Description
Trevor Square is a small secluded square surrounding an oblong private garden that was built as part of a planned residential development in the early C19th, named after the Trevor family, who continued to own the land until the early C20th. In c.1704 Sir John Trevor had leased a late C17th mansion here, later called Powis House after a later tenant, purchasing the freehold in c.1715 when he acquired additional adjacent land. The garden is surrounded by a high hedge and chain link fence and is laid out with an oblong lawn with crescent beds at either end. A number of the early C19th buildings remain and 10 C19th cast-iron lamp standards surround the garden.
Practical Information
| Site location | Trevor Square, Knightsbridge |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW7 1DT |
| What3Words | ///steer.cups.sailor |
| Type of Site | Garden Square |
| Borough | Westminster |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | Private, key holders only. |
| Public Transport | Tube: Knightsbridge (Knightsbridge) |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
John Trevor (1638-1717) became a judge in 1661, was knighted in 1671, becoming MP for Denbighshire in 1681. Sir John was made Speaker of the House of Commons in 1685 but was dismissed in 1695 for corruption and bribery, although he remained Master of the Rolls and is buried in the chapel of Clifford's Inn. His Knightsbridge property then passed to his daughter Prudentia who added further property to the estate, which she bequeathed to her brother Arthur when she died in 1739. On his death in 1758 it was inherited by his nephew Arthur Hill, later created Viscount Dungannon, who also added Trevor to his name. His grandson Arthur Hill-Trevor, 2nd Viscount Dungannon (1763-1837), later inherited and was responsible for the development of the Knightsbridge land, which remained in the ownership of the Trevor family into the C20th. The mansion had been let to tenants after the death of Arthur Trevor, and had become known as Powis House after the 1st Earl of Powis, who lived there in the late 1760s. The last tenant was John Bruce, after whose death in 1810 Powis House appears to have been vacant for a few years before being demolished.
The site of Powis House and its grounds was built over when the Trevor estate was laid out by William Fuller Pocock, who produced plans for Arthur Hill-Trevor from 1810. Trevor Square with its oblong central garden was laid out in 1818. The estate remained in the ownership of the Trevor family until 1909 when it was sold by the 2nd Baron Trevor of Brynkinalt to James Charlton Humphreys, an iron-buildings manufacturer and property developer from Knightsbridge. In the early C20th the garden was leased by the owners, The Trevor Square Syndicate Ltd, to Messrs Harrods Limited who maintained the garden, making a small charge to residents of the square. E Beresford Chancellor described the garden in 1907 as an 'oblong central garden of quite limited extent'. In 1928, the garden was described as 'a long narrow enclosure surrounded by a privet hedge and laid out as a lawn with some well-grown trees'. By then, a number of the houses were used for commercial purposes. To the south of the square at 17-22 Trevor Square the former depot of Harrods has now redeveloped as luxury flats.
The site of Powis House and its grounds was built over when the Trevor estate was laid out by William Fuller Pocock, who produced plans for Arthur Hill-Trevor from 1810. Trevor Square with its oblong central garden was laid out in 1818. The estate remained in the ownership of the Trevor family until 1909 when it was sold by the 2nd Baron Trevor of Brynkinalt to James Charlton Humphreys, an iron-buildings manufacturer and property developer from Knightsbridge. In the early C20th the garden was leased by the owners, The Trevor Square Syndicate Ltd, to Messrs Harrods Limited who maintained the garden, making a small charge to residents of the square. E Beresford Chancellor described the garden in 1907 as an 'oblong central garden of quite limited extent'. In 1928, the garden was described as 'a long narrow enclosure surrounded by a privet hedge and laid out as a lawn with some well-grown trees'. By then, a number of the houses were used for commercial purposes. To the south of the square at 17-22 Trevor Square the former depot of Harrods has now redeveloped as luxury flats.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ275795 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | 1818 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos.1; 2 & 3; 4-16; 23-37; 38 Trevor Square; 10 lamp standards |
| 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 | Westminster |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Knightsbridge |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes |
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
Montpelier Square is a well preserved early C19th garden square with a perimeter hedge and modern railings, shrubs and good trees, and an interesting serpentine path layout. The development was named from Montpellier in France, a name that was intended to evoke images of its fashionable and healthy situation. The small square of some 42 terraced houses surrounds the private communal garden.
Rutland Gate South Garden and Upper Garden are two fairly narrow gardens in a long dog-legged enclave running off Kensington Road. The early C19th planned layout of this imposing range of terraced houses and their shared pleasure grounds survive virtually intact. The original piers and railings to Kensington Road survive but have been replaced elsewhere in the gardens, the South Garden bordered by fencing and concrete posts. Eresby House, a huge 1930s interloper occupies a site between the two gardens, and has a trim contemporary forecourt garden.
* 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.