Collingham Gardens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Collingham Gardens is a garden square in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. Built between 1881 and 1888, the buildings on either side of the garden were designed by Ernest George and Peto, a firm that grafted Northern European urban motifs onto plainer Queen Anne style stock.[1]
The street Collingham Gardens forms three sides of the quadrangle; the south side is part of the north side of Bolton Gardens. It intersects with Bramham Gardens, Harrington Gardens and Wetherby Gardens. The communal garden itself is only accessible to residents of the surrounding townhouses, but has been open to the general public during Open Garden Squares Weekend.[2][3]
Collingham Gardens was developed by Robert Gunter, soldier, property developer and politician, who with his wife had strong Yorkshire connections. It was named after Collingham, West Yorkshire, and is one of several streets in Earls Court and Chelsea developed at the same time which have names connected to the West Riding of Yorkshire.[4] In 1888, the area around Collingham Gardens was considered part of South Kensington, with many wealthy and notable residents, such as dramatist W. S. Gilbert of the Gilbert and Sullivan duo, who lived nearby at 39 Harrington Gardens.[5][1]
Garden
The enclosed garden at Collingham Gardens was designed by Harold Peto, a landscape designer.[6] Peto's original layout remains intact, incorporating wide lawns, curving gravel paths, and plane trees.[3] The central circular lawn is framed by shrub beds, each featuring a Japanese cherry tree which blossoms in spring.[3] The ornamental entrance gate is the original, but the railings are modern.[7] The garden is protected under the 1851 London Squares Act.[7]
