The houses around Nevern Square were developed from the 1880s and the gardens were laid out 1885-86. Before that it was green fields and market gardens in the Manor of Kensington.

The Manor of Kensington was established by the De Vere family who came to England with William the Conqueror. Eventually the Manor passed, through marriage, into a Welsh family, the Edwardes, who held the estates until the early 1900s. Several squares and roads in the area are Welsh, including Nevern Square.  The Square is now owned and managed by the residents.I visited during the Open Garden Squares Weekend on a cold, gloomy day, as you can see from the sky in the photographs, but at the same time it was quite bright and I struggled with the exposures. I should probably have taken some HDR images – advice welcomed!

The buildings on the west and east sides of the square are the same.

The layout of the garden has changed, and the large central beds of the 1880s have been reduced, replaced by an expanse of green lawn with borders around the edges. John Poet sat in a tent at one end while people wandered round, reading the poems attached to the huge, old plane trees.

There was time and space for quietness – and fun!

For further information
Nevern Square