THE WOBURN ESTATE Privacy The Bedford Estates Home The Estate Bloomsbury History History of The Bloomsbury Estate The earliest written record of the area of London that was to become Bloomsbury as it is known today, was in 1086 in the Doomsday Book, which recorded it was an area of vineyards and "wood for 100 pigs". In 1201 the area was given the name Bloomsbury when William De Blemond, a Norman landowner acquired the land. By the 16th century the land had been granted to Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton. His great grandson, the 4th Earl of Southampton began the development of the Bloomsbury area, including the building of Southampton House, later Bedford House, on what now is Bloomsbury Square. Key Periods of Time and People By 1667, his daughter Lady Rachel Vaughan inherited the Estate and in 1669 Lady Rachel married William, Lord Russell, son and heir to the 5th Earl (later 1st Duke) of Bedford bringing the Bloomsbury Estate into the Russell family. Much of the Bloomsbury area since 1669 has been developed and cared for by the Russell Family and is today managed by the Bedford Estate office in London. Please see below for further information of some of the key periods of time and, from Henry VIII to Harry Potter, some of the people that have helped shape the area of Bloomsbury that we know today. Image: Bloomsbury Gatekeepers 1892 Bloomsbury Timeline 1547 1657 1665 1667 1669 1673 1683 1753 1776 1800 1851 1878 1888 1895 1920 1924 1927 1936 1940 1951 1964 1977 1997 2020 PRESS CAREERS NEWS ENQUIRIES The Bedford Estates The Estate About Us Garden Squares Getting here Amenities Property Commercial Residential Retail Chelsea Wharf Customers Residential Customers Commercial Customers Key Holder Scheme Complaints procedure +44 (0)20 7636 2885 info@bedfordestates.com Bedford Office, 29a Montague Street, London, WC1B 5BL The Woburn Estate Privacy Cookie Notice Terms & Conditions © 2021 Woburn Estate Enterprises. All Rights Reserved Made by This site uses cookies to store information. Press accesskey C to learn more about your options. Cookie Control Icon YOUR CHOICE REGARDING COOKIES ON THIS SITE By clicking 'accept' you allow Woburn.co.uk to use cookies to deliver personalised experiences and content, analytics & marketing. To read more about our cookies and what we use them for, please visit our Cookie Policy. AcceptChange preferences