Description
Tavistock Gardens appear to have been laid out in the 1990s to serve the residents of the Portabello area and at that time the garden was surrounded by high walls. The gardens were completely redesigned in 2001.
Practical Information
| Site location | Tavistock Crescent |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W11 1HF |
| What3Words | ///camp.acid.mats |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Children's play area, dog facilities |
| Public Transport | Tube: Ladbroke Grove, Westbourne Park (Hammersmith & City). |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
This area was undeveloped well into the C19th although by 1850 streets around Westbourne Grove to the west were beginning to be laid out and by the late 1860s St Luke's Road, with its church and Tavistock Road were being built. By 1895 the area was covered with terraces, with Tavistock Crescent bordered to the north-west by the railway line. By the mid-1970s the north-east part of the crescent was cleared of houses but the area now the site of the park appears to have remained built up until the late 1980s.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ246815 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | RB Kensington & Chelsea |
| Site Management | Leisure Services, Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1990s; 2001 |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| 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
Colville Gardens was built as part of the development in the area by Dr Samuel Walker, which he commenced from the 1850s. He was somewhat beset by financial problems, which resulted in delays to building Colville Square, Terrace and Gardens, which took place from 1860. The area later became run down and was eventually rehabilitated in the 1960s. There is a strip of communal landscaping for residents of 'Pinehurst Court', with lawns, mature trees and shrubbery, railed to the road.
Now public gardens, this was formerly a private communal garden for the residents of houses on Colville Square. It was part of a development by Dr Samuel Walker that commenced in the 1850s but was not completed until the 1860s. During the C20th the area became increasingly rundown and was eventually rehabilitated in the 1960s. The garden has shrubs and floral planting at the northern end with a circular bed around an ornamental stone urn, and a small play area for younger children.
This public garden was formerly a private communal garden for the houses around Powis Square, which was developed as part of the Colville Estate in 1860. The area has been rehabilitated since the 1960s and a four-storey range of brick terraces has replaced part of one of the terraces. The garden has modern railings, an asphalted play area, a grass mound in the middle and a playground at the south end, with a modern sculpture on the mound.