Portman Square, Marylebone

www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list

A late 18th century town square within the Portman Estate.

SITE DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM AND SETTING

The two squares, Portman Square and Manchester Square, are laid out on level ground. They are located in the grid of streets within the south-east quarter of the Portman Estate, which occupies a large area of Marylebone in Central London. The Estate lies to the south of Euston Road (prior to 1948 the estate extended to the north of Euston Road), north of Oxford Street, west of Marylebone Lane, and east of Edgware Road. Montagu and Bryanston Squares (outside the areas here registered) lie to the north-west, and Dorset Square (outside the areas here registered) lies to the north, on the far side of the Euston Road. Portman Square, a private garden of 1ha, retains its original stretched oval shape. It is enclosed by wrought iron railings, which were reinstated in the 1970s, with four entrances. The north, south and west entrances have reproductions of the original wrought iron gates with overthrows, and the east entrance has a wrought iron gate and standard lamp. A drinking fountain (listed grade II) in memory of Sir James John Hamilton, 1876, stands outside the railings, immediately south of the east entrance. The gardens and railings are surrounded by the buildings of the square, which are on a rectangular plan. Three C18 buildings survive, No 20 Portman Square (Home House, listed grade I, built by Robert Adam for the Countess of Home in 1775-7), no 21 (listed grade I, now the Heinz Gallery and RIBA Drawings Collection, built by James Adam for William Locke c1772, altered 1866), and a house on the corner of Seymour Street (by Abraham and Samuel Adams). All the remaining buildings are C20 including an hotel (on the site of James Stuart's Montagu House of 1777-82), Orchard Court (occupying the entire east side), and Portman Court on the south side. Baker Street runs down the east side of the square, and Gloucester Place runs down the west side. Upper Berkeley Street, Fitzhardinge Street (leading to Manchester Square), Seymour Street, and Wigmore Street enter the square from the north-west, north-east, south-west, and south-east corners respectively.

The private garden of Manchester Square, 0.34ha, is oval in shape. It is enclosed by late C20 railings, and has a single entrance on the east side (originally there were four entrances). The gardens and railings are surrounded by the buildings of the square, which are on a square plan. The buildings in the square date from c1776-88 (Nos 1-3, 4-7, 8-11, 12-14, 22-25, and 26, all listed grade II) except for the north-west corner which has mid C20 buildings. Hertford House (listed grade II, with drinking fountain in the forecourt listed grade II*, and forecourt walls, gate piers and railings listed grade II), houses the Wallace collection and stands on the north side of the square. It was built as Manchester House in c1776, and altered from 1872 by Sir Richard Wallace. Streets enter the square from the centre of the east, south, and west sides of the square (Hinde Street, Duke Street, and Fitzhardinge Street (leading to Portman Square), respectively). Two streets enter the square on the north side, Manchester Street to the west of Hertford House, and Spanish Place to the east of Hertford House.

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS

Portman Square is laid out with shrubberies on mounds around the edge, and a central lawn, intersected by the 1950s path system. The path system bears little resemblance to the original design, and the perimeter path has been replaced by winding paths between the entrance gates and around the central lawn. There are mature trees including large planes in the shrubberies and around the edge of the lawn. A late C20 tennis court is situated on the west side of the garden, and there is a late C20 children's playground on the east side. There are two early C20 wooden shelters overlooking the central lawn. An enclosed compound for the gardener is situated to the south of one of the shelters, between the shelter and the southern entrance.

Manchester Square is laid out very simply, to a design similar to the C18 layout. A perimeter shrubbery with mature trees encloses the garden, which has a circular lawn bounded by a gravel path. There are four mature plane trees scattered on the lawn, a C20 wooden shed on the east side near the entrance, and a stone urn on the edge of the lawn on the south side.

REFERENCES

E B Chancellor, The History of the Squares of London (1907)

E Cecil, London Parks and Gardens (1907)

Report to the Royal Commission on London Squares, 1928

Maps

John Rocque, An Exact Survey of the City of London, Westminster.....and the Country near Ten Miles Round, 1747

Richard Horwood, Plan of the Cities of London & Westminster, 1792-1799

Richard Horwood, Plan of the Cities of London & Westminster, 2nd edn 1813

Richard Horwood, Plan of the Cities of London & Westminster, revised 1819

Peter Potter, Survey of St Marylebone, 1832

G Lucus, Survey of St. Marylebone, 1846

Stanford's Library Map of London and its Suburbs, 1862

Stanford's Library Map of London and its Suburbs, 1877

Bacon, Map of London, 1888

OS 60" to 1 mile 1st edition surveyed 1867

2nd edition published 1894

3rd edition published 1919

1953 edition

1991 edition

1994 edition

Description written: 1998

Amended: 2002