It appears that the garden was the first element to be laid out in 1836. At one time within the Manor of Chelsea, land in the area was purchased by Sir Hans Sloane in 1712; on his death his estate was divided between his two daughters, the eastern part going to Elizabeth, becoming the Cadogan Estate on her marriage to Charles Cadogan. With architect Henry Holland, Cadogan began developing the 90-acre estate from the 1770s, to be called Hans Town. The garden has reinstated cast iron railings, and is laid out with grass, shrubs and trees, and a central feature. Formerly known as Oakley Square, its name was changed in 1875 in honour of the philosopher Thomas Carlyle, who lived in Chelsea.