SQUARES 239 



was built about 1820. The farm on that spot, which 

 in 1676 came to the Grosvenor family, was a farm of 

 430 acres in Queen Elizabeth's time, and is mentioned 

 as early as 1307, when Edward I. gave John de 

 Benstede permission to fortify it. There was only one 

 road across the swampy ground from St. James's to 

 Chelsea, and that was the King's Road, which followed 

 the line of the centre of Eaton Square. There were, 

 however, numerous footpaths, infested by footpads and 

 robbers at night, and bright with wild flowers and 

 scented by briar roses by day. There is a great same- 

 ness among all the squares between Vauxhall Bridge 

 and the Pimlico Road. Of this latter original-sounding 

 name there seems no satisfactory explanation. The 

 space between Warwick Street and the river, was in 

 old times occupied by the Manor House of Neyte, 

 and in later days by nurseries and a tea garden, known 

 as the Neat House. The ground near Eccleston Square 

 was an osier bed. The whole surface was raised by 

 Cubitt, with soil from St. Katherine's Docks in 1827, 

 and the houses built, and square gardens laid out ; Eccle- 

 ston in 1835, Warwick 1843, ^c George's 1850, and so 

 on until the whole was covered. The gardens are all 

 in the same style, and have no horticultural interest. 

 The garden in front of Cadogan Place varied most from 

 the usual pattern, having been designed by Repton. 

 " Instead of raising the surface to the level of the street, 

 as had usually been the custom, by bringing earth from 

 a distance," he " recommended a valley to be formed 

 through its whole length, with other lesser valleys flow- 

 ing from it, and hills to be raised by the ground so 

 taken from the valleys." The original intention was to 

 bring the overflow of the Serpentine down Repton's 



