Mount Street Gardens
mayfair's secret sun-trap
A hidden, sun-trapping garden in the heart of Mayfair, free, ringed by towering plane trees and benches whose loving inscriptions are half the charm.
Free to visit · Mayfair · Bond Street · W1K 2TH
Opening: Daily · dawn to dusk
Hidden behind the grand red-brick mansions of Mayfair is one of the most charming small gardens in London, and almost nobody who is not local knows it is there. Mount Street Gardens is a sheltered, leafy enclosure of huge London plane trees, shrubs and flowerbeds, free to sit in, ringed by the back of an ornate Victorian church.
Its great quirk is the benches. Many carry touching inscriptions, a surprising number from Americans who loved this quiet corner of London, little messages of devotion to the city and to the garden itself. Reading them is a gentle, moving way to pass a few minutes.
Because the surrounding buildings shelter it from the wind, it acts as a sun-trap, which is why on any bright day you will find Mayfair workers and in-the-know locals tucked on its benches with a sandwich. A free, peaceful pocket in one of the priciest postcodes in the world.
Getting there: Tucked behind Mount Street and South Audley Street in Mayfair, a few minutes from Bond Street or Green Park.
Best time to go: A sunny weekday lunchtime, when the sheltered garden traps the warmth and the Mayfair workers come out to sit.
Insider tip: Read the bench inscriptions, many left by Americans who adored this hidden corner, for the garden's quiet emotional heart. Being sheltered, it is one of the warmest free spots in central London to sit out on a sunny day.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide