Roy Strong described the garden as "one of London's hidden gems". Victoria Summerley, writing in Great Gardens of London felt that the garden "would not win any medals for garden design" and that the design of the garden was "not an exercise in metropolitan chic or horticultral bling" but instead reflected the features of an "archetypal British back garden" including roses, a shaded area, a large lawn and raised vegetable beds. Summerley observed the evolution of the garden's design, noting that in 1964 it featured only a "very straightforward boring layout of lawn" with a "meagre border around the edge" as evidenced in a photograph of Harold Wilson's cabinet taken in the garden. The shape of the garden has remained unchanged since its creation. The garden's simple design of largely lawn with mature trees, rose beds and flowering shrubs remained unchanged for several years.
