New images show reinstatement of Mayfair square’s original 1720s oval and more than 70,000 newly added plants
New images of Tonkin Liu and BDP’s £25m transformation of Grosvenor Square have been unveiled ahead of the central London location’s reopening next Monday.
The historic Mayfair square, the capital’s second largest, has been redesigned for only the fourth time in its 300-year history with the scheme focusing on increasing the site’s biodiversity and resistance to urban flooding.
Newly added greenery includes some 70,000 new plants, 80,000 bulbs, 44 trees and two new wetland areas, increasing the square’s planted area from less than 1% to almost half.
The square’s reopening on 20 July will be the culmination of a 10-year ambition led by landowners Grosvenor Group, the property company owned by the Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor, whose ancestors laid out the original square in the 1720s.
Designed by Tonkin Liu and delivered by BDP, the scheme has drawn on the square’s early Georgian origins with the reinstatement of its original central oval-shaped green while adding new seating, public toilets, entrances, water fountains and lighting.
It also includes a new cafe kiosk and education centre offering programmes on biodiversity and climate change delivered by the London Wildlife Trust.
Hugh Grosvenor said the reopening would be a “very special moment for Grosvenor and for this part of London.”
“The Square has been at the heart of Mayfair for three hundred years, and our responsibility has been to respect that history while ensuring it is ready to serve London for the next century,” he said.
London mayor Sadiq Khan added: “It’s amazing to see Grosvenor Square revitalised with dozens of new plant species and wildlife, providing a space where both Londoners and visitors can reconnect with nature.
“This extraordinary urban garden showcases how investment in our public spaces can help to build a greener, fairer and better city for everyone.”
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