The gates of 170 of London's most beautiful private garden squares will be thrown open to the inquisitive gaze of visitors this weekend as part of the 10th Open Garden Squares Weekend.
The event provides a rare opportunity for the public to marvel at some of London's most highly prized green oases: romantic woodland walks; "quiet" gardens with pergolas, wisteria and passion flowers; rooftop retreats; and gardens floating on the Thames.
The unlocked gardens will play host to numerous activities - live jazz bands, Pimms tasting, classical music, Punch and Judy shows and, of course, traditional English cream teas.
Exclusive Enclaves
For many, however, part of the fascination is the opportunity to catch a glimpse of residential enclaves that command premiums above and beyond the already heart-stopping house prices in places like Kensington, Knightsbridge , Belgravia and Notting Hill .
Even the poshest of neighbourhoods, it seems, has a pecking order.
Ownership of a gracious period property in W11 or SW3 comes with considerable cachet but one with access to a private communal garden is even more impressive and desirable.
"The garden squares are one of the great glories of the central London property market," says Peter Rollings of Marsh & Parsons' Holland Park office.
"They're unique and are priced accordingly."
Premium Prices
Indeed they are. Tom Goy of Knight Frank, Notting Hill, notes that a property on Blenheim Crescent, W11, is currently for sale for £2.8 million while one with access to Blenheim Crescent Gardens will set you back £4.5 million.
"A property with access to the gardens increases dramatically in value, and there's very strong demand for some of the most popular garden squares. We have a list of people desperate to buy on Elgin Crescent, for example.
"They're willing to wait a year or two until the right property becomes available. What they're buying is a combination of prime location, glorious period properties and, of course, the beautiful private gardens.
"It’s something of a London dream to live in the heart of the city and still be able to leave your backdoor open so the kids can run out and play in the gardens. People are willing to pay a great deal for the privilege."
Social Circles
Laid out in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the garden squares have survived speculative booms and wartime bombs and are now carefully protected by heritage bodies and governed by residents' associations.
"The gardens are run by residents who pay for their upkeep through their council tax," says Peter. "They elect committees who draw up the regulations on what residents can and can't do.
"Some allow dogs, have tennis courts and children's play areas, others are more formal and are watched over by RHS (the Royal Horticultural Society) enthusiasts.
"At one end you have Blenheim Crescent - two acres of good lawn ideal for football, and they do encourage the kids - at the other is Gloucester Walk, a beautiful communal garden which is more formal and carefully tended."
One of the main attractions, Peter adds, is social:
"They are a great meeting point - they have their fireworks parties, June 21st parties, 4th July parties. They also have cultural events - the church in St James's Gardens in Holland Park is a centre for W11 opera."
The great and the good, the rich and the famous continue to make their homes in the squares, undoubtedly attracted by the privacy and security afforded by gated entrances and iron railings.
This weekend, however, you can wander in and see what all the fuss is about. And if you have a spare £5 million or so you could make yourself a permanent home among the plane trees, gravel paths and planting committees.
Ticket Info: Open Garden Squares Weekend
Tickets are now on sale for the Transport for London's Open Garden Squares Weekend, which takes place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2008.
Tickets bought in advance of the weekend cost just £6 and allow visitors to go to as many gardens as they like over the two days.
These can be purchased from the advance ticket hotline, 020 8347 3230 (Monday to Friday 9am–6pm).
Tickets can be bought during the weekend for £7.50 from the Britain and London Visitor Centre and selected gardens. Children under the age of 12 go free as do companions to those in a wheelchair.
On The Market: 20 To View
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Garden Squares: Some Facts
1. London has over 600 garden squares many of which are open only to local residents. There are over 100 in the borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
2. Bloomsbury Square, the first garden square to be called a ‘square’, was laid out in the 1660s.
3. Most squares are surrounded on four sides by a square or rectangle of roads lined with buildings, but the gardens are rarely square. Circles, ovals, octagons, crescents and semi-circles are common
4. In Kensington Gardens John Stuart Mill's maid accidentally used Thomas Carlyle's manuscript of The French Revolution to light the fire
5. In Hereford Square James Barrie's Peter Pan flew through the first floor window of his author's house to take the children to Never Never land.
6. Stephane Mallarme lived in Brompton Square, Anthony Trollope in Montagu Square, Arnold Bennet in Cadogan Square
7. Ennismore Gardens contains an ornamental urn commemorating the actress Ava Gardner who lived there for 17 years.
8. John Betjeman eulogised the garden squares and prayed that God would protect one of the most prestigious from the German bombers: "Lord, put beneath Thy special care One-eighty-nine Cadogan Square".
9. Richard Curtis, a resident of Notting Hill and director of the movie that put the area on the tourist map, has used garden squares in several of his romantic comedies, including Rosemead Gardens in Notting Hill.
10. In the early nineteenth century the shrubberies of Grosvenor Square were a favourite resort of philandering servants ("whose noise disturbed the nobility and gentry during their morning repose").
Michael O'Flynn
