# Welcome to Tavistock Square

The square is in Bloomsbury, the medical and academic quarter of London with its historical architecture, noteworthy monuments, special literary interests and international peace associations.

## History

Prior to the 1550s, the land was part of the Tottenham Manor before being granted to the first Earl of Southampton, Thomas Wriothesley to form the Bloomsbury Estate.

On John Roque's 1747 map of the cities of London and Westminster, the area which became Tavistock Square was still open fields.

The fifth Duke of Bedford began a major building programme in 1776 which continued under the sixth duke who succeeded in 1802.

The gardens were developed as private space for the surrounding terraced houses with construction beginning in 1803.

James Burton constructed the east side of Tavistock Square including old Tavistock House in c.1803. From 1851-60 Charles Dickens lived here.

Tavistock House 1888
courtesy of City of London, London Metropolitan Archives

Tavistock Square takes its name from the courtesy title given to the eldest sons of the Dukes of Bedford, Marquess of Tavistock. The western side of Tavistock Square was designed by Lewis Vulliamy and built by G Anstey and JA Frampton c.1825-6.

Thomas Cubitt was responsible for building many of the houses and gardens in and around Tavistock Square, Euston, Torrington Gardens and Gordon Square.

In 1820 Cubitt began work on the building of the northern and western sides to Tavistock Square, completing them in 1826.

On the Bedford Estate Plan 1866, trees are set at irregular spacings around the outer edge of the perimeter path and a path is seen to cross the gardens from east to west with a central planted oval. A hedge lines the boundary railings. On the central lawns there are four semi-circular beds, two crescent shaped beds and several other small

circular beds. Colourful displays of carpet bedding were then very popular and were probably planted here.

Bedford estate plan 1866
by kind permission of the Duke of Bedford and
the Trustees of the Bedford Estates

During the Edwardian era, Bloomsbury was considered a rather Bohemian residential area. The Stephens family of novelist Virginia (Woolf), her artist sister Vanessa (Bell) and their brothers Thoby and Adrian moved to adjacent Gordon Square in 1904 and the Bloomsbury Group gradually formed around them and their friends.

Although from the 1890s there was a growing public interest in playing tennis, it is not until the Ordnance Survey plan of 1938 that tennis courts are shown in Tavistock Square Gardens. Whilst planting seems to have remained unchanged, the trees would have matured sufficiently to provide a higher degree of shade.

Ordnance survey 1938

The arrival of the First World War did not appear to affect the square, however, the Second World War had more direct consequences with the gardens opening to the public by default when the boundary railings were removed to be re-used in the war effort. They were officially opened to the public after WWII when the gardens were transferred from the Bedford Estate to St Pancras Parish council in the 1950s. The Council holds the freehold of the Gardens as Trustees pursuant to the Open Spaces Act of 1906.

During the Second World War several houses on the southern side of the square were damaged or destroyed by the bombing. This included number 52 where Virginia and Leonard Woolf had lived and from where they ran the Hogarth Press between 1924 and 1939.

By 1961, the gardens had altered little but the surrounding buildings continued to change. Only seven houses remained facing the square on the western side. The facade of the other houses on the western side were retained, with Connaught Hall, the residential accommodation for the Universities, built behind them. Hotels, offices and university residences enclosed the remainder of the square.

Tavistock Square is home to a number of memorials commemorating famous Bloomsbury inhabitants and visitors.

More information about the memorials of Tavistock Square can be found on the notice board on the opposite side of the square.

On 7th July 2005 Tavistock Square became internationally recognised when a double decker bus was the target of a suicide bomber in a terrorist strike in Tavistock Square. The bus exploded outside the British Medical Association building where a plaque commemorates the loss of 13 lives.

An extensive restoration of the gardens was completed, with the support of the Friends of Tavistock Square and officially opened by Henrietta, Duchess of Bedford on Saturday 21st May 2011. The restoration focused on perimeter planting, re-turfing, a new cobbled stone area for events and four new planted beds which reinforce the themes of some of the memorials in the park:

* 'Gandhi' with plants from the India Landscape originally homed at the British Museum in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2009)

* 'Japanese' - adjacent to the Hiroshima tree and planted with native Japanese plants

* 'Virginia Woolf' - close to her memorial shade-tolerant English plants have been introduced to the bed

* 'Aldrich Blake' - a herbal themed bed aims to reflect the medical exploits of Louisa Aldrich Blake commemorated in the square

## References

London Parks & Gardens Trust;
The London Inventory - Camden Longstaffe-Gowan,
Todd; The London Town Garden 1700-1840

Thanks to Camden Local Studies Library and
Archives, the Bedford estate and the friends of
Tavistock Square.

For further information on the history of the square
please visit:- www.friendsoftavistocksquare.org.uk

camden.gov.uk/parks

Camden

# Welcome to Tavistock Square

## History

Tavistock Square takes its name from the courtesy title given to the eldest sons of the Dukes of Bedford, Marquess of Tavistock. The western side of Tavistock Square was designed by Lewis Vulliamy and built by G Anstey and J A Frampton c.1825-6.

Ordnance survey 1938

## References

London Parks & Gardens Trust:

camden.gov.uk/parks

Camden

The building of St Tavistock Hall began in 1967. The outer path is seen west with a small lawn to the west of the Hall.

Ordnance survey 1938

* 'Virginia shade-trees' were introduced in 1919.

* 'Aldrich' was introduced to reflect Aldrich Park in 1929.

References:

London Park

The London Park

Todd; The Park

Thanks to C. Archives, the Tavistock Park

For further information please visit