Garden Squares in Knightsbridge and How to Get In
Knightsbridge is ringed with private garden squares, and the honest answer to how to get into most of them is that you cannot: they are communal gardens for keyholding residents. There are exceptions, though. Two of the best, the north and south gardens of Cadogan Place, open to the public for a day each June, and one hotel on the square hands its guests a key. Here is a guide to the main squares around Knightsbridge, what makes each one worth a look through the railings, and the legitimate ways inside.
Cadogan Place North and South
Cadogan Place, running parallel to Sloane Street, is split into two large gardens. The Cadogan estate says there has been a garden on the north site since 1806, originally landscaped by Humphry Repton with meandering paths over hillocks and through valleys. What remained of his layout was destroyed during the Second World War, and the replanted garden now includes a Brazilian pepper tree, a Chinaberry tree and the Dancers sculpture by David Wynne. The south garden, once the site of the 18th-century London Botanic Garden, is one of the largest garden squares in Chelsea, with mulberry trees around 300 years old, a pollinator meadow, tennis courts and a playground. Both are described on the Cadogan gardens page.
Hans Place
Tucked behind Sloane Street and a few minutes from Harrods, Hans Place is the oldest garden on the Cadogan estate, with a heritage landscape that dates back to the 18th century. Its prize is an old Persian ironwood tree, which the estate describes as said to be the most impressive of its kind in the UK, alongside mature London planes and a veteran horse chestnut. Jane Austen lived at 23 Hans Place, which makes the square worth a detour on a walk between Harrods and Sloane Street. The garden itself is for keyholders, but the trees can be enjoyed from the pavement.
Lowndes Square
Named after William Lowndes of Chesham, whose estate once included the land, Lowndes Square was built from 1836, with Thomas Cubitt and Seth Smith developing most of it and Thomas's younger brother Lewis Cubitt responsible for the south side. The London Gardens Trust records fine mature plane trees, a perimeter path, shrubs around the edges and a central planting feature. Much of the original uniform architecture has gone, replaced on the north and east sides by mansion blocks. The garden is private and for keyholders only. The The Lowndes London hotel sits on Lowndes Street just to the south.
Trevor Square and Montpelier Square
North of Brompton Road, two quieter squares reward a wander. The Survey of London explains that Trevor Square was laid out after the old Powis House was demolished in 1811, to a plan by the architect William Fuller Pocock; its unusually narrow shape comes from the estate being developed in two separate phases. Montpelier Square, a few streets west, was built in stages from 1824 over nearly three decades, which is why its houses vary so much. Its half-acre communal garden has been run by a residents' committee since 1867, and its paths still partly follow the original curving walks under old planes, chestnut and sycamore.
How to get in
The main public route is London Open Gardens, the June weekend formerly known as Open Garden Squares Weekend. In 2026 it ran on 6 and 7 June, and both Cadogan Place North Garden and Cadogan Place South Garden opened on the Saturday from 10am to 4pm, as shown on the participating gardens list. A single weekend ticket covers every garden in the scheme, though some require separate booking or a ballot. The other way in is to stay on the square: Jumeirah Carlton Tower, on Cadogan Place, lists a private key to the Cadogan gardens among its features.
Good to know
Residents of Cadogan properties can join the estate's yearly garden membership, with tennis available as an extra. Everyone else should admire them from the railings for the rest of the year, and remember these are people's gardens. If you simply want a green escape, Hyde Park is open to all and a few minutes' walk from every square on this list.
