden Square |
| Borough | Westminster |
| Open to Public | Occasionally |
| Opening Times | Has opened for London Open Gardens. Otherwise private, for keyholders only |
| Public Transport | Tube: Baker Street (Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Jubilee, Circle), Bond Street (Jubilee, Central). |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Portman Estate (Portman Square and Manchester Square): Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.
Plans to build a square on this part of the c.102-hectare Portman Estate were first mooted in the latter part of Queen Anne's reign, but were abandoned when she died in 1714. They were not revived until c.1770, when the building of a church was proposed here but this was not realised. The building of what became Manchester Square commenced in 1776 and according to the estate plan of 1777 it was initially known as Bentink Square but had taken its present name by 1780. It is named after the 4th Duke of Manchester, who leased land on the north side where he built Manchester House in 1777, the site chosen because of the good duck shooting nearby. In 1797 the lease of Manchester House was acquired by the 2nd Marquess of Hertford and it became known as Hertford House. The illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess of Hertford, Sir Richard Wallace, lived here in the C19th and displayed the family's fine collection of fine and decorative arts. In 1897 Lady Wallace left the house and its contents to the nation, and it is now known as the Wallace Collection.
Manchester Square was largely built by 1784, but possibly not completed until 1788, and the layout of the garden was probably settled by 1784. The garden was provided for the private use of inhabitants of the surrounding houses; in 1789 an Act of Parliament (29. Georgii III Regis. cap. 5) was passed that established a Trust to manage and maintain the garden for the benefit and convenience of the residents, upon whom a rate was levied for the purpose. Horwood's Map of the 1790s show a simple layout with a circular lawn surrounded by a circular path and perimeter shrubbery. Although an early plan of c.1820 in the Portman archives shows the centre of the garden with shrub-planted beds in a strong symmetrical layout consisting of a circular garden with a perimeter path, and a central bisecting path encircling a small, central circular bed, there is no evidence that this plan was implemented. Potter's plan of 1832 shows today's simple layout. The OS Map first edition of 1867 indicate railings, perimeter shrubbery and path and serpentine paths across the centre, but by 1894 these had disappeared. Minute books from the end of the C19th in the Portman archives record details about plant introductions to the garden. In 1928 it was described as an 'almost circular area surrounded by a low privet hedge and a shrubbery. Maintained as a lawn and contains some fine trees. An attractive open space overlooked by large dwelling-houses'.
During WWII trenches were dug in the garden, tanks for emergency water were erected, and the railings were removed. A small bomb and incendiary devices fell in the garden. After the war, new railings were eventually erected in 1966 and surround mixed shrubbery that includes privet, with almond, flowering cherry, fatsia, forsythia, laburnum, thorn around a circular path enclosing the central lawn with a small area of rose bedding in the south centre. The garden has notable mature plane and lime trees, and was extensively replanted in 2006-08.
In the forecourt of Hertford House is a cast iron drinking fountain designed by Charles Lebourg in 1878. It takes the form of an octagonal plinth with enriched scrolled consoles alternating with moulded dolphins on facets surmounted by 4 caryatids carrying an octagonal entablature with a canopy having simulated fish-scale details and other enrichment.
Plans to build a square on this part of the c.102-hectare Portman Estate were first mooted in the latter part of Queen Anne's reign, but were abandoned when she died in 1714. They were not revived until c.1770, when the building of a church was proposed here but this was not realised. The building of what became Manchester Square commenced in 1776 and according to the estate plan of 1777 it was initially known as Bentink Square but had taken its present name by 1780. It is named after the 4th Duke of Manchester, who leased land on the north side where he built Manchester House in 1777, the site chosen because of the good duck shooting nearby. In 1797 the lease of Manchester House was acquired by the 2nd Marquess of Hertford and it became known as Hertford House. The illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess of Hertford, Sir Richard Wallace, lived here in the C19th and displayed the family's fine collection of fine and decorative arts. In 1897 Lady Wallace left the house and its contents to the nation, and it is now known as the Wallace Collection.
Manchester Square was largely built by 1784, but possibly not completed until 1788, and the layout of the garden was probably settled by 1784. The garden was provided for the private use of inhabitants of the surrounding houses; in 1789 an Act of Parliament (29. Georgii III Regis. cap. 5) was passed that established a Trust to manage and maintain the garden for the benefit and convenience of the residents, upon whom a rate was levied for the purpose. Horwood's Map of the 1790s show a simple layout with a circular lawn surrounded by a circular path and perimeter shrubbery. Although an early plan of c.1820 in the Portman archives shows the centre of the garden with shrub-planted beds in a strong symmetrical layout consisting of a circular garden with a perimeter path, and a central bisecting path encircling a small, central circular bed, there is no evidence that this plan was implemented. Potter's plan of 1832 shows today's simple layout. The OS Map first edition of 1867 indicate railings, perimeter shrubbery and path and serpentine paths across the centre, but by 1894 these had disappeared. Minute books from the end of the C19th in the Portman archives record details about plant introductions to the garden. In 1928 it was described as an 'almost circular area surrounded by a low privet hedge and a shrubbery. Maintained as a lawn and contains some fine trees. An attractive open space overlooked by large dwelling-houses'.
During WWII trenches were dug in the garden, tanks for emergency water were erected, and the railings were removed. A small bomb and incendiary devices fell in the garden. After the war, new railings were eventually erected in 1966 and surround mixed shrubbery that includes privet, with almond, flowering cherry, fatsia, forsythia, laburnum, thorn around a circular path enclosing the central lawn with a small area of rose bedding in the south centre. The garden has notable mature plane and lime trees, and was extensively replanted in 2006-08.
In the forecourt of Hertford House is a cast iron drinking fountain designed by Charles Lebourg in 1878. It takes the form of an octagonal plinth with enriched scrolled consoles alternating with moulded dolphins on facets surmounted by 4 caryatids carrying an octagonal entablature with a canopy having simulated fish-scale details and other enrichment.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ283814 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | The Portman Estate |
| Site Management | Manchester Square Trust |
| Dates | 1776-84 |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: drinking fountain in forecourt of Hertford House. LBII: Hertford House, forecourt walls, gate piers & railings; nos. 1-3, 22 -25 & 26; nos. 4-7 & 8-11; nos. 12-14. |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | Yes |
| NHLE grade | Grade II |
| 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 | Portman Estate |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Adjacent to Area of Special Archaeological Priority |
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
* 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.
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.
Paddington Street Gardens are on land formerly used for burials and is split into two parts by Paddington Street. The larger South Garden represents the older burial ground consecrated in 1733. The land was granted by the Earl of Oxford, one of whose conditions that a workhouse be provided, which was erected in 1750-52. By 1771 further burial space was needed and the parish bought land north of Paddington Street, now the North Garden. A larger workhouse was built to the north in 1775, on the present site of the University of Westminster. The burial ground was closed in 1814 when St John's Wood Burial Ground opened; it was laid out as a public recreation ground in 1885 and was opened in 1886 by Princess Louise. Most gravestones were removed although a fine C18th mausoleum in the south garden commemorates the wife of Richard Fitzpatrick.
