I wonder if I should have bought a property in Chelsea when I started working in London? With a mortgage I expect I could but I am glad I didn’t.London’s private garden squares are oases of verdant, manicured tranquility when you squint at them through the railings. The railings were often removed during the war, pointlessly as it happens, but an opportunity to make these exclusive private spaces public did not often happen and in most cases they were swiftly replaced; Berkeley Square is a prominent exception. This was the case in Cadogan Place with more than seven acres of private garden and Belgrave Square which is only a little smaller. I visited the latter in 2017 and was fortunate to find a key holder willing to smuggle me in.
Of course the idea of being a short walk from Sloane Square appeals – more than being A Short Walk from Harrods, the title of one of Dirk Bogarde’s volumes of memoirs. Peter Jones, lashings of restaurants and John Sandoe Books are all tempting. But Cadogan Gardens does not appeal and here’s why.
Margravine Cemetery is a public space (about fifteen acres) and somehow manages to be all things to all men. In 2016 daily footfall averaged 5,685. Three nearby schools are a challenge and litter is, like the poor, always with us. It is still in use as a cemetery but accommodates walkers, with or without dogs, people walking to and from the station or the hospital, picnickers, sunbathers and other activities: on Friday evening a group assembled for a guided Bat Walk. Recently about twenty trees were felled as they were old and becoming dangerous. New planting exceeds this many times over. The landscape is maintained and managed by the council and they do an excellent job. In recent years they have become more aware of environmental issues and have a policy of encouraging flora and fauna. They are supported and guided, if necessary, by the Friends of Margravine Cemetery.
It’s easy to be complacent and take such a valuable local asset for granted.