Description
Gough Square was originally laid out in the late C17th by a family of that name. No. 17 Gough Square is famous for being the house where Dr Samuel Johnson lived between 1748-59 and where he compiled his Dictionary. In 1911 the house was restored as a museum with a Curator's House to the south, a small garden between the two buildings. The north and east sides of Gough Square were rebuilt in the 1950s and further refurbishment took place in the 1990s; the square is paved with granite setts, with one tree, reproduction gas-lights and C19th and C20th cast-iron bollards, with a covered carriageway in the north-west corner. A bronze sculpture of Johnson's cat 'Hodge' on a stone pedestal was erected in 1997.
Practical Information
| Site location | Gough Square, access from Pemberton Row |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC4A 3EA |
| What3Words | ///putty.meals.tube |
| Type of Site | Square |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Blackfriars (District, Circle); Chancery Lane (Central). Bus: 4, 11, 15, 26, 76, 341 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Gough Square was originally laid out in the late C17th part of housing development by a family of that name. Nearby was Holy Trinity Church built in 1838-42 as a daughter church of St Bride's Fleet Street (q.v.) but sold in 1880 and demolished in 1906 when parish was re-united with that of St Bride. No 17 Gough Square is famous for being the house where Dr Samuel Johnson lived between 1748 and 1759 and where he compiled his Dictionary, working in the attic; in 1911 the house was restored as a museum to Dr Johnson by Alfred Burr who also built the Curator's House to the south with a small garden between the two buildings. The north and east sides of Gough Square were rebuilt in the 1950s and further refurbishment took place in the 1990s; the square is paved with granite setts, with one tree, reproduction gas-lights and C19th and C20th cast-iron bollards, with a covered carriageway in the north-west corner. A bronze sculpture of Johnson's cat 'Hodge' on a stone pedestal was erected in the square in 1997.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ313812 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.05 |
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Dept. of Technical Services |
| Dates | C17th; 1990s |
| Listed Structures | LBI: Dr Johnson's House No 17 Gough Square. LBII: No 16 Gough 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 | No |
| Local Authority | City of London |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Fleet Street |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Strategic Viewing Corridor |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
King's College London was founded in 1829, becoming one of the two founding colleges of the University of London in 1836. It now occupies 5 campuses, the original one being its Strand Campus. The Maughan Library & Information Services Centre opened here in 2001 on the site of the former Rolls Chapel founded in 1232, associated with the Master of the Rolls from 1377 and the location of the Public Record Office from the C19th until 1997. In 1912 the PRO acquired part of the garden of Clifford's Inn. After King's College moved here the PRO garden was re-landscaped as a Contemplative Garden of 'green rooms' designed by George Carter and includes a sculpture and water feature.
This is the former site of one of the Serjeants' Inns used by the Serjeants-at-Law, a superior order of barristers dating back to at least the C12th. The Inn here appears to have been occupied from 1424-42 and then from c.1498-1730 after which it ceased to be used by the Serjeants, the building subsequently demolished. The Fleet Street site retained the name although following destruction by WWII bombing post-war buildings of 1951-58 were for commercial rather than legal use. A Neo-Georgian central block with 2 wings enclosed the cobbled Serjeants' Inn Courtyard, which had a fountain and some planting of small trees and shrubs but was otherwise largely used for parking. An archway leads to Inner Temple precincts. Nos.1-2 Serjeants' Inn are being developed as a 4-star hotel, due to open 2012, which will retain the central courtyard. No. 3 Sergeants' Inn has been barristers' chambers since 1986.
The garden is a fragment of the former burial ground of St Dunstan in the West, the church located further south facing onto Fleet Street. Bream's Buildings was an C18th close off Chancery Lane that was extended to Fetter Lane in 1882. St Dunstan's was the last medieval City church to be rebuilt. First mentioned in c.1185, it was later known as St Dunstan in the West to distinguish it from St Dunstan in the East. The old church escaped the Great Fire in 1666, but by the early C19th was dilapidated and a new church was built by 1833 further to the north on the part of the burial ground. What remains of the burial ground is now overlooked by 1960s offices, a small public garden entered through a modest gate, from where steps lead to a raised area of grass, trees and shrubs, re-landscaped by 2009. A few tombstones remain inside the boundary railings and in shrubbery on the west perimeter.
