Mayfair’s oldest square will reopen next week after a £25 million makeover

If you work in Mayfair and fancy catching some rays on your lunch break over summer, we have some good news. The West End’s second biggest green space is back, and it’s got some shiny new features.

Mayfair locals will have noticed the fence barring entry to Grosvenor Square. The green space closed its gates on June 8 last year in preparation for what its landlord, property giant Grosvenor, has called ‘the most significant private investment in West End public green space in a generation’.

Now, the 300-year-old park is ready to welcome people back. Grosvenor Square will reopen to the public on Monday July 20, having been transformed into a first-of-its-kind biodiversity haven.

Now home to 150,000 plants, bulbs and new trees, Grosvenor has been redesigned to offer a calmer, more eco-friendly green space for people in central London. Plantings have increased from less than 1 percent to almost 50 percent. The plants and flowers which have been newly introduced will grow and mature, making the landscape richer and more luscious over time. New woodlands and wetlands have been introduced to provide homes for more wildlife. 

The horticulturists behind the development have added aspects which make it a better hangout for humans, too. Grosvenor Square’s entrances have been improved and 300 places to sit have been added. Public toilets, water fountains and better lighting and CCTV have been installed to make it easier to navigate, more welcoming and safer after dark. Plus, a new café kiosk will be serving sandwiches, ice cream, cakes and coffee throughout the day.

The Mayfair green space also has a new education centre, offering London Wildlife Trust programmes for kids and adults to learn about biodiversity. 

Grosvenor Square’s owners invested £25 million into the makeover, which includes some agricultural nods to its three centuries of history. Oval-shaped gardens, a feature dating back to the 1720s, have been reinstated. The park’s existing memorials, honouring Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Eagle Squadrons and the victims of 9/11, have all been integrated into the new layout.

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