Description
Lismore Circus was formerly a circus of C19th terraces, later absorbed by extensive redevelopment of the area. In 1870 St Pancras Vestry took over the central area following a memorial that it should be laid out as a garden. It opened to the public in 1871, a circular garden surrounded by privet hedge with grass, shrubs and trees. Now within the modern mixed development, the garden remains a circular railed grass plot with large plane trees, with C20th landscaping to east and west.
Practical Information
| Site location | Lamble Street |
|---|---|
| Postcode | NW5 |
| What3Words | ///ankle.slows.jabs |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Playground, circular court for sports |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Gospel Oak. Tube: Belsize Park (Northern). Bus: C11 |
| Research Updated | 1 August 2002 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In 1928 Lismore Circus was described as having an attractive circular garden surrounded by a privet hedge with lawns, shrubs and some mature trees. It was maintained by St Pancras Borough Council and protected under the London Squares and Enclosures (Preservation) Act of 1906. The Circus has since been absorbed by the extensive redevelopment of the Gospel Oak area. Today it consists of a circular raised grass plot, with large mature London planes, and new railings and is the centre of a modern mixed development of shopping precinct and low and high-rise council blocks. To the east of the Circus is a an area of landscaping of more recent date with benching, paving and a few trees and to the west undulating grass with playground fronts the long block of modern housing with a circular sports court, some trees and brick walls of the railway cutting across the space.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ280853 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.5918 |
| Site Ownership | LB Camden |
| Site Management | Parks & Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1870/1; C20th |
| 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 | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space (Small Local). London Squares Preservation Act of 1931 (area of original circus). |
Gallery
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
St Pancras Almshouses were founded in 1850 to provide for poor, deserving parishioners. The original buildings opened in 1852 but the site was soon lost to railway expansion, and the almshouses were rebuilt here in 1859-63. The red-brick buildings are ranged around 3 sides with a square lawn, flower beds and perimeter paths, on the south descending to street level by means of two sets of steps. The raised beds and terrace created by this change in levels are ornamented with amateur rock-work, probably early C20th.
In the 1860s this sloping woodland was part of land owned by the Midland Railway Company. In 1948 the company leased it for various uses including tennis courts, nursery gardens and an industrial estate. Later owned by LB Camden, redevelopment of part of the land was under discussion from 1971, but it was not until 1982 that an architectural competition led to a scheme that provided for recreational use and housing. Russell's Nursery Estate housing estate abuts the woodland, which is partly freely accessible and partly a Nature Reserve managed as ecological woodland, having restricted access.
Lissenden Gardens Estate is a small Edwardian development by Alfred Armstrong comprised of 3 red-brick Arts and Crafts style blocks of mansion flats, Parliament Hill Mansions, Clevedon Mansions and Lissenden Mansions. Built between 1898-1906, the estate was designed by Boehmer and Gibbs, whose initial plan of 1897 went through various changes but from the first incorporated a garden. This was laid out in 1899, later converted to tennis courts, with a Gardener's Cottage built on the north side. The plane trees on the estate roads and other landscaping provided a green foil to the buildings and a footpath gave access to Parliament Hill Fields. The Gardener's Cottage has been replaced in 2010 by a modern house designed by J J Lorraine for his family to live in.
