Description
Between The Grove and West Hill Highgate are a number of areas of open space, originally part of the old village green, which were preserved as public open space through the London Squares Preservation Act of 1931. In front of The Grove are two railed enclosures with grass and trees, to the north of which is the old Highgate Service Reservoir. Near the junction of South Grove and Highgate West Hill and opposite St Michael's Church is a small island divided by a central path into two railed garden areas with grass and trees, including one planted by the Highgate Society in memory of Doreen Mostyn.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Highgate Green |
|---|---|
| Site location | The Grove/South Grove/Highgate West Hill, Highgate |
| Postcode | N6 |
| What3Words | ///wash.soon.pipes |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Highgate, Archway (Northern) then bus. Bus: 143, 210, 271, 214. |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Between The Grove and West Hill Highgate are a number of areas of open space, once part of Highgate's old village green, which were preserved as public open space through the London Squares Preservation Act of 1931. The largest area is in front of The Grove, consisting of two railed enclosures with grass and trees, to the north of which is the old Highgate Service Reservoir (q.v.). Near the junction of South Grove and Highgate West Hill and opposite the forecourt to St Michael's Church is a small island divided by a central path into two railed garden areas with grass and trees, including one planted by the Highgate Society in commemoration of Doreen Mostyn in 1971.
St Michael's Church, the highest church in London, opened in 1832 to serve the parishioners of Highgate, who had outgrown Highgate School's Old Chapel, which had been used up until then. Designed by Lewis Vulliamy, later a resident of Highgate, and built by William and Lewis Cubbitt, the church was on the site of C17th Ashurst House, part of whose terrace remains behind the church overlooking Highgate Cemetery West, which was laid out over the grounds of Ashurst House. The approach to the church echoes the drive to the house. The remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge were reburied under the aisle of St Michael's in 1961; the poet had lived with the Gillman family from 1816, first at Moreton House in South Grove and then at No. 3 The Grove from 1823. When he died in Highgate in 1834 he was initially buried in Highgate Old Chapel, before being reinterred in 1842 to a vault in the old burial ground.
In the C17th The Grove was the site of two mansions with large grounds, Arundel House and Dorchester House, the garden wall from the latter remains in the gardens of No. 6, The Grove. Dorchester House was replaced by three pairs of semi-detached houses built as Nos.1-6 The Grove in c.1688 by William Blake, a City merchant, as part of an unsuccessful scheme to found a charity school. He purchased the house for £5000 to establish a school for 40 poor children or orphans and the rent from the houses he built in the grounds was to form the endowment. Unfortunately the school was unsuccessful and Blake was sent to debtors' prison. The garden of No.4 The Grove is described by Arabella Lennox-Boyd, in her book 'Private Gardens of London' (1990). No.5 The Grove was rebuilt in the 1920s; Nos. 7-9 The Grove were built c.1832, and No.12 dates from the 1970s.
St Michael's Church, the highest church in London, opened in 1832 to serve the parishioners of Highgate, who had outgrown Highgate School's Old Chapel, which had been used up until then. Designed by Lewis Vulliamy, later a resident of Highgate, and built by William and Lewis Cubbitt, the church was on the site of C17th Ashurst House, part of whose terrace remains behind the church overlooking Highgate Cemetery West, which was laid out over the grounds of Ashurst House. The approach to the church echoes the drive to the house. The remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge were reburied under the aisle of St Michael's in 1961; the poet had lived with the Gillman family from 1816, first at Moreton House in South Grove and then at No. 3 The Grove from 1823. When he died in Highgate in 1834 he was initially buried in Highgate Old Chapel, before being reinterred in 1842 to a vault in the old burial ground.
In the C17th The Grove was the site of two mansions with large grounds, Arundel House and Dorchester House, the garden wall from the latter remains in the gardens of No. 6, The Grove. Dorchester House was replaced by three pairs of semi-detached houses built as Nos.1-6 The Grove in c.1688 by William Blake, a City merchant, as part of an unsuccessful scheme to found a charity school. He purchased the house for £5000 to establish a school for 40 poor children or orphans and the rent from the houses he built in the grounds was to form the endowment. Unfortunately the school was unsuccessful and Blake was sent to debtors' prison. The garden of No.4 The Grove is described by Arabella Lennox-Boyd, in her book 'Private Gardens of London' (1990). No.5 The Grove was rebuilt in the 1920s; Nos. 7-9 The Grove were built c.1832, and No.12 dates from the 1970s.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ282874 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.09 |
| Site Ownership | LB Camden |
| Site Management | Parks & Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1830s (to check) |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: St Michael's Church; Nos. 3, 4 & 6 The Grove and attached railings, walls and lamps. LBII: Houses in The Grove: Nos.1, 2 and attached railings, walls & gate; No.5 and attached railings, wall and lamp; garden walls, terraces and steps of Nos.1-6 (consec) & Garden arbour to No.6; Nos.7, 7A and 8 with attached railings; Nos. 9B, 10, 11. |
| 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 | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Highgate |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Character: Hampstead & Highgate Ridge |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space (Small Local). London Squares Preservation Act 1931. |
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
The land here was formerly part of Highgate Green, the old village green. In 1844 the New River Company purchased land then being used for nursery gardens, also the site of one of the three village ponds and built Highgate Service Reservoir here in 1846. This provided water to houses in Highgate for the first time. Today the reservoir is covered and the site is largely grassland, but still has the small circular conduit house built to service the reservoir. Two stretches of the original cast iron railings remain around the reservoir along Highgate West Hill and The Grove. Species of birch have been planted on the reservoir roof by Thames Water, who continue to be responsible for the site.
Witanhurst was built in 1913-20 for Sir Arthur Crosfield, designed by George Hubbard on the site of an earlier C18th house called Parkfield. The garden was designed for Sir Arthur by Harold Peto whose work included the tennis pavilion, garden steps leading onto a paved terrace with balustraded parapet and viewing platform. The Italianate garden had a sunken pond and pergola as its central feature and consisted of 3 linked compartments stepping downhill and bounded by stone-coped brick walls. In 2007 it was reported that the mansion had been sold to private developers, and the future of the gardens is uncertain.
Pond Square today is a triangular tree-shaded open space with pathways running across it, three raised areas largely grassed, and in one corner a small toilet block within shrubbery. The highest point in Camden, this was the old centre of Highgate Village and once had two large ponds that provided drinking water to the village. The freehold was conveyed to St Pancras Vestry in 1884 and in 1886 the ponds were drained in order to create a public space, which opened in the same year. The garden is overlooked by terraced houses, several dating from C18th and C19th, and by the Highbury Literary and Scientific Institute and Emanuel Church.
