A 200-person air raid shelter was built under the park during the Second World War, one of dozens in central London. In 2015, Westminster City Council announced plans to put it up for sale. In April 1951, the residents' Soho Square Garden Committee leased the garden to Westminster City Council for 21 years; the garden was not restored and opened to the public until April 1954. New iron railings and gates were provided in 1959 by the Soho Square Garden Committee with the assistance of Westminster City Council.