Tag Archives: covent garden

Speculation and ‘the Rural Manner’

Posted on 03/10/2020 by The Gardens Trust

Last week I discussed the origins of London squares and looked at the earliest examples. Today I’m going to look at what happened after the Great Fire of 1666 when the balance of the city’s population shifted to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bedford Square, Bloomsbury, Cavendish Square, Charles Bridgeman, City Gardener, covent garden, Golden Square, Gray's Inn, Grosvenor, Leicester Square, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London Square, Marylebone, Nicholas Barbon, Queen Square, railings, Soho, St James Square, Thomas Fairchild, wilderness | Leave a comment

Before the Square

Posted on 26/09/2020 by The Gardens Trust

I’m often asked to talk about the history of London’s squares and I always wonder what causes this almost endless fascination. Of course there’s no doubt that, as the London Gardens Trust says, “squares are one of the defining … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bloomsbury, covent garden, Francis Bacon, Gray's Inn, Hollar, John Summerson, Leicester Square, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London Square, Moorfields, St James Square | 1 Comment

Rochfords: the start of a dynasty.

Posted on 28/03/2015 by The Gardens Trust

In 1840 Michael Rochford, a 21 year old Irishman man, left County Clare, and came to London. He found work with fellow countryman James Knight at his Exotic Nursery in Kings Road, Chelsea, before going on to start his own nursery, and … Continue reading →