Description
The laying out of Charles Square commenced in 1684 with the first houses built along the east side. The square was completed in c.1770, at which time it was described as 'set with greens, plants, fruit and other trees'. The central garden was acquired by Shoreditch Vestry in 1897 and laid out as an ornamental garden. One of the original Georgian house remains, with the garden now surrounded by 1950s flats.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Charles Square Garden |
|---|---|
| Site location | Charles Square |
| Postcode | N1 |
| What3Words | ///became.lock.bliss |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Hackney |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk (summer 9.30pm, winter 4pm). |
| Public Transport | Rail/Tube: Old Street. Bus 55 [243] |
| Research Updated | 1 August 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Charles Square was begun in 1684 with the first houses built along the east side, and completed in c.1770, at which time it was described as 'set with greens, plants, fruit and other trees'. Of the original houses, No. 16 remains, a 3-storey red-brick Georgian house with five bays and fine doorway built in 1726/27. Pevsner writing in 1952 described the square as a 'remarkable eighteenth century relic...a very dilapidated square'. However, apart for No. 16, the surrounding houses were demolished and replaced in c1950-55 by blocks of flats. The central garden was acquired by Shoreditch Vestry in 1897 for £300 and preserved under the 1906 London Squares Preservation Act, described in 1928 as 'a small rectangular area laid out as an ornamental garden with lawns and trees'. Aside from a couple of mature plane trees, the current layout is C20th and is largely paved with concrete slabs, with small rectangular areas of grass, seating, raised flower beds with some planting. There are shrubs around the perimeter, two large London plane trees and some other smaller trees.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ329826 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.13 |
| Site Ownership | LB Hackney |
| Site Management | Parks Service |
| Dates | C18th; 1890s; 1950s |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: 16 Charles Square |
| 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 | Hackney |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Archaeological Priority |
| Other LA Designation | London Square |
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
Aske's Hospital was one of the earliest and grandest almshouses in Shoreditch, taking its name from Robert Aske (1619-1689) who bequeathed money to the Haberdashers' Company in 1689. The original C17th almshouses designed by Robert Hooke in 1692 accommodated 20 single men and a school for 20 boys, but were rebuilt in the 1820s with additional facilities for education, forming three sides of a square. By 1882 there were no longer almshouses and the enlarged school buildings catered for 300 girls and 300 boys. In 1898 the two schools transferred elsewhere and the buildings became the LCC's Shoreditch Technical Institute, the open space in front renamed Aske Gardens and designated as public open space. The public gardens remain today but in 2023 were renamed Joe White Gardens after an inspirational Hackney-raised sportsman, as part of Hackney Council's anti-racism programme. The buildings are no longer in educational use and were developed for private housing in the early C21st.
Hoxton was a popular place of retreat and by the early C17th wealthy people had large houses here. Hoxton Square was built in 1683 and the houses would have been fronted by gardens looking onto the central garden, which was laid out in 1709. By the mid C19th the residential character of the area was largely superseded by trade activities. The privately owned central garden was leased to Shoreditch Borough Council and protected from building development. A drinking fountain was donated in 1901. The garden was described in 1928 as 'a great amenity in a densely developed neighbourhood' and this remains the case today as Hoxton has become a hub of activity again.
Mark Street Garden was laid out alongside St Michael's Church, now closed, which was built in 1863-5, adjacent to which is the former Hospital of St Mary at the Cross. Founded in 1866, the convent moved to Edgware in 1931. The small public garden to the south is built over part of the former cloister and consists of a series of small spaces with areas of lawn, shrubberies and flower beds, a pergola and two stone monuments, one of these a memorial to Sidney Smith (d.1870).