Squares in London

St. James's Square, c. 1722

Fitzroy Square

Squares have long been a feature of London and come in numerous identifiable forms. The landscaping spectrum of squares stretches from those containing more hardscape constituting town squares (also known as city squares) to those containing planted communal gardens, for which London is a major international exponent, known as garden squares.

A few in the capital of the United Kingdom such as Trafalgar Square were from the outset public open spaces in exactly the same way as other city squares worldwide, typically a plaza, piazza and a platz in Spain, Italy and Germany. Most, however, were garden squares that were originally built as private communal gardens for use by the inhabitants of the surrounding houses. All types of the space are more prevalent in parts of London with high (urban) density. Some of these gardens are now open to the public, while others, for example around Notting Hill, are still fenced and private.

The terminology has been loosely applied for over a century. Some have irregular shape — three triangles and pentagon feature among those officially named Square. Approbative and technical studies of garden squares commonly cover equivalent landscaped communal gardens not named as a Square many of which spaces have become small public parks — a diversity of descriptive names features at the list of London's "garden squares".

Name and shape

"Square" is a generic term for neat, planned or set aside urban open spaces larger than a verge or pavement overlooked by buildings. In London elements of fields were set aside, a fact reflected in the name of the square London Fields and two later examples: Coram's Fields and Lincoln's Inn Fields. Some are not actually square, or even rectangular. One reason for this is the use of a local nickname for the street, park or garden in question. Another is that some older squares were irregularly shaped to begin with, or lost their original layout due to the city's many transformations, not least following the Great Fire of London and The Blitz.

The street naming (or streetnaming) authority of each London Borough and the City of London Corporation by authority of an Act of 1939 imposes rules to authorise appropriate street names for new developments and for owners wishing to rename features.^[1] Commercial building and retained historic names apart, new residential squares must in many boroughs be "for a square only" — considered not well elongated but rectangular and to some extent open.^[2] Billiter Square, EC3 and Millennium Square, SE1 in districts dominated by retail, commerce and offices are among many modern buildings (not beside a visible rectangular open space) which have alternative, higher built density, square features to their design, such as a courtyard or a square footprint.

Some squares are paved (Granary Square); some grass and trees (Russell Square); many others diverse communal gardens. Most of those which are square have the word in their name and these are listed below; others more flexibly identified do not; such notable lists are commonly identified as list of garden squares or "estate gardens", "communal gardens", "formal gardens" about which many books have been written. Increasingly, spaces are being constructed that are legally private, although in practice open to the public (Paternoster Square).

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea contains over a hundred garden squares whose use is restricted to residents. The upkeep of these spaces (almost all named after their adjoining streets for example Square/Crescent/Gardens/Place) is partly paid for through a levy on top of residents' council tax.^[3] One instance is a lune, The Boltons.

Toward the public end of the public/private continuum, London's growth has taken in village greens. A minority of these partly or wholly survive such as Newington Green to form council-run open spaces breaking up housing, road networks and/or retail streets. The categories of greens and garden squares become more well-visited scaled up, above an informal cut-off, being the today mainly government-run, characteristic parks and open spaces in London — less urban such land includes London's 26 commons most of which were significantly reduced in size in the period of Inclosure and 16 country parks.

History

Social importance

An illuminated wire sculpture of a nightingale, displayed in London's Berkeley Square as part of Lumiere London 2018, an art festival. The sculpture and the accompanying soundtrack A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square formed an art installation titled 'Was that a dream?' by a French artist Cédric Le Borgne.^[13]

The local proliferation relative to other UK cities coupled with, since the early 20th century, their widespread opening up has similarly made squares broadly cited in portrayals of London. Initially cultural use was mainly confined to novels and, to a lesser degree, fine art.

"It's a Long Way to Tipperary" is a 1910s song featuring the line "Farewell Leicester Square". "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a romantic hit of 1940 with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin, sang that year separately by Ray Noble and Vera Lynn and a theme of a film the next year, by Fritz Lang., Man Hunt. In the 1956 song "Why Can't The English?" from the musical My Fair Lady, Professor Henry Higgins laments, "Hear them down in Soho Square/Dropping H's everywhere."

Drama most notably includes the high-audience soap opera broadcast by the BBC running since 1985, EastEnders based on a semi-permanent set north of London's border, Albert Square. It had pre-release titles Square Dance, Round the Square, Round the Houses, London Pride and East 8.^[14]

Soho Square garden contains a bench that commemorates the singer Kirsty MacColl, who wrote the song "Soho Square" for her album Titanic Days. After her death in 2000, fans bought a memorial bench in her honour, inscribing the lyrics: "One day I'll be waiting there / No empty bench in Soho Square".^[15] The Lindisfarne album Elvis Lives On the Moon also includes a song named after that square.^[16]

Notable communal gardens surrounded by buildings

• Arundel Gardens
• Park Crescent
• Royal Crescent
• Cambridge Gardens, London
• Egerton Gardens
• Finsbury Circus
• Grosvenor Square
• Hans Place
• Lennox Gardens, London
• Russell Square
• Belgrave Square
• Berkeley Square
• Kensington Square
• Kensington Park Gardens
• Golden Square
• Soho Square
• Bedford Square
• Sloane Square
• St. James's Square
• Clapton Square
• St George's Square
• Harrington Gardens
• The Boltons
• Wilton Crescent

Most notable town squares

• Trafalgar Square
• Leicester Square
• Parliament Square

List of Greater London squares

The tables below state whether each Square is set around an open-air focus. It comprises, only, roads and communal spaces with the word Square. Those marked No may be squares in an unconventional sense — a building or complex that has around it a paved or road area / a building with a covered forum and/or atrium or a throwback to when it may have had a communal focus.

Demolished squares are listed in a table at the end of this section.

They are arranged by postcode, see the map below of postcodes.

London post town postcodes

City (EC)

Name	Post district	Open-to-sky area between buildings	Image
Exchange	EC2	Yes
Monkwell	EC2	Yes
Finsbury	EC2	Yes
Devonshire	EC2	Yes
Paternoster	EC4	Yes
St Helen’s	EC3	Yes
Ludgate	EC4	No
Reliance	EC2	No
Mark	EC2	Yes
Finsbury Avenue	EC2	Yes
New Inn	EC2	No
Trinity	EC3	Yes
Brewery	EC1	Yes
Rosebery	EC1	No	[n 1]
Coldbath (historically Cold Bath)	EC1	Yes
St John’s	EC1	Yes
Myddelton	EC1	Yes
America	EC3	Yes
Aldermanbury	EC2	Yes
Salisbury	EC4	Yes
New St	EC4	Yes
Gough	EC4	Yes
Waterhouse	EC1	Yes
King	EC1	Yes
Northampton	EC1	Yes
Charterhouse	EC1	Yes	[n 2][17]
Warwick	EC4	Yes	[n 3]
Bartholomew	EC1	No	[n 4]
Bridgewater	EC2	No	A small pre-school playground

City (WC)

Name	Post district	Open-to-sky area between buildings	Image
Queen	WC1	Yes
New	WC2	Yes
Red Lion	WC1	Yes
Gray’s Inn	WC1	Yes
South	WC1	Yes
Bloomsbury	WC1	Yes
Regent	WC1	Yes
Mecklenburgh	WC1	Yes	[n 5]
Granville	WC1	Yes
Wilmington	WC1	Yes
Lloyd	WC1	Yes
Brunswick	WC1	Yes	[n 6]
Torrington	WC1	Yes
Tavistock	WC1	Yes
Gordon	WC1	Yes
Woburn	WC1	Yes
Russell	WC1	Yes
Bedford	WC1	Yes
Fleet	WC1	Yes	[n 7]
Wells	WC1	Yes	[n 7]
Argyle	WC1	Yes

Inner

North and northwest

Name	Post district	Open-to-sky area between buildings	Image
Canonbury	N1	Yes
Union	N1	Yes
Arlington	N1	Yes
Claremont	N1	Yes
Hoxton	N1	Yes
Charles	N1	Yes
Highbury	N5	Yes
Euston	NW1	Yes
Munster	NW1	Yes
Park	NW1	Yes
Dorset	NW1	Yes
Blandford	NW1	Yes
Cloudesley	N1	Yes
John Spencer	N1	Yes	[n 8]
De Beauvoir	N1	Yes
Old Royal Free	N1	Yes
Lonsdale	N1	Yes
Gibson	N1	Yes
Milner	N1	Yes
Barnsbury	N1	Yes
Alwyne	N1	Yes
Thornhill	NW1	Yes
Edward	N1	Yes
Tolmers	NW1	Yes
Chalcot	NW1	Yes
Oakley	NW1	Yes
Harrington	NW1	Yes
Ampthill	NW1	Yes
Wilton	N1	Yes	[n 9]
St Mark’s	NW1	Yes	[n 10]
South	NW11	Yes
North	NW11	Yes
Litchfield	NW11	Yes	same layout as Lucas Square below
Lucas	NW11	Yes
Pond	N6	Yes
Camden	NW1	Yes
Anderson	N1	Yes
Peabody	N1	Yes
Packington	N1	Yes
Canalside	N1	Yes
Red House	N1	Yes
Northpoint and Caledonian	NW1	No	[n 11]
1 Hamond	N1	No	[n 12]
Triton	NW1	No
Rochester	NW1	No
Uhura	N16	No

West and southwest

Name	Post district	Open-to-sky area between buildings	Image
Berkeley	W1	Yes
Grosvenor	W1	Yes
Belgrave	SW1	Yes
Parliament	SW1	Yes
Fitzroy	W1	Yes
Cavendish	W1	Yes
Manchester	W1	Yes
Portman	W1	Yes
Montagu	W1	Yes
Bryanston	W1	Yes
Smith	SW1	Yes	[n 13]
Earl’s Court	SW5	Yes
Redcliffe	SW10	Yes
Nevern	SW5	Yes
St George's	SW1	Yes
Warwick	SW1	Yes
Eccleston	SW1	Yes
Vincent	SW1	Yes
Lindsay	SW1	Yes
Dolphin	SW1	Yes	[n 14]
Victoria	SW1	Yes
Ebury	SW1	Yes
Eaton	SW1	Yes
Lowndes	SW1	Yes
Cleveland	W2	Yes
Montpelier	SW7	Yes
Trevor	SW7	Yes
Brompton	SW3	Yes
Thurloe	SW7	Yes
Hereford	SW7	Yes
Onslow	SW7	Yes
Admiral	SW10	Yes
Coleridge	SW10	Yes
Alexander	SW3	Yes	[n 15]
Ovington	SW3	Yes
Wellington	SW3	Yes
Chelsea	SW3	Yes
Carlyle	SW3	Yes
Tedworth	SW3	Yes
Cadogan	SW1	Yes
Markham	SW3	Yes
Sloane	SW1	Yes
Duke of York	SW3	No
Paultons	SW3	Yes
St Mary’s	W2	Yes
Cambridge	W2	Yes
Oxford	W2	Yes
Sheldon	W2	Yes
Lancer	W8	Yes
Rose	SW3	Yes	[n 16]
Chantry	W8	Yes	[n 17]
St Mary’s or Old Ealing	W5	Yes
Kensington	W8	Yes
St Andrews	W11	Yes
Wesley	W11	Yes
Mortimer	W11	Yes
St Charles	W10	No
Colville	W11	Yes
Powis	W11	Yes
Orme	W11	Yes
Porchester	W2	Yes
Princes	W2	Yes
Pembridge	W2	Yes
Leinster	W2	Yes
Katherine	W11	Yes
Norland	W11	Yes
Campden Hill	W8	Yes
Edwardes	W8	Yes
Wycombe	W8	Yes
Ravenscourt	W6	Yes
St Peter's Square	W6	Yes
Ashcroft	W6	Yes
Westcroft	W6	Yes
Essex Place (Market) Square Chiswick High Road	W4	Yes
Lyric Square	W6	Yes
Shuters	W14	Yes
Orchard	W14	Yes
Vine	W14	Yes
Audley, South Audley Street	W1	No
Franklin	W14	No	[n 18]
Fountain	SW1	No
Brassey	SW11	No
Chesterton	W8	No	[n 19]
Lampeter	W6	No	[n 20]
Nottingdale	W11	No	[n 11]
St Edmunds	SW13	Yes
Grafton	SW4	Yes
Fenner	SW11	Yes	[n 21]
Monarch	SW11	Yes
Battersea	SW11	Yes
Ivory	SW11	Yes
Heathfield	SW18	No
Restoration	SW11	No
White's	SW4	No
Philpot	SW6	No
Macaulay	SW4	Yes
Imperial	SW6	Yes
Hurlingham	SW6	Yes
Marryat	SW6	Yes
Red Lion	SW18	No
Hardwicks	SW18	No

South

Name	Postal district	Open to air communal space	Image
Brewery	SE1	Yes
Avondale	SE1	Yes
Perkins	SE1	Yes
Nelson	SE1	Yes
St Philip	Battersea, SW8	Yes	[n 22]
West	SE11	Yes
Cleaver	SE11	Yes
Bermondsey	SE16	Yes
Merrick	SE1	Yes
Thorburn	SE1	Yes
Helsinki	SE16	Yes
Gatehouse	SE1	Yes
Surrey	SE1	Yes
Providence	SE1	Yes
Millennium, Shad Thames	SE1	Yes
Edward	SE16	Yes
Elizabeth	SE16	Yes
Frederick	SE16	Yes
Helena	SE16	Yes
Sophia	SE16	Yes
William	SE16	Yes
New Place	SE16	Yes
Lockwood	SE16	Yes
Marden	SE16	Yes
Layard	SE16	Yes
St Olav’s	SE16	Yes	[18][19]
Reveley	SE16	Yes	[n 18]
Greenacre	SE16	Yes	[n 18]
Great Guildford Business	SE1	No
Bergen	SE16	No
Tillett	SE16	Yes
Graphite, Vauxhall Walk	SE11	Yes
Cornwall, Kennings Way	SW11	Yes	[n 23]
John Parker	SW11	Yes	[n 21]
Holliday	SW11	Yes	[n 21]
Weekley	SW11	Yes	[n 21]
Winchester	SE1	No
Cobalt	Vauxhall, SW8	Yes
Albert	SW8	Yes
Walcot	SE11	Yes	[n 24]
St Georges	SE8	Yes	[n 25]
Trinity Church	SE1	Yes	[n 26]
Montague	SE15	Yes
Peabody	SE1	Yes
Sutherland	SE17	Yes
Peckham	SE15	Yes
Granville	SE15	Yes
Yarnfield	SE15	Yes
Choumert	SE15	Yes
Vivian	SE15	Yes
Galatea	SE15	Yes
Huguenot	SE15
Shard's	SE15	No	[n 27]
Dickens	SE1	Yes
Hamilton	SE1	Yes
Fountain Green	SE16	Yes
Bonnington	SW8	Yes
Addington	SE5	Yes
Rust	SE5	Yes
Foxley	SW9	Yes
Nightingale	SW12	Yes
Lorrimore	SE17	Yes
Flat Iron	SE1	No	[20]
Gagarin, Southwark Street	SE1	No	[n 24]
Westminster Business	SE11	No	[n 28]

East

Name	Post district	Open to air communal space	Image
Clapton	E5	Yes
Tredegar	E3	Yes
Canada	E14	Yes
Cabot	E14	Yes
Thomas More	E1	Yes
Chow	E8	Yes
Time	E8	Yes
Lea	E3	Yes
Hornbeam	E3	Yes
Grayling	E2	Yes
Murray	E16	No	[n 29]
Patriot	E2	No
Bishops, Spitalfields Market	E1	Yes
Spital	E1	No	[n 30]
Bartholomew	E1	Yes
Beaumont	E1	Yes
Carlton	E1	Yes
Harpley	E1	Yes
Avis	E1	Yes
Sidney	E1	Yes
Petticoat	E1	Yes
Arbour	Stepney, E1	Yes
Brayford	E1	Yes	[n 31]
Rectory	E1	Yes
Roy	E14	Yes	[n 32]
York	E14	Yes
Cutlers	E14	Yes	[n 33]
St David’s	E14	Yes	[21]
The Mother's	E5	Yes	[n 18]
Shalborne	E9	Yes
Silk Mills	E9	Yes
Leabank	E9	Yes
Oakum	E11	Yes	[n 34]
Stonechat	E6	Yes	[n 35]
Partridge	E6	Yes	[n 35]
Royal Victoria	E16	Yes
Lampern	E2	Yes
Old Market	E2	Yes
Ambassador	E14	Yes	[n 36]
St Georges	E14	Yes
Alphabet Square	E3	Yes	[n 18]
Aqua Vista	E3	Yes
Guerin	E3	Yes
St George's	E7	No
Regent	E3	No
Old School	E14	No
Athol	E14	No
Torrens	E15	No
Olympus	E5	No
Sheffield	E3	Yes
Trellis	E3	Yes
Gerry Raffles Square and Theatre Square	E15	Yes
Lanark	E14	Yes
Burrells Wharf	E14	Yes
Capstan	E14	Yes
Cumberland Mills	E14	No	[n 37]
Torres, Bering and Vulcan	E14	Yes	[n 18]
Botanic	E14	Yes
Transom	E14	No
Forge	E14	Yes
Hopewell	E14
Hymek	E14
Warrior	E12	No
St Luke’s	E16	No
St Thomas’s	E9	Yes
Goldsmith’s	E2	No
Ion	E2	Yes
St Peter’s	E2	Yes
Evergreen	E8	Yes
Pollard	E2	Yes
Chant	E15	No
Barnby	E15	No
Market, Chrisp Street	E14	Yes
Shaw	E17	Yes
Fassett	E9	Yes
Primrose	E9	No
Principal, Chelmer Road	E9	No
Sutton	E9	Yes	[n 18]
The Square, High Road	E10	Yes
O’Leary	E1	Yes
Education	E1	No
Douthwaite	E1	Yes
Cork	E1	Yes
Wellclose	E1	Yes
Albert	E15	No
Maryland	E15	No
Portland	E1	No	[n 37]
Tollgate	E6	No	[n 38]
Goose	E6	No	[n 38]
Butterfield	E6	No	[n 38]
Martineau	E1	No	[n 38]

Outer

East

Name	Post town	Post district	Open to air communal space	Image
Brandesbury	Woodford Green	IG8	Yes
Rosebury	Woodford Green	IG8	Yes
Brackley	Woodford Green	IG6	Yes	[n 39]
Eastbury	Barking	IG11	Yes
Warrington	Dagenham	RM8	Yes
The Square	Ilford	IG1	Yes
The Square	Woodford Green	IG8	Yes
Noel	Dagenham	RM8	Yes	[n 40]
Causton	Dagenham	RM9	Yes
Arnett	London	E4	Yes
Manor	Dagenham	RM8	No
Osborne	Dagenham	RM9	No
Hunters	Dagenham	RM9	No

West

Name	Post town	Post district	Open to air communal space	Image
Dolphin	London	W4	Yes	[n 35]
Townfield	Hayes	UB3	Yes
Emerald	Southall	UB2	Yes
The Square	Uxbridge	UB11	Yes
Coleridge	London	W13	Yes	[n 18]
Haliday	Southall	UB2	Yes	[n 18]
Cubitt	Southall	UB2	Yes	[n 18]
Chiswick	London	W4	No
Drenon	Hayes	UB3	No
Tudor	Hayes	UB3	No

South West

Name	Post town	Post district	Open to air communal space	Image
Aubyn	London	SW15	Yes
Emerald	London	SW15	Yes
Toland	London	SW15	Yes
Vanneck	London	SW15	Yes
Chartfield	London	SW15	Yes
Barringer	London	SW17	Yes
Bevin	London	SW17	Yes
Pavilion	London	SW17	Yes	[n 18]
Chapman	London	SW19	Yes
Sutton	Hounslow	TW5	Yes
Epsom	Hounslow	TW6	Yes
New Chapel	Feltham	TW13	Yes
New	Feltham	TW14	Yes	[n 18]
Market	Kingston upon Thames	KT1	Yes
Sigrist	Kingston upon Thames	KT1	Yes	[n 18]
Topiary	Richmond	TW9	Yes
Heron	Richmond	TW9	Yes
Charlotte	Richmond	TW10	Yes
St Andrew’s	Surbiton	KT6	Yes
Upper	Isleworth	TW7	Yes	[n 24]
Lower	Isleworth	TW7	Yes
Memorial	Isleworth	TW7	Yes	[n 24]
Cheriton	London	SW17	No
Belvedere	London	SW19	No
George	London	SW19	No
Radcliffe	London	SW15	No
Magna	London	SW14	No
The Square	Richmond	TW9	No
Mission	Brentford	TW8	No
Ferry	Brentford	TW8	No
King George	Richmond	TW10	No
Fleetwood	Kingston upon Thames	KT1	No
Charter	Kingston upon Thames	KT1	No
Ernest	Kingston upon Thames	KT1	No
Rosebery	Kingston upon Thames	KT1	No
Waters	Kingston upon Thames	KT1	No
Ashcombe	New Malden	KT3	No	[n 37]
St George’s	New Malden	KT3	No
St Leonards	Surbiton	KT6	No
Cardington	Hounslow	TW4	No

South-East

Name	Post town	Post district	Open to air communal space	Image
Ryculff	London	SE3	Yes
Collins	London	SE3	Yes
Tristan	London	SE3	Yes
Lebrun	London	SE3	Yes
Gallus	London	SE3	Yes
Queen’s Elm	London	SE3	Yes
James Clavell	London	SE18	Yes
School	London	SE10	Yes
Roman	London	SE28	Yes
The Gardens	London	SE22	Yes
Arpley	London	SE20	Yes
Watermen’s	London	SE20	Yes
Palace	London	SE19	Yes
Talisman	London	SE26	Yes
Ealdham	London	SE9	Yes
Chiswell	London	SE3	Yes
Brook	London	SE18	No
Mortgramit	London	SE18	No
Reginald	London	SE8	Yes
Corvette	London	SE10	Yes
Gibbs	London	SE19	Yes
Kingston	London	SE19	Yes
Bury	London	SE19	Yes
Montbelle	London	SE19	Yes
Beresford	London	SE18	Yes
Les Smith	London	SE18	Yes
Old Clem	London	SE18	Yes
Artillery	London	SE18	Yes
Peppermead	London	SE13	Yes
Robert	London	SE13	Yes
Archer	London	SE14	Yes
Broadway	Bexleyheath	DA6	Yes
Market	Bromley	BR1	Yes
St Paul’s	Bromley	BR2	Yes
Oregon	Orpington	BR6	Yes
Adams	Bexleyheath	DA6	No
Gainsborough	Bexleyheath	DA6	No
Regent	Belvedere	DA17	No

North

Name	Post town	Post district	Open to air communal space	Image
Red	London	N16	Yes
Arundel	London	N7	Yes
The Market	London	N9	Yes
North	London	N9	Yes
Topham	London	N17	Yes
Brunswick	London	N17	Yes
Broadfield	Enfield	EN1	Yes
Westbrook	Cockfosters	EN4	Yes
Cornwallis	London	N19	Yes
Albion	London	E8	Yes
Christina	London	N4	Yes
Schonfeld	London	N16	Yes	[n 18]
Hamilton, Sandringham Gardens	London	N12	No
Chaplin	London	N12	No

South

Name	Post town	Post district	Open to air communal space	Image
Whitgift	Croydon	CR0	Yes
The Pavement	Croydon	CR0	Yes
Torrington	Croydon	CR0	Yes
Rathbone	Croydon	CR0	Yes
Kennet	Mitchen	CR4	Yes
Berkshire	Mitcham	CR4	Yes
Charlwood	Mitcham	CR4	Yes
Glebe	Mitcham	CR4	Yes
Bovingdon	Mitcham	CR4	Yes
Appleton	Mitcham	SM3	Yes
Stanley	Carshalton	SM5	Yes
Alexandra	Morden	SM4	Yes
Times	Sutton	SM1	Yes
Wallington	Wallington	SM6	Yes

North west

Name	Post town	Post district	Open to air communal space	Image
Chelmsford	London	NW4	Yes
St Leonard’s	London	NW5	Yes
Seaton	London	NW7	Yes
Sentinel	London	NW4	Yes
Central	London	NW11	Yes
Belsize	London	NW3	Yes
Hampden	London	N14	Yes
Central	Wembley	HA9	Yes
Elliott	London	NW3	No
New End	London	NW3	No
The Mount	London	NW3	No

See also

• List of garden squares in London
• Parks and open spaces in London

Notes and References

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Urban squares in London.

• London squares
• London Parks and Gardens Trust
• London Squares by 1799