Garden square

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Bloomsbury Square, a garden square in central London, England

A garden square is a type of

terraced houses and other types of townhouse. Because it is designed for the amenity of surrounding residents, it is subtly distinguished from a town square designed to be a public gathering place: due to its inherent private history, it may have a pattern of dedicated footpaths
and tends to have considerably more plants than hard surfaces or large monuments.

Propagation

See also: Town square

At their conception in the early 17th century each such garden was a private communal amenity for the residents of the overlooking houses akin to a garden courtyard within a palace or community. Such community courtyards date back to at least Ur in 2000 BC where two-storey houses were built of fired brick around an open square. Kitchen, working, and public spaces were located on the ground floor, with private rooms located upstairs.[1]

In the 20th century, many garden squares that were previously accessible only to defined residents became accessible to the public. Those in central urban locations, such as Leicester Square in London's West End, have become indistinguishable from town squares. Others, while publicly accessible, are largely used by local residents and retain the character of garden squares or small communal parks. Many private squares, even in busy locations, remain private, such as Portman Square in Marylebone in London, despite its proximity to London's busiest shopping districts.

Occurrence

Europe

United Kingdom

For roads and spaces named Square which are in London, see Squares in London.
See also: List of garden squares in London
Golden Square, London

London is famous for them; they are described as one of the glories of the capital.[2] Many were built or rebuilt during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, at the height of Georgian architecture, and are surrounded by townhouses. Large projects, such as the Bedford Estate, included garden squares in their development. The Notting Hill and Bloomsbury neighbourhoods both have many garden squares, with the former mostly still restricted to residents, and the latter open to all. Other UK cities prominent in the Georgian era such as Edinburgh, Bath, Bristol and Leeds have several garden squares.

Householders with access to a private garden square are commonly required to pay a maintenance levy.[3] Normally the charge is set annually by a garden committee.

Sometimes private garden squares are opened to the public, such as during Open Garden Squares Weekend.[4]

France

In Paris
Square des Epinettes, Paris

Privately owned squares which survived the decades after the

Baptiste du Cerceau
.

In town squares, similarly green but publicly accessible from the outset, is the

Square René Viviani. Gardens substantially cover a few of the famous Places in the capital; instead the majority are paved and replete with profoundly hard materials such as Place de la Concorde. Inspired by ecological interests and a 21st-century focus on pollution mitigation, an increasing number of the Places in Paris today many have a focal tree, or surrounding raised flower beds/and or rows of trees such as the Place de la République
.

The enclosed garden terraces (French: jardins terrasses) and courtyards (French: cours) of some French former palaces have resulted in redevelopments into spaces equivalent to garden squares. The same former single-owner scenario applies to at least one garden square in London (Coleridge Square).

Outside of Paris

Grandiose instances of garden-use town squares are a part of many French cities, others opt for solid material town squares.

Belgium

The Square de Meeûs and Square Orban are notable examples in Brussels.

Ireland

Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin

Dublin has several

St Stephens Green and Parnell Square
.

The Americas

United States

Perhaps the most famous garden square in the United States is Gramercy Park in southern Midtown Manhattan. Famously, it has remained private and gated throughout its existence; possession of a key to the park is a jealously guarded privilege.

The tradition of fee simple land ownership in American cities has made collective amenities such as garden squares comparatively rare. Very few subdividers and developers included them in plats during the 19th century, with notable exceptions below.

Gramercy Park, Manhattan

Rittenhouse Square in the Center City, Philadelphia encases a public garden, one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century. It was first named Southwest Square.

Nearby Fitler Square is a similar garden square named for late 19th century Philadelphia mayor Edwin Henry Fitler shortly after his death in 1896. The Square, cared for through a public private partnership between the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Fitler Square Improvement Association.

In Boston tens of squares exist, some having a mainly residential use.

The

Washington, DC
, contains several townhouse complexes built around garden squares.

Africa

Asia

Australia and New Zealand

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9780787703875
  2. ^ "Court denies couple use of garden square", Martin Evans, The Daily Telegraph, 10 July 2010.
  3. ^ Council tax and garden square levies, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, UK.
  4. ^ Open Garden Squares Weekend, London, UK.
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