Description
Lloyd Square was once part of lands owned by the Knights Hospitallers, later passing to Dr William Lloyd, Bishop of St Asaph's in the time of James II. Comprising 3 large fields, it was part of the dowry of his great-granddaughter when she married Revd William Baker in 1775. From 1819 Revd Baker and his son Thomas Lloyd Baker began to develop 2 of the fields for housing. A plan for Lloyd Square was submitted in 1828, having larger houses and a central garden, which since 1917 has been managed by a Garden Committee of residents. The garden's original layout remains relatively intact and has some fine mature trees. A path leads to a pergola and the children's play area was once a tennis court.
Practical Information
| Site location | Lloyd Square/Lloyd Baker Street |
|---|---|
| Postcode | WC1X 9AJ |
| What3Words | ///union.coats.rubble |
| Type of Site | Garden Square |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Occasionally |
| Opening Times | Has opened for London Open Gardens. Otherwise private, for keyholders only |
| Public Transport | Tube: Angel (Northern); King's Cross (Northern, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City; Circle, Victoria, Piccadilly). Bus: 19, 30, 38, 63, 73, 205, 214, 341, 394, 476 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The sloping site of Lloyd Square was once part of the land of the Knights Hospitallers, which later passed to Dr William Lloyd, Bishop of St Asaph's and one of the '7 bishops' of James II. The estate was part of the dowry of his great-granddaughter Mary, who married Revd William Baker of Hardwicke Court in Gloucestershire in 1775. Their land in London comprised 3 large fields, two adjacent to land owned by the New River, Hill Field containing 2 small reservoirs used by that company and Robin Hood's Field; the third, lower field was Black Mary's Field abutted Bagnigge Wells Road, which had cows and farm buildings and from the 1770s to 1820s had two large tile kilns owned by 2 successive companies who excavated the hillside creating a steep slope. From the early C19th onwards Clerkenwell was becoming more densely populated and from 1819 Revd Baker and his son Thomas Lloyd Baker developed two of their fields for housing, the first houses built in what is now Lloyd Baker Street, originally called Baker Street.
The estate plan was drawn up by the family's estate surveyor John Booth and his son William Joseph Booth who took over as architect. Booth's houses have been described as 'extraordinarily individual' and there were disputes with neighbouring land-owners such as the New River Company and Northampton Estate. A plan for Lloyd Square was submitted in 1828, situated between Amwell Street and King's Cross Road and having larger houses and a central garden on the hilltop; it was laid out by c.1833. Surrounding houses were built c.1832 and the cast-iron railings around the garden square are early C19th. A small circular pond that was one of the New River reservoirs in Hill Field was situated below the north-west corner of Lloyd Square; later drained and built on, it is now the site of Archery Fields House. The estate was owned by the Lloyd Baker family until the mid-C20th.
Unlike Granville Square (q.v.) Lloyd Square was not part of the estate acquired by LB Islington in 1978 following the death of Miss Olive Lloyd Baker in 1975, and remained as leasehold with the gardens in private ownership and maintained by a garden committee through a rate levied on the residents. A Garden Committee run by residents has managed the garden since 1917. The layout remains relatively intact, including its path layout, and there are some notable mature trees. Since 2000 renewal work has taken place to renovate the railings, reinstate paths and provide new planting, including refurbishment of the arbour in 2008. A central flowerbed is surrounded by smaller beds planted with roses and perennials, and there is a traditional herb garden. A gravelled path leads to a pergola and the lawned children's play area was originally laid out with a tennis court.
No. 7 Lloyd Square was established in 1866 as a House of Retreat for the Society of Sisters of Bethany, the convent converted in 1962 into the YWCA.
The estate plan was drawn up by the family's estate surveyor John Booth and his son William Joseph Booth who took over as architect. Booth's houses have been described as 'extraordinarily individual' and there were disputes with neighbouring land-owners such as the New River Company and Northampton Estate. A plan for Lloyd Square was submitted in 1828, situated between Amwell Street and King's Cross Road and having larger houses and a central garden on the hilltop; it was laid out by c.1833. Surrounding houses were built c.1832 and the cast-iron railings around the garden square are early C19th. A small circular pond that was one of the New River reservoirs in Hill Field was situated below the north-west corner of Lloyd Square; later drained and built on, it is now the site of Archery Fields House. The estate was owned by the Lloyd Baker family until the mid-C20th.
Unlike Granville Square (q.v.) Lloyd Square was not part of the estate acquired by LB Islington in 1978 following the death of Miss Olive Lloyd Baker in 1975, and remained as leasehold with the gardens in private ownership and maintained by a garden committee through a rate levied on the residents. A Garden Committee run by residents has managed the garden since 1917. The layout remains relatively intact, including its path layout, and there are some notable mature trees. Since 2000 renewal work has taken place to renovate the railings, reinstate paths and provide new planting, including refurbishment of the arbour in 2008. A central flowerbed is surrounded by smaller beds planted with roses and perennials, and there is a traditional herb garden. A gravelled path leads to a pergola and the lawned children's play area was originally laid out with a tennis court.
No. 7 Lloyd Square was established in 1866 as a House of Retreat for the Society of Sisters of Bethany, the convent converted in 1962 into the YWCA.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ310827 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.2 |
| Site Ownership | private |
| Site Management | managed by local residents |
| Dates | c.1833 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: 3-30 Lloyd Square and attached railings; Railings around garden 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 | Islington |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | New River |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| 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
Granville Square was planned in 1828 by John Booth and William Joseph of the Drapers Company for the Lloyd Baker Estate and built in 1841-43. The square originally had a church in the centre but this was demolished in 1938. The estate was in private hands until 1975 and it was acquired by Islington Council in 1978. The houses were then rebuilt and converted into flats in c.1980.
Percy Circus was laid out and designed by William Chadwell Mylne for the New River Estate. It is named for Robert Percy Smith, a director of the New River Company and brother of Sydney Smith, the English clergyman and essayist and one of the founders of the Edinburgh Review in 1802. The circular garden is on a sloping site with paths, raised beds around the centre and mature trees, shrubs and the original C19th railings.
Wilmington Square was built in the 1820s on 16 acres of the Spa Fields Estate owned by the Spencer Compton family, Earls and later Marquesses of Northampton, who had long held land in the area. In 1886 Lord Compton, later 5th Marquess of Northampton, presented the central garden enclosure to the Finsbury Vestry for public use, which the MPGA offered to maintain for the benefit of the poor. It was laid out as an ornamental garden, with flower beds, trees, seats and a shelter, which remains in place today. A drinking fountain was erected by Charles Clements Walker JP in memory of his mother Agnes Walker who had lived in the parish.