Leinster Square

Leinster Square is a Victorian garden square in Bayswater, on the edge of Westbourne and Notting Hill. It sits among a group of private housing estates built in the 19th century, with Prince’s Square directly to the south. The square is framed by tall terraced houses in yellow brick and white stucco, their slate roofs and sash windows still intact. Nearby streets like Hereford Road and Garway Road show the same careful design. Westbourne Grove, a busy shopping street, lies just to the north, and three Tube stations are within walking distance. The square’s buildings are Grade II listed, each group marked separately on the heritage register. George Wyatt, a builder from the 1850s, started both Leinster Square and Prince’s Square, planting plane trees that still stand today. After wartime damage and later neglect, the gardens were restored in 1977 with new planting and original iron railings reinstated. The Leinster Square Gardens Association now manages the private garden, open only to residents with keys. Inside the railings, the central garden holds a plane tree planted in 1887 for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. The houses facing the square include former hotels converted to flats, and new townhouses have been built behind their façades. Notable past residents include suffragette Georgina Cheffins, art historian Sir Charles Eastlake, and musician Sting in the late 1970s. The square also appears in the film Sliding Doors, adding to its quiet fame.