| Bloomsbury | |
|---|---|
.JPG)    _3.jpg) | |
  Bloomsbury Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 10,892 (2011 Census. Ward)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ299818 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | WC1, NW1 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°31′23″N0°7′30″W / 51.52306°N 0.12500°W /51.52306; -0.12500 | |
Bloomsbury is a district in theWest End of London, part of theLondon Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerouscultural, intellectual, andeducational institutions.Bloomsbury is home of theBritish Museum, the largest museum in the United Kingdom, and several educational institutions, includingUniversity College London and a number of other colleges and institutes of theUniversity of London as well as its central headquarters, theNew College of the Humanities, theUniversity of Law, theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art, theBritish Medical Association and many others. Bloomsbury is an intellectual and literary hub for London, as home of world-knownBloomsbury Publishing, publishers of theHarry Potter series, and namesake of theBloomsbury Group, a group of British intellectuals which included authorVirginia Woolf, biographerLytton Strachey, and economistJohn Maynard Keynes.
Bloomsbury began to be developed in the 17th century under theEarls of Southampton,[2] but it was primarily in the 19th century, under theDuke of Bedford, that the district was planned and built as an affluentRegency era residential area by famed developerJames Burton.[3] The district is known for its numerousgarden squares, includingBloomsbury Square,Russell Square andBedford Square.[4]
Bloomsbury's built heritage is currently protected by the designation of aconservation area and a locally based conservation committee. Despite this, there is increasing concern about a trend towards larger and less sensitive development, and the associated demolition of Victorian and Georgian buildings.[5]
Bloomsbury (including the closely linkedSt Giles area) has a long association with neighbouringHolborn; but is nearly always considered as distinct from Holborn.
The area appears to have been a part of the parish ofHolborn whenSt Giles hospital was established in the early 1100s.[6]
The earliest record of the name, Bloomsbury, is asBlemondisberi in 1281. It is named after a member of the Blemund family who held the manor. There are older records relating to the family in London in 1201 and 1230. Their name, Blemund, derives from Blemont, a place inVienne, in western France.[7] At the end of the 14th century,Edward III acquired Blemond's manor, and passed it on to theCarthusian monks of theLondon Charterhouse. The area remained rural at this time.
In the 16th century with theDissolution of the Monasteries,Henry VIII took the land back into the possession of the Crown and granted it toThomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton.
The area was part of theAncient Parish ofSt Giles, served by the church ofSt Giles in the Fields. Some sources indicate that the parish was in place before 1222[8] while others suggest 1547.[9] From 1597 onwards, English parishes were obliged to take on a civil as well as ecclesiastical role, starting with therelief of the poor.
In 1731 a small new independent parish ofBloomsbury was created, based on a small area roundBloomsbury Square. In 1774 these parishes recombined, for civil purposes, to form the parish ofSt Giles in the Fields and St George Bloomsbury – which had the same boundaries as the initial parish ofSt Giles.[9]
The area of the combined civil parish was used for theSt Giles District (Metropolis), established under theMetropolis Management Act 1855.[10] This body managed certain infrastructure functions, while the civil parish continued with its responsibilities until the abolishment of the Poor Law in 1930; however it was not formally abolished until the creation of Greater London in 1965.
In 1900 the area of theSt Giles District (Metropolis) merged withHolborn District (Metropolis) (excluding those parts ofFinsbury Division which had been temporarily attached to Holborn) to form a newMetropolitan Borough of Holborn. The traditional boundaries ofSt Giles andBloomsbury were used for wards in the new borough, though these were subject to minor rationalisations to reflect the modern street pattern rather than the historic basis of the older streets and pre-urban field boundaries. The combined civil parish continued to operate, in parallel, for a considerable time after.
In 1965 theMetropolitan Borough of Holborn merged withSt Pancras andHampstead to form the newLondon Borough of Camden.
The formal historic boundaries of the combined parish ofSt Giles in the Fields and St George Bloomsbury (as adjusted in some places to reflect the modern street pattern) include Tottenham Court Road to the west, Torrington Place (formerly known, in part, as Francis Street) to the north, theborough boundary to the south andMarchmont Street andSouthampton Row to the east.
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The eastern boundary is sometimes taken to be in the region of Southampton Row[11] or further east on Grays Inn Road.[2] The southern extent is taken to approximates toHigh Holborn or the thoroughfare formed byNew Oxford Street, Bloomsbury Way and Theobalds Road.
On the west side, the traditional and various informal definitions of the area are all based on the ancientTottenham Court Road. The differences between the formal and more recent understandings of the area (to the north and south), seem to derive from Bloomsbury having been commonly misconceived as being coterminous with theBedford Estate.[12]
In the early 1660s, theEarl of Southampton, who held the manors of St Giles and Bloomsbury,[13] constructed what eventually becameBloomsbury Square.The Yorkshire Grey public house on the corner ofGray's Inn Road andTheobald's Road dates from 1676. The estate passed to the Russell family following the marriage ofWilliam Russell, Lord Russell (1639–1683) (third son ofWilliam Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford) toRachel Wriothesley, heiress of Bloomsbury, younger of the two daughters and co-heiresses ofThomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton (1607–1667). Rachel's son and heir wasWriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford (1680–1711), ofWoburn Abbey in Bedfordshire, whose family also ownedCovent Garden, south of Bloomsbury, acquired by them at theDissolution of the Monasteries.
The area was laid out mainly in the 18th century, largely byWriothesley Russell, 3rd Duke of Bedford, who built Bloomsbury Market, which opened in 1730. His younger brother,John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, would have built a circus here but he died in 1771, leaving his wife to continue development of the area. She commissioned the construction ofBedford Square and ofGower Street.[14] The major development of the squares that we see today started in about 1800 whenFrancis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, demolished Bedford House[14] and developed the land to the north withRussell Square as its centrepiece. Much is still owned today by theBedford Estate in trust for the Russell family.
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, extended development on the north and east side of the estate, this area would then be frequented by writers, painters and musicians as well as lawyers due to the nearbyInns of Court. The area was enclosed by gates until these were abolished under a 1893 Act of Parliament. In the 19th century, the Bloomsbury area became less fashionable, now dominated by theUniversity of London and theBritish Museum as well as numerous new hospitals. Modern development has destroyed severalGeorgian-era buildings, but some remain.[14]
TheLondon Beer Flood (also known as theGreat Beer Flood) was a disaster that occurred in October 1814, when a large vat ofporter at theHorse Shoe Brewery, just west of Dyott Street, burst open, releasing a 15-foot wave of beer onto the surrounding streets, killing eight people.[15]
All of the geographic area of Bloomsbury is covered by the Bloomsbury Conservation Area, an historic designation designed to limit new development, and ensure that changes to the built environment preserve and enhance its special character. Thisconservation area is one of the oldest and most significant in the UK, having been designated in 1968, less than a year after conservation areas were promulgated in the Civic Amenities Act 1967.[16]
The Bloomsbury Conservation Area is almost unique in the UK in that it also has aconservation area advisory committee, an expert committee of architects, planners, lawyers, and other community members that also live and work in Bloomsbury.[17] This group was founded in 1968 by thelocal authority and continues to serve Bloomsbury and the surrounding area. It is generally thought that the Bloomsbury Conservation Area Advisory Committee (BCAAC) has the most detailed knowledge of Bloomsbury's built heritage and social history due to its members having lived in the area for many decades. It is accordingly consulted with on all major and minor development proposals in the area, including traffic circulation changes, and its objections carry formal planning weight through the local authority's constitution.[17]
Bloomsbury contains one of the highest proportions of listed buildings and monuments per square metre of any conservation area, including many of the UK's most iconic buildings, such as the British Museum.[18] However its strategic location in the centre of London and associated high development pressures has seen a rise in the demolition of historic fabric, and the construction of tall and harmful development. Between 2015 and 2020 the local authority recommended approval for a total of five major developments judged to be harmful by the BCAAC,[19][20][21][22][23] with the Greater London Authority approving one.[24] The BCAAC were only successful in defeating one of those developments.[22]
As a result, Victorian buildings and even some of Bloomsbury's famous Georgian terraces have been demolished in recent years. This has led to sharp criticism of the local authority's approach to the conservation and preservation of Bloomsbury, with national heritage groups such as the Victorian Society and Georgian Group voicing concerns along with local groups. A local campaign associated with the BCAAC, Save Bloomsbury, has written and campaigned extensively to protect Bloomsbury's heritage.[25] As of 2021 Camden Council has not adopted any strategy to ensure Bloomsbury's conservation, and harmful development proposals continue to come forward.
Neighbouring areas includeSt Pancras to the north and west,Fitzrovia to the west,Covent Garden andHolborn to the south, andClerkenwell to the east.
Neighbouring Districts | |
|---|---|
For street name etymologies seeStreet names of Bloomsbury.
Historically, Bloomsbury is associated with the arts, education, and medicine. The area gives its name to theBloomsbury Group of artists, among whom wasVirginia Woolf, who met in private homes in the area in the early 1900s,[26] and to the lesser knownBloomsbury Gang ofWhigs formed in 1765 byJohn Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford. The publisherFaber & Faber used to be located inQueen Square, though at the timeT. S. Eliot was editor the offices were in Tavistock Square. ThePre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded in John Millais's parents' house onGower Street in 1848.
The Bloomsbury Festival was launched in 2006 when local resident Roma Backhouse was commissioned to mark the re-opening of the Brunswick Centre, a residential and shopping area. The free festival is a celebration of the local area, partnering with galleries, libraries and museums,[27] and achieved charitable status at the end of 2012. As of 2013, the Duchess of Bedford is a festival patron and Festival Directors have included Cathy Maher (2013), Kate Anderson (2015–2019) and Rosemary Richards (2020–present).[28][29]
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Bloomsbury is home to the federal University of London's central administrative centre and library, Senate House, as well as many of its independent members institutions including Birkbeck College, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, School of Oriental and African Studies, School of Advanced Study, Royal Veterinary College, andUniversity College London (which has now absorbed the formerly separate School of Eastern European and Slavonic Studies, School of Pharmacy, and Institute of Education academic institutions). Bloomsbury is also home toLondon Contemporary Dance School,Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, a branch of University of Law,Architectural Association School of Architecture, and the London campuses of several American colleges includingArcadia University,University of California,University of Delaware,Florida State University,Syracuse University,New York University,Lawrence University, andHult International Business School.
The growing private tutoring sector in Bloomsbury includes various tutoring businesses such as Bloomsbury International (for English language), Bloomsbury Law Tutors (for law education), Skygate Tutors, and Topmark Tutors Centre.
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TheBritish Museum, which first opened to the public in 1759 inMontagu House, is at the heart of Bloomsbury. At the centre of the museum the space around the formerBritish Library Reading Room, which was filled with the concrete storage bunkers of the British Library, is today theQueen Elizabeth II Great Court, an indoor square with a glass roof designed by British architectNorman Foster. It houses displays, a cinema, a shop, a cafe and a restaurant. Since 1998, the British Library has been located in a purpose-built building just outside the northern edge of Bloomsbury, in Euston Road.
Also in Bloomsbury is the Foundling Museum, close to Brunswick Square, which tells the story of theFoundling Hospital opened byThomas Coram for unwanted children in Georgian London. The hospital, now demolished except for the Georgiancolonnade, is today a playground and outdoor sports field for children, calledCoram's Fields. It is also home to a small number of sheep. The nearbyLamb's Conduit Street is a pleasant thoroughfare with shops, cafes and restaurants.
TheDickens Museum is inDoughty Street. ThePetrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and theGrant Museum of Zoology are at University College London in Gower Street.
ThePostal Museum is on 15-20 Phoenix Place.
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Bloomsbury contains several notable churches:
Bloomsbury contains some of London's finest parks and buildings, and is particularly known for its formal squares. These include:
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and theRoyal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (formerly the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital) are both located on Great Ormond Street, off Queen Square, which itself is home to theNational Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (formerly the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases). Bloomsbury is also the location ofUniversity College Hospital, which re-opened in 2005 in new buildings on Euston Road, built under the government'sprivate finance initiative (PFI). TheEastman Dental Hospital is located on Gray's Inn Road close to theRoyal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital administered by theRoyal Free Hampstead NHS Trust.
One of the largest building in the area is the BrutalistBrunswick Centre a residential building with a shopping centre at ground floor.[34]
Bloomsbury is in the parliamentaryconstituency ofHolborn and St Pancras. The western half of the district comprisesBloomsbury ward, which elects threecouncillors toCamden Borough Council.
In February 2010, businesses were balloted on an expansion of the InHolbornBusiness Improvement District (BID) to include the southern part of Bloomsbury. Only businesses with a rateable value in excess of £60,000 could vote as only these would pay the BID levy. This expansion of the BID into Bloomsbury was supported by Camden Council.[35] The proposal was passed and part of Bloomsbury was brought within the InHolborn BID.[36]
Controversy was raised during this BID renewal when InHolborn proposed collecting Bloomsbury, St Giles and Holborn under the name of "Midtown", since it was seen as "too American".[37][38][39] Businesses were informed about the BID proposals, but there was little consultation with residents or voluntary organisations. InHolborn produced a comprehensive business plan aimed at large businesses.[40] Bloomsbury is now part of InMidtown BID with its 2010 to 2015 business plan and a stated aim to make the area "a quality environment in which to work and live, a vibrant area to visit, and a profitable place in which to do business".[41]
Several London railway stations serve Bloomsbury. There are threeLondon Underground stations in Bloomsbury:
King's Cross St. Pancras station offers step-free access to all lines, whilst Euston Square offers step-free access to the westbound platform. Other stations nearby include:Euston,Warren Street,Goodge Street,Tottenham Court Road,Holborn andChancery Lane. There is a disused station in Bloomsbury on the Piccadilly line at theBritish Museum.
There are also threeNational Rail stations to the north of Bloomsbury:
Eurostar services toFrance,Brussels andthe Netherlands begin in London at St Pancras.[42][43]
Several bus stops can be found in Bloomsbury. All buses passing through Bloomsbury call at bus stops onRussell Square,Gower Street orTottenham Court Road. Several key London destinations can be reached from Bloomsbury directly, including:Camden Town,Greenwich,Hampstead Heath,Piccadilly Circus,Victoria, andWaterloo.Euston bus station is to the north of Bloomsbury.[44][45]
One of the 13 survivingtaxi drivers' shelters in London, where drivers can stop for a meal and a drink, is in Russell Square.[46]
Bloomsbury's road network links the district to several destinations across London. Key routes nearby include:
Gower Street, which runs through the area on a north–south axis, has been two-way since Sunday 28 February 2021.
TheLondon Borough of Camden measures roadsideair quality in Bloomsbury. In 2017, averageNitrogen Dioxide (NO2) levels recorded in Bloomsbury significantly exceeded the UK National Objective for cleaner air, set at 40μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre).[47]
| Location | NO2 concentration (μg/m3) |
|---|---|
| Euston Road (Automatic) | 83 |
| Euston Road | 92.45 |
| Bloomsbury Street | 80.67 |
Several cycle routes cross Bloomsbury, withcycling infrastructure provided and maintained by both theLondon Borough of Camden andTransport for London (TfL). Many routes across Bloomsbury featuresegregated cycle tracks orbus lanes for use by cyclists. Additionally, Bloomsbury is connected to the widerLondon cycle network via several routes, including:
London/Bloomsbury travel guide from Wikivoyage| Buildings |  | |
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