Description
The private communal garden was provided for residents of Paultons Square, which was built in 1836-40 as part of the development of the Sloane Stanley Estate. It is named after George Stanley of Paultons in Hampshire, who married the daughter of Sir Hans Sloane, Lord of the Manor of Chelsea in the C18th. It is the westernmost of the squares leading off King's Road and the site was formerly a market garden. The garden was redesigned in celebration of the Millennium.
Practical Information
| Site location | Paultons Square |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW3 5DP |
| What3Words | ///translated.movies.nature |
| Type of Site | Garden Square |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | Occasionally |
| Opening Times | Has opened for London Open Gardens. Otherwise private, for keyholders only |
| Facilities | play equipment |
| Public Transport | Tube: Sloane Square (District, Circle). London Overground/Tube (District): West Brompton. Bus: 11, 19, 22, 49, 211 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
This is the westernmost of the squares that lead off King's Road. It was owned entirely by the Sloane Stanley Estate Trustees and is one of the best preserved examples of its time in the borough. In 1928 it was owned by Major Sloane Stanley who maintained the garden 'with the aid of voluntary subscriptions from a few occupiers' and it was described as 'a long narrow enclosure planted with shrubs and containing some fine trees. Overlooked by dwelling-houses'. A plaque has the following inscription: 'Paultons Square is named after George Stanley of Paultons in Hampshire who lived in the 18th century and married Sir Hans Sloane's daughter. The houses in the square were built circa 1840 and represent a fine example of a uniform square in late Georgian style' . The houses on three sides face onto the elongated central garden, with King's Road as the fourth side. The garden has modern railings, lawns, flowerbeds and shrubs, a sundial; its fine trees include gingko, and mature planes at either end; an east/west gravel path is flanked by new trees.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ269777 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.3535 |
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | 1836/40 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos 1-56 Paultons Square (consecutive) and rear garden wall of houses on west side. |
| 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 | Cheyne |
| 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
Allen Hall Seminary Garden is one of the largest private gardens in Chelsea, its history dating back to 1524 when Sir Thomas More purchased land in Chelsea and Kensington for his Great House. Although his house is long gone, one of the mulberry trees he planted survives in the Seminary Garden. His gardens had a rich variety of flowering shrubs, herbs and trees, an orchard and kitchen gardens. The current building is a former C19th convent and since 1975 has been the Seminary of the RC Archdiocese of Westminster. A central courtyard garden has a fountain and shrubs and the main garden has lawn surrounded by roses, evergreen and flowering shrubs and trees; a path leads to a secluded walled garden beyond which is More's mulberry tree, and finally an area planted in c.2004 as the St Thomas More Mulberry Walk.
Burial ground for the Moravian Church established here by Count Zinzendorf, Bishop of the Moravians. In 1750 Zinzendorf had purchased Lindsey House and the grounds of Beaufort House, both once part of Sir Thomas More's Chelsea estate. The burial ground, on the stable yard of Beaufort House and having remnants of Tudor brick walls, was exempted from closure after the Burial Act of 1855 and around 400 people have been interred since 1751.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Roper's Gardens were created as a public amenity on a bomb site following destruction of the buildings in 1941. The name recalls the fact that the land was part of the gift of Sir Thomas More to his daughter Margaret on her marriage to William Roper. The gardens were designed by landscape architect Peter Shepheard and opened in 1964 with a long raised terrace of sheltered seating overlooking areas of lawn, with shrubbery, flower beds and trees. Among the sculptural works is an unfinished relief by Jacob Epstein, who had a studio near here from 1909-14, and the centrepiece of the garden is The Awakening by Gilbert Ledward.
Roper's Gardens were created as a public amenity on a bomb site following destruction of the buildings in 1941. The name recalls the fact that the land was part of the gift of Sir Thomas More to his daughter Margaret on her marriage to William Roper. The gardens were designed by landscape architect Peter Shepheard and opened in 1964 with a long raised terrace of sheltered seating overlooking areas of lawn, with shrubbery, flower beds and trees. Among the sculptural works is an unfinished relief by Jacob Epstein, who had a studio near here from 1909-14, and the centrepiece of the garden is The Awakening by Gilbert Ledward.