Park Square

Park Square stands in the City of Westminster, a private garden square attached to Regent’s Park. It is split from Park Crescent by Marylebone Road and Regent’s Park tube station, with only a single entrance connecting them. The square consists of two rows of grand stuccoed terraced houses designed by John Nash, built in 1823–24 with decorative balconies and porticos. Shorter terraces flank the corners at right angles, each also Grade I listed: Ulster Terrace, Ulster Place, St Andrew’s Place and Albany Terrace. The square sits in the Marylebone historic parish, except for its eastern side, which falls within Camden. The square’s history includes Britain’s first national Diorama exhibition, which opened in 1823 and lasted until 1852. Nearby stood the London Colosseum, built for the largest painting ever made but demolished in 1874. Both attracted large crowds with their grand foyers. The gardens span 2.5 hectares, with plane trees first planted in 1817 to mark the peace after the Battle of Waterloo. A notable tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, also grows there. Visitors find a private communal garden surrounded by Nash’s classical architecture. An 1821 pedestrian tunnel, the Nursemaids’ Tunnel, links the gardens with those of Park Crescent, designed to protect children from the busy road. The tunnel features stucco portals with Doric columns and groin vaults. The square’s railings, lamps and two small garden-keeping buildings are Grade II listed, while the main terraces remain Grade I protected. The Outer Circle road borders the north side, offering a calm traffic-calmed route through Regent’s Park.