The Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona, the secret garden of the Plaza de la Paja in Madrid

In the heart of La Latina, Madrid's oldest neighbourhood, the Plaza de la Paja is a sloping square ringed by medieval and Renaissance buildings. Almost everyone crosses it without noticing an iron gate set into a brick wall, on the side that faces towards the Calle de Segovia. Beyond that wall is the Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona, a historic garden of about 500 square metres, the last of its kind to survive in the city's historic centre.

The history

The design dates back to 1761 and is attributed to the Frenchman Nicolas Chalmandrier; the adjoining palace, not open to visitors today, was built around 1530. The name comes from Pedro de Alcántara Téllez-Girón, Prince of Anglona, who lived here in the 19th century. The style is neoclassical, but with some features of Hispano-Arab gardens: rigorous geometry coexists with an idea of intimacy and of water as a central element.

The garden

Once inside, the space can be read at a glance. The central part is divided into four quadrants of low, squared box hedges, with a small granite fountain in the shape of a twisted column at the centre. Towards the Calle de Segovia the ground drops, and the change in level is resolved with an artificial embankment: here runs an avenue with a pergola and rose garden, while an iron gazebo (cenador) closes off the perspective. It's precisely this raised terrace that explains why the garden stays invisible from the street below: it sits one level up, screened by the perimeter wall.

The garden has had an eventful history. Abandoned for much of the 20th century, it passed to the Madrid City Council in 1978 and was rebuilt by the architect Eduardo Barceló de Torres in 1987, based on the historic layout. It only opened to the public in 2002. For this reason, though it's just metres from one of the liveliest squares in La Latina, it's skipped by those who don't know it exists: it doesn't appear on the quick circuits and the gate, when open, looks more like the entrance to a private property than to a municipal park.

Getting there

Getting there is simple. The handiest metro stop is La Latina (line 5); from there you climb up to the Plaza de la Paja in a few minutes on foot, passing beside the church of San Andrés and the Capilla del Obispo. The garden is a municipal park with free access, with daytime hours that vary by season (shorter in winter), so it's worth checking the day's opening before planning your visit: you can find the gate closed. It's a half-hour place, no more, and perfect as a break between one stop and the next in the Madrid de los Austrias: you sit in the shade of the pergola, listen to the fountain and get your breath back a stone's throw from the Mercado de la Cebada and the crowded tapas of Cava Baja. A practical tip for photographers: the best light on the hedges and the fountain is first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon, when the sun slants in over the wall.

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