| Bloomsbury Square | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Type | Garden square |
| Location | London,WC1 United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°31′08″N0°7′22″W / 51.51889°N 0.12278°W /51.51889; -0.12278 |
| Area | 0.5 hectares (1.24 acres)[1] |
| Created | Early 1660s |
| Public transit access |  Holborn |
Bloomsbury Square is agarden square inBloomsbury, in theLondon Borough of Camden, London. Developed in the late 17th century, it was initially known asSouthampton Square and was one of the earliest London squares. By the early 19th century, Bedford House along the north of the square had been demolished and replaced with terraced housing designed byJames Burton.[1]
To the north of the square isGreat Russell Street andBedford Place, leading toRussell Square. To the south isBloomsbury Way. To the west is theBritish Museum andHolborn is the nearest underground station to the southeast. There are gardens in the centre of the square.
The square was developed for the4th Earl of Southampton in the early 1660s[1] and was initially known as Southampton Square. It was one of the earliest London squares.[2] The Earl's own house, then known asSouthampton House and later asBedford House after the square and the rest of the Bloomsbury Estate passed by marriage from theEarls of Southampton to theDukes of Bedford, occupied the whole of the north side of the square, whereBedford Place is now located.[3] The other sides were lined with typical terraced houses of the time, which were initially occupied by members of the aristocracy and gentry.
On 9 April 1694 Bloomsbury Square was the setting for an infamous duel. The then 23-year-old Scottish economist and financierJohn Law fought Edward 'Beau' Wilson, killing him with a single pass and thrust of his sword.[4] Law would be convicted of murder and sentenced to death, but would escape his condemned cell and go on to become the founder of theMississippi Company and the de facto prime minister of France.[4]
By the early 19th century, Bloomsbury was no longer fashionable with theupper classes. Consequently, the Duke of Bedford of the day moved out of Bedford House, which was demolished and replaced with further terraced houses. In the 19th century the square was occupied mainly by middle class professionals. The writerIsaac D'Israeli lived at No. 6 from 1817 to 1829 and for part of that time his son, the future Prime MinisterBenjamin Disraeli lived with him. In the 20th century most of the buildings came to be used as offices.
Bloomsbury Square's garden contains a bronze statue by Richard Westmacott ofCharles James Fox, who was aWhig associate of the Dukes of Bedford. None of the original 17th-century buildings survive, but there are many handsome 18th- and early 19th-century houses. TheRoyal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain was based in an 18th-century building on the southern side of the square partly credited toJohn Nash. The eastern side of the square is occupied by a large early 20th-century office building calledVictoria House, built for, and for many decades occupied by,Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society. The garden is open to the public and was refurbished in 2003.
The garden is Grade II listed on theRegister of Historic Parks and Gardens.[5]
Other squares on theBedford Estate in Bloomsbury included:
Media related toBloomsbury Square at Wikimedia Commons
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