It's Hip to be a Square - Vol. 1 - Introduction

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London is peppered with squares. Big ones, small ones, grassy ones, cement ones. They are evidence of a time when London was only beginning to grow outside the boundaries of "The City," the original walled City of London. Aristocrats and other moneyed folk realized quite early that if they could corner tracts of property near the City, they could later develop and sell or rent these areas for a very tidy profit. Many lords commissioned popular or celebrated architects to design their squares, but that is a topic for a later volume. Today I aim for a mere introduction to the sizes, types, and regulations of London squares.

So we begin at my own flat, in a neighborhood where small, private squares are nearly a dime a dozen. The closest to me, and the one I walk by most often, is Bryanston Square. It is a private square, which means that it is always locked, and only people whose homes directly face the square are permitted to have a key.
Bryanston is a small, simple square, with grass, a few benches, a path that lines the edge, and a simple Keeper's Cottage. I do not believe that a keeper in fact lives in this cottage, but only assume that it is used for storing gardening implements.



Montagu Square, also near my flat, has an even more adorable Keeper's Cottage. I must definitely write a children's book about someone living in one of these cottages...(IDEA COPYRIGHT HALEY DAVIS 2009)

Squares, both private and public, have lots of rules that must be followed. This is the most common.


Another type of square, while still private, is less calming and relaxed due to its location in the middle of a traffic roundabout. Portman Square is one of these, and being very close to Oxford Street (the biggest shopping street in London) and sandwiched between the very busy Baker Street and Gloucester Place, gets its fair share of car exhaust and vandalism. As you can see it is slightly less well-maintained than the smaller local squares.



Most perplexing is the addition of a tennis court. Does the "No Ball Games" rule apply here?



Manchester Square is large AND well-maintained, perhaps due to the existence of the Wallace Collection on its borders.


The Wallace Collection houses a massive family estate comprised most famously of Eastern and European weaponry of all kinds and of the finest quality. The collection also contains a fine collection of Boulle marquetry pieces. Some illicit photos of the interior of the Wallace Collection will be included in an upcoming piece titled "Photos from Places in Which Photography is Not Permitted."

When it comes to public squares, Berkeley Square is definitely my current favorite. It is very close to Piccadilly, the Ritz, Christie's, and Green Park, and so serves as an excellent resting place when I get lost on my way to some swanky auction preview. It has lovely benches, some nice statuary, its very own LIGHTED Christmas tree, and of course easy access to EAT and Pret a Manger, two excellent lunchtime sandwich chains.


Another square fact to note at this point might be tree variation. There is very little variation of tree species in London parks, for the simple reason that London was once so extremely polluted with fireplace soot, smoke, factory waste, and so on (remember the famous London Fog? Yup, pollution). The people who organized and built these squares knew that Plane trees could most withstand yucky, disgusting air, and so these trees flourish abundantly in the city.



Gloucester Square is important for many reasons. It is filled with some very nice statuary, especially one of my esteemed relation, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is home to the American Embassy, an ugly and forbidding place, as well as the Canadian High Commission.

The Keeper's Cottage has in this instance grown from the tiny babies we saw before into a positive gazebo, with tables, chairs, and wisteria vines. I can't wait to have summer picnics here!


Related pieces coming soon include:

Embassy-mania!
Photos from Places in Which Photography is Not Permitted
Wyndham Place: An Introduction
Window Dressing: Cool or Creepy? You Decide!
Weekly Farmer's Market Adventure (every Sunday!)
Charming Pub Signs and Other Interesting Placards
Celebrity Restaurants (from Ramsay to Ratatouille)