Cavendish Square Gardens is set just off of Oxford Street, with Henrietta Place and Cavendish Place running east-to-west, and Regent and Wimpole Streets running north-to-south. The main feature of the area is the gardens themselves, which face the rear of John Lewis’ flagship store. The square in general is surrounded by Regency-era buildings, including the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal College of Nursing to the west – there are several other private medical establishments in the area. To the east is the Flanders Tourism Agency and the University of Westminster, amongst other establishments. Overall, the area is significantly quieter than Oxford Street to the south, and the park is often used by office workers to recuperate during lunch hours. Tourist traffic, however, is less existent, and the area is primarily commercial and institutional in nature. An underground carpark exists beneath Cavendish Square, with room for 521 cars and 83 motorcycles.

Cavendish Square was first laid out in 1717 for the 2nd Earl of Oxford, Edward Harley, by architect John Prince. Henrietta Place is named after the Earl’s wife, Henrietta Cavendish-Holles. Prior to that, the area was a circle of grass which was grazed by sheep. Two statues were added here in the 19th century, one was subsequently removed. The area featured in the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as the home of Dr. Lanyon, Jekyll’s best friend.

H. H. Asquith, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 up to 1916, lived on 20 Cavendish Square. Asquith was the last prime minister to lead a majority Liberal government, and led the country into the First World War. His government was repeatedly attacked for the shortages of munitions, as well as the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign, which forced him to enter a wartime coalition government with the Conservatives and Labour in 1915, and later to resign in 1916, when the coalition collapsed.

Many buses pass through the area, either on the way, on diversion, or coming off service from Oxford Street. As such, congestion in the area can get pretty bad, particularly when Oxford Street itself is jammed, pushing traffic into the area.

The area is largely built-up and has not seen new construction for several years, though the buildings in the area have seen refurbishment and renovations, mostly for commercial uses. One such project is the interior design of mid-century modernist tower development 33 Cavendish Square, carried out for Great Portland Estates. Harcourt House on 19 Cavendish Square has also restored and redeveloped from a mixed residential, office and medical building into a 25 luxury residences complex, with a private medical facility on the ground and lower ground floors.

Big plans are in the horizon for Cavendish Square as well. In 2020 Westminster City Council approved developer Reef Group’s plans to invest over £150m in Cavendish Square, transforming the space into a subterranean mixed-use destination focusing on health and wellbeing, the first large development scheme of its kind in London, and refurbish the Square, which would be at the top of the development at street level. The project harmonises with the adjacent Harley Street’s long-standing reputation for medical excellence and takes advantage of London’s £1.2 billion medical sector, the majority of which is concentrated in this West London street.