London Garden Squares

[Cheshum]

Has anyone lived on one? Think Chelsea/Belgravia/Pimlico. Big Georgian/Victorian terraces and gardens in the middle. We are thinking of renting a flat on one (maybe buy if we like). Are they friendly?

Yes, lovely generally. Is it a gated garden or open to everyone? If the latter, I’d try visiting at different times of day as gardens which are lovely in the day can have a different feel at night.

Also worth checking the rules re what you can and can’t do there.

Friend's of mine lived in a flat in a square like this near Fulham high street. It was lovely - a gated garden for residents only with a couple of tennis courts that you could book and a huge grassy area. We used to use it for evening drinks and picnics in Summer - it was really nice. I think there were also some yoga classes and thing organised there in summer... And of course from their flat you had a lovely view over the garden...

gardens which are lovely in the day can have a different feel at night

What sort of a different feel? Do you mean crimes happen, or the gardens are full of noisy revellers?

Absolutely lovely, but yes, go for a garden for which residents have a key. Otherwise it can be used as a liaison spot.

Well, both possibly. A friend lives on a square like this in Pimlico and it’s fabulous in the day but often used as a meet-up point for drug dealers at night, plus kids doing those little laughing gas things. Obviously not an issue with a gated square.

The dream! Definitely has to be gated with a key. I worked in an organisation that had their HQ in a square in Belgravia like this and we sometimes went in there for our lunch break (Reception had a key). It was beautiful and even had a tennis court, swings and a sundial, and we were always the only people in there. A lot of those properties are empty for a lot of the time/are offices etc so the squares aren't heavily used as a rule.

They can be noisy. A lot of older buildings were converted into flats in the 60s and 70s and there may just be a layer of plasterboard (your ceiling) and some old floorboards between you and your neighbours above and below. If the flat has stripped floorboards and you have children who stomp around, be prepared for complaints from neighbours. If the houses are listed then there'll be no nice modern double glazing and your heating costs will be high. A garden square is great if it's private/ key only — otherwise it's a public space. Garden squares can have rules about no ball games and leaving play equipment out. I don't know if it's the kind of square where individual houses have small gardens that open onto a large communal garden or whether you have to come out of the house and cross the road to access the garden square. Does the square have a dedicated area for children?

I used to work for people whose house had access to a very beautiful private garden square tended by full-time gardeners and there were concerns expressed about children and dogs trampling herbaceous borders etc.