Description
A series of gardens, private and semi-private, remind us that Park Lane was originally a back street behind the houses fronting on to Park Street, rather like Queens Walk or Birdcage Walk. Few of these houses with their bowed park fronts now survive except at Nos. 130-135 and Nos. 93-99, which have small gardens. Dudley House, an early C19th mansion, has a well-kept garden bounded by railings. There is also a small but stylish forecourt garden with fountain, which marks the extent of the forecourt of the demolished Dorchester House. The concrete divisions of the garden, in the same 'moderne' taste as Sir Owen Williams and W Curtis Green's 'Grand' hotel, are invariably lavishly planted and the tree in the centre of the garden illuminated with lights.
Practical Information
| Site location | Park Lane Gardens, Mayfair |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W1 |
| What3Words | ///cloth.showed.king |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Westminster |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Tube: Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly) |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ279807 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Private forecourt gardens (various owners) |
| 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 | 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 |
Gallery
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
North Row Buildings were built on the Duke of Westminster's Grosvenor Estate as artisan dwellings at the instigation of the St George's Parochial Association. The estate was later acquired by the Peabody Trust. What was formerly a dark central courtyard has recently been transformed into a garden with planting, seating areas and a children's play area.
Marble Arch, once the site of the Tyburn gallows, is near Speaker's Corner to the north-east of Hyde Park. Originally built in 1828 for John Nash's scheme for Buckingham Palace, the Arch was erected in its present position in 1851 as the triumphal northern gate to Hyde Park. Re-landscaped for traffic improvements in the 1960s, the Arch and its surrounding gardens became a traffic island, accessible by underpass, comprising an extensive pavement with raised planters, terraces and beds; an extension to the west was laid out with another terrace and a fountain. These areas are now linked by a new path.
Green Street Garden was planned and laid out between 1913-6 for the Grosvenor Estate, one of three new gardens created on the estate's land in Mayfair that had previously been occupied by stables and other ancillary buildings. It was part of the 10-year programme drawn up by Estate Surveyor Edmund Wimperis when he was appointed in 1910 and was the first garden to be completed, in its final stages of planning when WWI broke out. Surrounded by tall red-brick apartment blocks, mainly designed by Wimperis and Simpson architects, the garden, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, was formally laid out with lawns, paved areas and a wide perimeter path in crazy paving, ornamental features and fountains.