Garden Square News

Dedicated to protecting London’s communal garden squares

Our mission at Garden Square News is to enhance and defend the more than 150 central London communal gardens and improve the environment for those living around them.

 Our activities include:

•  Campaigning against encroachment and inappropriate development

• Helping garden committees improve the management of their areas

• Reporting local news unreported elsewhere

• Developing new facilities to solve garden problems

• Sharing helpful and experienced advice from garden to garden

• Holding local government to account

For 26 years GSN has been building a unique reputation as the go-to publication on garden square challenges from defeating illegal construction to managing foxes and over-enthusiastic children’s football games. 

Created in 1995 by seasoned international journalist Holly Smith, GSN, published twice yearly, has a dedicated readership among garden committees and concerned residents in central London, Edinburgh and New York.  The magazine has received civic service awards from the Mayor of London and the Mayor of Kensington & Chelsea.

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Service Providers

Garden Square News and its readers have been pleased with the work done by the firms listed below, although the magazine can offer no guarantees.

GARDEN-RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS

Fox control

Fox-A-Gon

Provides non-lethal and sustainable fox control. Experienced in deterring foxes from London's communal gardens.

Garden technical services

Garden Squa.re

Specialist communal garden contractors providing security cameras, access control, electrical connections, irrigation and more

Gravel

Grundon

Close textured path gravel, natural brown colour, hard wearing, low maintenance.

Insurance

Keegan & Pennykid (Insurance Brokers) Ltd

Founded in Edinburgh in 1968, Keegan & Pennykid is an independent, second generation, family-owned insurance broker which provides expert advice and a highly personalised service to clients throughout the UK.

Irrigation

Irrigarden

Irrigation systems, water storage, grey water recycling. Currently managing watering systems in 16 communal gardens.

Locks for garden gates

PES Southern Ltd.

Installation of electronic key systems for communal garden gates.

Maintenance of gardens

Garden Associates

London's leading specialist in the maintenance of squares and communal gardens. e-mail gardenassociates@btinternet.com

Joseph Jones Contract Gardeners Limited

Over 35 years' experience in maintaining garden squares.

Management of communal gardens and property

Westbourne Block Management Limited

Managers of gardens, private houses and blocks of flats.

Notice boards for gardens

Greenbarnes

Suppliers of notice boards, signage, street furniture and cabinet-making. We have many happy garden square customers.

Plant Labels

Sheen Botanical Labels

We engrave botanical and plant labels to clients' specific orders, mainly for botanical, horticultural or arboricultural uses - but also in a range of other situations where elegant and discreet information needs to be displayed.

Playgrounds

Treesaurus.com

Designers and makers of playgrounds, tree houses, bin stores, and garden compost structures.

Scaffolders

L&R Scaffolding

Considerate scaffolders who use traditional wrenches to assemble the scaffolding, not noisy bolt-tightening machines.

Soil aeration

Terrain Aeration

Specialists in deep soil aeration and decompaction services.

Solicitors

Forsters LLP

Legal advisors to garden square committees in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Specialists in residential, private client and commercial property law. For garden issues ask for Robert Barham.

Teak garden furniture

Chic Teak

UK's leading supplier of sustainable teak furniture, including benches and planters.

Tree surgeons and tree advice

Tim George Tree Services Limited

Local authority approved contractors, maintaining trees in communal gardens in Westminster, Kensington and Hampstead.

The Tree Agency

An expert and caring company providing tree and horticultural services to the highest standards of quality and safety for more than 40 years.

The Tree Company

Complete aboricultural service -- consultancy, tree surveys, and tree surgery.

GENERAL SERVICE PROVIDERS

Building conservation experts

Hilary Bell, Conservation Architect

Expert advice on the alteration, refurbishment, and care of listed and period buildings.

Coffee suppliers

Sea Island Coffee

Located on Old Brompton Road, Sea Island Coffee specialises in sourcing an extensive range of the world's rarest single-origin coffees. From Jamaica Blue Mountain to St Helena, each coffee is freshly roasted and available as whole beans, ground coffee, and Nespresso pods.

Car repair and servicing

Galicia Motors Ltd.

Your local Kensington garage. MOT repairs, servicing, electronics, and general repairs.

Framers and fine art

Campbell’s of London

Master Picture Framers and Art Gallery since 1966. Your local art specialists offering handmade frames, art, fine art printing and picture hanging.

Music

Royal College of Music

For musicians for events at your home or in your garden square, please contact Georgina Colebrook: georgina.colebrook@rcm.ac.uk. For music teachers for adults and children, please contact teachingservice@rcm.ac.uk.

Newspaper delivery service

Renown Newspaper Services

Opticians

Lauder and Rees Opthhalmic Opticians

Providing expert eye examinations and stylish glasses.

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