Description
Canonbury Square was developed in the early C19th on land owned by the Marquess of Northampton. Before the square was fully built it was divided by Canonbury Road and consequently had two garden enclosures, which were formed by c.1840. Initially private, the gardens were first opened to the public in 1884 and later conveyed by the Marquess to Islington Borough Council. The layout of the gardens changed in the 1950s, and in 2006 Loire Valley Wines Legacy Gardens enabled a major makeover, which included a small vineyard and rose bed in the west garden reflecting the planting of the vineyards in the Loire Valley.
Practical Information
| Site location | Canonbury Square/Canonbury Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N1 2AW |
| What3Words | ///switch.tend.chose |
| Type of Site | Garden Square; |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Events | Has opened for OGSW |
| Public Transport | Rail/Tube: Highbury & Islington (Victoria). Bus: 4, 19, 30, 43, 271, 277, 393 |
| Research Updated | 1 February 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Canonbury Square was developed in the early C19th by Henry Jacob Leroux and Richard Laycock on land owned by the Marquess of Northampton. Before the square was fully built it was divided by Canonbury Road. The central garden was formed by c.1840. The 4th Marquess of Northampton was the first landowner to open the gardens to the public and Canonbury Square was formally opened by Lord Brabazon, the Chair of the Public Gardens, Boulevards and Playgrounds Association in 1884, and in 1888 the garden was conveyed free of cost by the Marquess to Islington Borough Council 'for the enjoyment of the public'. In the east garden an Italian statue of a young girl was presented to the Council by Mr Stokes of Essex Road in 1943, since stolen.
The layout of the gardens changed in the 1950s and it was described as 'London's most beautiful square' in the Evening Standard of 24 May 1956. The railings had been removed in WWII, replaced initially by chicken wire but now reproduction railings surround the gardens, which have notable horse chestnut, lime and planes. Former residents of the Square include the Regency satirist George Daniel who lived at No. 18 from 1837 to his death in 1864 following which his house was opened for a famous 10-day sale during which his considerable collections of books, water-colours, porcelain and objets d'art were auctioned to buyers including Baroness Burdett-Coutts and which raised over £15,800. Evelyn Waugh lived at No. 17a at the time of his brief first marriage in 1928-30 at which time it was 'no longer a fashionable quarter, but agreeably symmetrical and soothing to the eye' (Harold Acton, 'Memoirs of an Esthete', 1948). The area had become home to numerous people from the world of the arts, and residents of the square in the 1930s include Philip Hendy, Keeper of the National Gallery and Sir Dennis Proctor, Treasury official and also Chairman of the Trustees of the Tate Gallery. George Orwell was resident here from 1944-50, and Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell lived at No. 26A in the 1950s.
The Loire Valley Wines Legacy Gardens enabled a major makeover to the square in 2006. A small vineyard and rose bed were planted as its centrepiece reflecting the planting of the vineyards in the Loire Valley.
The layout of the gardens changed in the 1950s and it was described as 'London's most beautiful square' in the Evening Standard of 24 May 1956. The railings had been removed in WWII, replaced initially by chicken wire but now reproduction railings surround the gardens, which have notable horse chestnut, lime and planes. Former residents of the Square include the Regency satirist George Daniel who lived at No. 18 from 1837 to his death in 1864 following which his house was opened for a famous 10-day sale during which his considerable collections of books, water-colours, porcelain and objets d'art were auctioned to buyers including Baroness Burdett-Coutts and which raised over £15,800. Evelyn Waugh lived at No. 17a at the time of his brief first marriage in 1928-30 at which time it was 'no longer a fashionable quarter, but agreeably symmetrical and soothing to the eye' (Harold Acton, 'Memoirs of an Esthete', 1948). The area had become home to numerous people from the world of the arts, and residents of the square in the 1930s include Philip Hendy, Keeper of the National Gallery and Sir Dennis Proctor, Treasury official and also Chairman of the Trustees of the Tate Gallery. George Orwell was resident here from 1944-50, and Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell lived at No. 26A in the 1950s.
The Loire Valley Wines Legacy Gardens enabled a major makeover to the square in 2006. A small vineyard and rose bed were planted as its centrepiece reflecting the planting of the vineyards in the Loire Valley.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ317844 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.24 |
| Site Ownership | LB Islington |
| Site Management | Greenspace |
| Dates | 1805-09; 1821-30; 1954 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos.1-50 Canonbury Square and attached railings; telephone kiosk near east gardens |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | Yes |
| Local Authority | Islington |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Canonbury |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
The Manor of Canonbury is so-called for its one-time ownership by the Priory of St Bartholomew, dating back to Henry III's reign. The manor was purchased in 1570 by Sir John Spencer and inherited by his daughter whose husband became Earl of Northampton in 1618, and whose family continues to own the property. Canonbury Tower adjoins the main Canonbury House, and was leased separately from the 1650s and both had a number of illustrious tenants. The Tower was used as the Tower Theatre from the 1960s to 2003, and is now managed by Canonbury Tower Charitable Trust. In the small garden is a mulberry tree said to be planted in the early C17th when Sir Francis Bacon was tenant.
Compton Terrace Garden consists of two elongated enclosures that were originally for the private use of residents of the Terrace. The land was part of the Marquess of Northampton's considerable estate, the name Compton deriving from the C17th owners. Although not completed until 1831, Compton Terrace was planned in 1805 as a row of villas each side of the Union Chapel of 1806. By 1823 9 houses had been built north of the chapel and the lessees agreed to make a private road with a communal garden in front. Maintenance was later transferred to Islington Borough Council and the gardens opened as a public amenity. In 1944 a German bomb destroyed or badly damaged 12 of the 19 houses north of the Chapel and in the 1960s Highbury Roundabout was built over the area devastated by the bomb.
John Spencer Square was laid out in 1963 with Prior Bolton Street, Grange Grove and St Mary's Grove as part of postwar rebuilding in the Canonbury area. The square overlooks the residents' communal garden, which has some mature trees but is otherwise rather featureless. It is named after Sir John Spencer who was Lord Mayor of London and had a country retreat at Canonbury in the early C17th; he is buried in St Helen's Bishopsgate. Former residents include Labour Party Cabinet Minister Barbara Castle and her husband Ted Castle (d.1979), journalist and GLC Alderman.