Constant noise marred our stay: traffic is continuous and includes frequent ambulances with sirens and moped coming right up to the flat at night; the square attracts many street musicians and during our stay there was at least two different groups performing with amplifiers, not to mention the percussion concert that went on until 2am, followed by traditional African singing with clapping, on the Saturday night. The rubbish including glass recycling gets cleared at 5am and at 7am the church bells start. The double glazing is totally ineffective as it has been fixed on old windows that do not close. The noise is so loud that it is perfectly audible even in the bathroom - yes, we did try and sleep in there! After two sleepless nights, we cut our stay short. This was particularly bad as we had checked with the owner before booking and she had assured us that the flat was quiet; when we explained that we were leaving early she tried to prove that we were fussy (we live in central London and are anything but insomniacs), while offering no refund (not that we had asked, we were too exhausted to even think).
All this is a total shame as the flat is in a good central position, and tastefully finished.