Ladbroke Square

Ladbroke Square is a Victorian garden square in Notting Hill, one of the largest private residential gardens in London. It was laid out in the 1840s and 1850s as part of the Ladbroke Estate development, for which the architect Thomas Allom planned the area of white stucco terraces around green communal gardens. Like most London garden squares, the garden is open only to residents and keyholders; passers-by can see it through the railings but cannot enter. Once a year, during the London Open Garden Squares Weekend, the gates are opened to the public. Walking through Notting Hill, visitors at Ladbroke Square encounter the textbook image of Victorian residential planning with gravel paths, mature plane trees, and croquet lawns.