Fassett Square, a residential Victorian square built in the early 1860s, is seen in Hackney, east London, on May 16. The fictional Albert Square, in long-running British soap Eastenders, is based on Fassett Square. With London bracing itself for thousands of visitors during the Olympic Games, locals will appreciate more than ever the wealth of secret gardens and quiet corners dotted around the city.

A family picnics in the private Warwick Square in Pimlico, London, on June 9. The private garden was designed in 1842 by Thomas Cubbitt. With London bracing itself for thousands of visitors during the Olympic Games, locals will appreciate more than ever the wealth of secret gardens and quiet corners dotted around the city.

A woman and boy eat lunch on a bench in Onslow Square Gardens in Kensington, west London, on April 17. The square dates from 1839 and famous ex residents include author William Makepeace Thackeray and the designer of Nelson's Column William Railton. With London bracing itself for thousands of visitors during the Olympic Games, locals will appreciate more than ever the wealth of secret gardens and quiet corners dotted around the city.