The pocket park occupies the north edge of Chelsea Square, a private green surrounded by hedges for resident privacy. The open area originated around 1810 as Trafalgar Square, but redevelopment after 1920 removed about one-third when the Cadogan Estate built houses at the northern end. A thin raised bed of trees and concrete steps separated the new housing from the road for decades. In November 2022 SUGi received funding to replant that strip densely with shrubs to create a small "serenity forest" using the Miyawaki methodology. The Miyawaki approach establishes four layers of vegetation with high planting density. The planting was first displayed at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2022 and later installed at Chelsea Square. The new planting is fenced and not accessible, though seating surrounds the pocket park.
The pocket park sits to the north of Chelsea Square, a large private space surrounded by thick hedges to protect the privacy of the residents around it who have use of the space. However, it used to be even larger when it was built around 1810, and was originally called Trafalgar Square. However, when the leases expired in 1920, the entire area was redeveloped by the Cadogan Estate.
The thin row of planting next to the new housing remained pretty much unchanged for most of its life as little more than a row of trees on a raised bed of concrete and steps. That all changed in November 2022 when SUGi was given funding to replant the space with a huge number of shrubs to fill in the space and turn it into a "serenity forest".
Although its on a side street where few will see it, the original concept was seen by thousands, as it was planted at the entrance to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2022, and later replanted at Chelsea Square. As a densely planted space, and fenced off at the moment, you can't go into the forest, but you can sit around the
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