Description
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.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Pont Street Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | Pont Street/Cadogan Square, opposite Hans Place |
| Postcode | SW1 |
| What3Words | ///stores.fires.gone |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | No |
| Facilities | none |
| Public Transport | Tube: Knightsbridge (Piccadilly), Sloane Square (District, Circle) |
| Research Updated | 7 October 2024 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Part of the Cadogan Estate, this is a rare area of public landscaping along Pont Street, situated west of Sloane Street between Hans Place and Cadogan Square. 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. With architect Henry Holland, Cadogan began developing the 90-acre estate from the 1770s, to be called Hans Town. Pont Street is shown on Bacon's Map of 1887 where the terrace of Nos. 31-39 Pont Street is set back behind a rectangular paved area with a number of mature plane trees, provided as an amenity to the lessees. In 1928 it was planted with shrubs and owned by Earl Cadogan and managed by the Trustees of the Cadogan Estate out of fees paid by adjoining lessees. Formerly railed, the shrubbery remained a low raised oval pavement with York stone crazy paving, a number of mature plane trees, and newer planting to the west end.
In 2021 Pont Street Shrubbery was replanted and given the new name Heritage Forest through a rewilding initiative of SUGi, 'a sustainability initiative to support our natural heritage for generations to come'. Surface gravel was cleared and topsoil added, with the centre of the plot built up above the height of bedding plants around the edge. Over 630 native trees and shrubs have been planted, including shade-tolerant species like dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), spindle (Euonymus europaeus) and hazel (Corylus avellana), and native trees including rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), crack willow (Salix fragilis) and oak. The aim is to provide a rich habitat for indigenous insects, including pollinators and butterflies. The new Heritage Forest has been created in a partnership between SUGi, Louis Vuitton and Cadogan Estates, with the aim of inspiring environmentally responsible planting in small urban spaces. The planting has been undertaken using the Miyawaki Method in order to encourage the rapid creation of the forest through planting four 'layers' of shrubs, sub-trees, trees and a canopy, and a forest floor dense with wildflowers. Based on the work of Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, this method, tried and tested on over 3,000 sites, has a 97% success rate for tree survival with little to no maintenance. The plant selection here was "based on extensive floral and faunal research, a soil survey and vegetation report, to provide an ecologically balanced and complementary self-sustaining ecosystem that requires less maintenance and watering, while alleviating the need for pesticides and artificial plant foods." While the planting is getting established the oval plot is surrounded with wooden paling.
In 2021 Pont Street Shrubbery was replanted and given the new name Heritage Forest through a rewilding initiative of SUGi, 'a sustainability initiative to support our natural heritage for generations to come'. Surface gravel was cleared and topsoil added, with the centre of the plot built up above the height of bedding plants around the edge. Over 630 native trees and shrubs have been planted, including shade-tolerant species like dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), spindle (Euonymus europaeus) and hazel (Corylus avellana), and native trees including rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), crack willow (Salix fragilis) and oak. The aim is to provide a rich habitat for indigenous insects, including pollinators and butterflies. The new Heritage Forest has been created in a partnership between SUGi, Louis Vuitton and Cadogan Estates, with the aim of inspiring environmentally responsible planting in small urban spaces. The planting has been undertaken using the Miyawaki Method in order to encourage the rapid creation of the forest through planting four 'layers' of shrubs, sub-trees, trees and a canopy, and a forest floor dense with wildflowers. Based on the work of Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, this method, tried and tested on over 3,000 sites, has a 97% success rate for tree survival with little to no maintenance. The plant selection here was "based on extensive floral and faunal research, a soil survey and vegetation report, to provide an ecologically balanced and complementary self-sustaining ecosystem that requires less maintenance and watering, while alleviating the need for pesticides and artificial plant foods." While the planting is getting established the oval plot is surrounded with wooden paling.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ277791 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0314 |
| Site Ownership | The Cadogan Estate |
| Site Management | Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea |
| Dates | 1870s/80s |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos 32-40 Pont Street |
| 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 | Hans Town |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Hans Place Garden was provided as an amenity for residents of the surrounding houses when the area was developed by Henry Holland from 1777 onwards for the Cadogan Estate. Hans Place is named after Sir Hans Sloane. At one time within the Manor of Chelsea, land in the area had been purchased by 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. The oval wooded garden is railed with an inner oval of trees and shrubs around a lawn, and contains a variety of tree and shrub species. A memorial to the son of Herbert Spencer is set into the railings facing both into the garden and also onto the adjoining street where there is a drinking fountain.
Hans Place Garden was provided as an amenity for residents of the surrounding houses when the area was developed by Henry Holland from 1777 onwards for the Cadogan Estate. Hans Place is named after Sir Hans Sloane. At one time within the Manor of Chelsea, land in the area had been purchased by 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. The oval wooded garden is railed with an inner oval of trees and shrubs around a lawn, and contains a variety of tree and shrub species. A memorial to the son of Herbert Spencer is set into the railings facing both into the garden and also onto the adjoining street where there is a drinking fountain.
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.
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.