
The north side of Bedford Square
' Bedford Square' is a square in the
Bloomsbury district of the
Borough of Camden in
London,
England.
It was built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, and has had many distinguished residents, including
Lord Eldon, one of Britain's longest serving and most celebrated
Lord Chancellors, who lived in the largest house in the square for many years. The square takes its name from the main title of the Russell family, the
Dukes of Bedford, who were the main landlords in Bloomsbury.
Bedford Square is one of the best preserved set pieces of Georgian architecture in London, but most of the houses have now been converted into offices. Numbers 1-10, 11, 12–27, 28–38 and 40–54 are grade I
listed buildings. The central garden remains private.
Current occupants include:
★ No. 1:
Cameron Mackintosh's London Offices.
★ No. 6:
New York University's NYU in London Academic Facility.
★ No. 16:
Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
★ No. 19: Morse Plc
★ No. 29:
London office of the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
★ No. 36:
Architectural Association School of Architecture.
★ Nos. 8, 9, 49, 50 and 51:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Former occupants
★ No. 6:
Lord Eldon — Lord Chancellor
★ No. 11:
Henry Cavendish — scientist
★ No. 13:
Harry Ricardo — engine designer — born here
★ No. 22:
Johnston Forbes-Robertson — actor
★ No. 35:
Thomas Hodgkin — physician, reformer and philanthropist
★ No. 35:
Thomas Wakley — founder of ''
The Lancet''
★ No. 41:
William Butterfield — architect
★ No. 41: Sir
Anthony Hope Hawkins — novelist
★ No. 48:
Elizabeth Jesser Reid — anti-slavery activist and founder of
Bedford College for Women
★ No. 49:
Ram Mohun Roy —
Indian scholar and reformer
See also
Other squares on the
Bedford Estate in Bloomsbury included:
★
Bloomsbury Square
★
Gordon Square
★
Russell Square
★
Tavistock Square
★
Torrington Square
★
Woburn Square
References
★
Steen Eiler Rasmussen: "London, the Unique City".
Blue plaques
A number of houses have
blue plaques recording famous residents:
★
Plaquemap.com London blue plaque scheme — For exact location of these plaques within the square.