Description
This is the rear communal gardens for residents of Ormonde Gate, which was named after Ormonde House, built on this site in 1691 and the residence of the Duchess of Ormonde in the 1730s. The communal garden was accessed from the rear of the houses, the rear elevation designed as formally as the front.
Practical Information
| Site location | Ormonde Gate/Royal Hospital Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW3 |
| What3Words | ///patio.skins.vital |
| Type of Site | Garden Square |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Ormande Gate was built on the site of Ormonde House, which overlooked Burton's Court. The house was built in 1691 by Thomas Hill, principal mason for the Royal Hospital (q.v.) who was also responsible for statuary at St Paul's Cathedral and many Royal palaces. From 1705 Lord Pelham lived here and from 1730-33 it was the home of Mary, Duchess of Ormonde. In the early C19th the house was used as a Maritime School and from 1829 it became a Discipline School for young girls established by Elizabeth Fry; it is marked as such on Cassells' Map of 1860. It was part of the Cadogan Estate, and among the last sites to be developed. On Stanford's 'Map of London and Its Suburbs' of 1862 a short terrace, Ormond Row, is shown at the south end of Smith Street overlooking Burton's Court; Ormonde Gate is recorded as a name from 1906. The first Duke of Ormonde, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, laid the foundation stone for a Royal Hospital for soldiers of the Irish army in Dublin in 1680, which was likely to have inspired Sir Stephen Fox when the Royal Hospital in Chelsea was founded.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ277780 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | late C19th-early C20th |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Royal Hospital |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes |
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 garden was provided for residents of Tedworth Square, which was built in 1871 as part of the development of the Cadogan Estate. The land was acquired by the Cadogans in 1753 when Sir Hans Sloane's will divided his estate between his daughters, Mrs Stanley and Elizabeth Cadogan. Tedworth Square was named after the wife of Revd. George Sloane-Stanley, who came from Tedworth in Hampshire. The garden has mature plane trees, lawn, flowerbeds, and surrounded by modern railings backed by privet hedge.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Cemetery within the grounds of the Royal Hospital that served the pensioners residing there. It accommodated some 10,000 burials between its consecration in 1691 and closure in 1854/5 since pensioners were not normally given a headstone and the ground was re-used. There are some fine monuments including a number from the C18th.
Cemetery within the grounds of the Royal Hospital that served the pensioners residing there. It accommodated some 10,000 burials between its consecration in 1691 and closure in 1854/5 since pensioners were not normally given a headstone and the ground was re-used. There are some fine monuments including a number from the C18th.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The Royal Hospital was founded in 1682 as an almshouse for army veterans. The site was selected by Christopher Wren, the King's Surveyor-General of Works, and paid for by Sir Stephen Fox, former Paymaster-General. The hospital land was added to under James II but in the reign of William III almost a third was made over to the Earl of Ranelagh. Part of his estate became famous pleasure gardens, Ranelagh Gardens, but later bought back by the Hospital's Board of Commissioners. Wren's formal gardens to the river were lost when the Thames was embanked between 1850-68. Ranelagh Gardens was laid out as a public park by John Gibson in 1860. In 1846 Royal Hospital Road was constructed, cutting off Burton's Court from the main site, whose northern boundary of St Leonard's Terrace has the main entrance gates to the Hospital approached by Royal Avenue, originally laid out to communicate with what was then the King's private road. South Ground is sports facilities managed by the local authority, and has been the location for the Chelsea Flower Show.
The Royal Hospital was founded in 1682 as an almshouse for army veterans. The site was selected by Christopher Wren, the King's Surveyor-General of Works, and paid for by Sir Stephen Fox, former Paymaster-General. The hospital land was added to under James II but in the reign of William III almost a third was made over to the Earl of Ranelagh. Part of his estate became famous pleasure gardens, Ranelagh Gardens, but later bought back by the Hospital's Board of Commissioners. Wren's formal gardens to the river were lost when the Thames was embanked between 1850-68. Ranelagh Gardens was laid out as a public park by John Gibson in 1860. In 1846 Royal Hospital Road was constructed, cutting off Burton's Court from the main site, whose northern boundary of St Leonard's Terrace has the main entrance gates to the Hospital approached by Royal Avenue, originally laid out to communicate with what was then the King's private road. South Ground is sports facilities managed by the local authority, and has been the location for the Chelsea Flower Show.