Tag Archives: London Square

The March of Bricks and Mortar

Posted on 24/10/2020 by The Gardens Trust

More on London squares. A couple of weeks ago I looked at the beginning of Rus in Urbe – the idea of the countryside being bought into the city and the way that it changed their layout and planting. What … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Belgravia, Bloomsbury, Foundling Hospital, George I, Grosvenor, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London Square, Portman Square, Prince Puckler-Muskau, Queen Square, railings, Soho, statues, Thomas Cubitt, Thomas Fairchild | Leave a comment

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

The Statue, the Square and the Slippery Baron

Posted on 11/01/2020 by The Gardens Trust

We think our public parks are suffering from neglect but even after years of austerity and poor maintenance they haven’t quite fallen into the same state of decay as the well-known public space being described here in a book named … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dickens, Frederick Prince of Wales, George I, George II, London Square, Princess Augusta, public parks, statues | 2 Comments

Anne and Osbert’s Pleasure Garden

Posted on 04/01/2020 by The Gardens Trust

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We all have our favourite gardening books, whether for the quality of the illustrations, -usually the first thing one notices when flicking through – the quality of the writing – which takes more time to appreciate or … Continue reading →