Ladbroke Square is a garden square

Garden square

A garden square is an open space with buildings surrounding a garden, often located in fashionable urban areas. There are many garden squares in London, England, for example. The large estates in London, e.g., the Bedford Estate in Bloomsbury, included garden squares in their development....

 in Notting Hill

Notting Hill

Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...

, west London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Location

Ladbroke Square and its gardens lie north of Holland Park Avenue

Holland Park Avenue

Holland Park Avenue is a street located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London in England. The street runs from Notting Hill Gate in the east to the Holland Park Roundabout in the west, and forms a part of the old west road connecting London with Oxford and the west...

 and Notting Hill Gate

Notting Hill Gate

Notting Hill Gate is one of the main thoroughfares of Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically the street was a location for toll gates, from which it derives its modern name.- Location :...

 (part of the A40 road

A40 road

The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...

). To the west is Ladbroke Grove

Ladbroke Grove

Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, it is located in North Kensington and straddles...

 (part of the B450 road), to the north is Kensington Park Gardens (with houses on the south side backing onto the gardens), and to the northeast is Kensington Park Road  (part of the B415), forming borders to the gardens in the centre. Formally, the houses of Ladbroke Square lie on the south side of the gardens. To the southeast is Notting Hill Gate tube station

Notting Hill Gate tube station

Notting Hill Gate tube station is a London Underground station in the street known as Notting Hill Gate. On the Central Line, it is between Holland Park to the west and Queensway to the east. On the District Line and Circle Line it is between High Street Kensington and Bayswater stations...

, the nearest underground station.

The Ladbroke Square Montessori School is located at 43 Ladbroke Square.

Gardens

The gardens form the largest of the 16 communal garden

Communal garden

A communal garden is a normally formal garden for shared use by a number of local residents, typically in an urban setting. The term is especially used in the United Kingdom...

s of the historic Ladbroke Estate

Ladbroke Estate

The Ladbroke Estate was a substantial estate of land owned by the Ladbroke family in Notting Hill, London, England, in the early 19th century that was gradually developed and turned into housing during the middle years of the century, as London expanded...

. In fact, it is one of the largest private garden squares in London and is Grade II listed by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

. Surrounded by railings, there are mature trees in the gardens and a long straight walk along the north side, together with other curving paths. The three-hectare garden is only open to local residents.

History

The garden square was originally the site of a racecourse, known as the Hippodrome

Hippodrome

A hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words "hippos and "dromos"...

, which was created in 1837 by John Whyte

John Whyte

John Whyte may refer to:*John Whyte , former merchant and politician in Quebec*Jock Whyte, Scottish former footballer*John Henry Whyte, Irish historian and political scientist-See also:* John Whyte-Melville-Skeffington, 13th Viscount Massereene...

, but it was unsuccessful. The area was laid out and developed in the 1840s. An 1849 plan by the architect Thomas Allason

Thomas Allason

Thomas Allason was an English architect, surveyor and landscaper, noted in particular for his work at Connaught Square and the Ladbroke Estate in Kensington.-Early life:...

includes the gardens laid out as they are today.