Garden square

A garden square is an open space with buildings surrounding a garden, often located in fashionable urban areas. There are many garden squares in London, England, for example. The large estates in London, e.g., the Bedford Estate in Bloomsbury, included garden squares in their development. Originally the gardens were a private amenity for the residents of the houses in the square. Some remain private, while others are now open to the public, serving as small parks. There may be levies to raise money for maintenance of the garden in a garden square. Normally the charge is set annually by a garden committee.

However they are not only a British phenomenon, as the Place des Vosges in Paris and the Square de Meeûs and Square Orban in Brussels show. Dublin, Ireland contains several Georgian garden squares, including Merrion Square.

Private gardens in town squares are sometimes opened to the public on a temporary basis.

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