About the Literary London: the Garden Squares of Bloomsbury Walk in London
Following the plague of 1665 and the great fire of 1666, wealthy Londoners started moving beyond the walls of the crowded City, looking for more space and healthier surroundings. Aristocratic families like the Dukes of Bedford (family name Russell) planned squares as self-contained communities with a square garden in the centre..
Bloomsbury became the first neighbourhood in London to have a square so-called; it was Southampton Square, now Bloomsbury Square. John Evelyn, the diarist, described it as 'a noble square or piazza - a little towne'. As long as the façade was uniform, developers could build what they liked behind. Squares soon became popular and are still a distinctively London style of urban design; today there are 600 of them!
Bloomsbury is London's intellectual quarter, developed as such after the establishment of the British Museum in the 1750s. The area is home to world famous institutions like University College, London (the first university in London) and Great
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Following the plague of 1665 and the great fire of 1666, wealthy Londoners started moving beyond the walls of the crowded City, looking for more space and healthier surroundings. Aristocratic families like the Dukes of Bedford (family name Russell) planned squares as self-contained communities with a square garden in the centre..
Bloomsbury became the first neighbourhood in London to have a square so-called; it was Southampton Square, now Bloomsbury Square. John Evelyn, the diarist, described it as 'a noble square or piazza - a little towne'. As long as the façade was uniform, developers could build what they liked behind. Squares soon became popular and are still a distinctively London style of urban design; today there are 600 of them!
Bloomsbury is London's intellectual quarter, developed as such after the establishment of the British Museum in the 1750s. The area is home to world famous institutions like University College, London (the first university in London) and Great Ormond Street Hospital for children as well as RADA (Royal Academy for Dramatic Arts). Bloomsbury also gave its name to the literary group centred around Virginia Woolf. Many members of the group lived in the squares we will visit.
This walk will explore some of the more famous, and the lesser known garden squares in Bloomsbury. We will discuss the importance of these green oases in a grey city and how much they help to beautify the city. Until the 19th century Bloomsbury was largely residential until the suburbs to the west and north of London developed. Today most of these garden squares are open to the public and we will look at the design of the gardens and the varieties of plants and trees.
We start our walk in Bloomsbury Square where we will discuss its social importance (one side was originally built just for the servants of the big houses), its famous residents and institutions, including Spinks, the coin, medal and stamp auctioneers.
We'll continue our walk with Queen Square, also known as Medical Square developed in the 18th century, and Russell Square with the historic Russell Hotel. This magnificent building was designed by architect Fitzroy Doll, one of the architects involved in designing the Titanic and some of the hotel rooms echo the interior of that fateful ship. The magnificent gardens have recently been restored to the original designs of Humphrey Repton
We will make a detour to look at Coram Fields (entry only possible if you are accompanied by a child) and discuss the Foundling Hospital and its famous benefactors including Hogarth, Handel and the local resident Charles Dickens. Your attention will be drawn to the Dickens House museum in Doughty Street.
After Woburn Place we will end in Tavistock Square - now dedicated to peace with a beautiful statue of Mahatma Gandhi at its centre. The statues of Virginia Woolf, Louisa Aldrich Blake remind us of the literary associations of the area. A visit to Bloomsbury would not be complete without a stop in Gordon Square, where the two sisters Vanessa Bell and Virginia Wolf started their cultural circle and of course Bedford Square. This is the most perfectly preserved of the 18th century squares in London. Originally, it was set almost in the country - rather like a small suburb. It was enclosed by gates so no traffic came through and tradesmen had to make deliveries personally. It was the home of publishers including, Warne who published the Beatrix Potter books. Today, it's home to many prestigious institutions including the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, Architectural Association School of Architecture, Yale University Pres
