Description
Originally this was a private communal garden for residents of Lonsdale Square, which was laid out in 1838 on the Drapers' Company Estate. The land had once been used as a pen for cattle on their way to Smithfield Market. Unlike the gardens in most Islington squares it remained in private ownership until the 1960s, with a gardener employed until 1959. The gardens were then offered to Islington Borough Council for a nominal sum of £50. Railings had been removed during WWII, and were replaced with reproductions in 1970/71 when the garden was restored.
Practical Information
| Site location | Lonsdale Square |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N1 |
| What3Words | ///lunch.sulk.hooked |
| Type of Site | Garden Square; |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Special Conditions | no dogs |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Caledonian Road & Barnsbury. Tube: Angel (Northern). Bus: 4, 19, 30, 43, 153 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Lonsdale Square was laid out by Richard Cromwell Carpenter in 1838 upon Gosseyfield on the Drapers' Company Estate. Gosseyfield had been left to the Company in 1690 by the daughter of former Company Clerk John Walter, for the support of his almshouses in Southwark and Newington, and the land was used for a pen for cattle on their way to Smithfield Market. Carpenter's father had been the first Surveyor for the Drapers' Company Estate and had drawn up plans for pairs of classical houses here. His son became Company Surveyor after his father's death in 1839 and completed the scheme to his own design. A district surveyor for East Islington, he was a church architect and had also built de Beauvoir Square (q.v.) in Hackney.
Lonsdale Square has a central garden on the axis with Drapers' Arms Public House to the north, and uncentred on Barry's Holy Trinity Church in Cloudesley Square (q.v.) to the south. Unlike the gardens in most Islington squares it remained in private ownership until the 1960s, with a gardener employed until 1959. The gardens were then offered to Islington Borough Council for a nominal sum of £50. Railings had been removed during WWII, and were replaced with reproductions in 1970/71 when the garden was restored, having become run down in the interim. Surrounding houses are intact, with Arup Associates offices of the 1960s built behind the façade of buildings in the south west corner.
Lonsdale Square has a central garden on the axis with Drapers' Arms Public House to the north, and uncentred on Barry's Holy Trinity Church in Cloudesley Square (q.v.) to the south. Unlike the gardens in most Islington squares it remained in private ownership until the 1960s, with a gardener employed until 1959. The gardens were then offered to Islington Borough Council for a nominal sum of £50. Railings had been removed during WWII, and were replaced with reproductions in 1970/71 when the garden was restored, having become run down in the interim. Surrounding houses are intact, with Arup Associates offices of the 1960s built behind the façade of buildings in the south west corner.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ312839 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.19 |
| Site Ownership | LB Islington |
| Site Management | Greenspace. Lonsdale Square Association |
| Dates | 1838-45 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos.1-48 Lonsdale 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 | Barnsbury |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local/strategic view corridor. Shopping Policy Area |
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
Thornhill Road Gardens is a site acquired by Islington Vestry in 1889, later maintained by Islington Borough Council. The neighbouring Malvern Terrace had been built as part of the Thornhill Estate. Before housing encroached, much of the area was nursery grounds. Initially called Thornhill Gardens, it contains some fine mature plane trees and has perimeter shrub planting, rose beds and asphalt paths, and a war memorial in the form of an austere cross.
In 1823 Thomas Milner Gibson of Theberton Hall in Suffolk obtained a licence to build here from landowner William Tufnell, Lord of Barnsbury Manor. Milner Square is a counterpart to Gibson Square to the south and was the second of the two squares built for the Milner-Gibson Estate. By the 1930s the square was tenanted in large part and later became run-down. It was acquired by Islington Council in 1973 and the houses restored as Council flats. The garden was a 'vegetable garden' until the 1930s and was then laid out as a playground. It remains almost entirely hard-surfaced with a small brick pavilion and peripheral planting.
Gibson Square is the corresponding square to Milner Square to the north, and was the first of the two squares to be built as part of the Milner-Gibson Estate. In 1823 Thomas Milner Gibson of Theberton Hall in Suffolk had obtained a licence to build on the land, which was part of the Manor of Barnsbury. The central garden was provided for the use of residents of the new houses until the 1930s when upkeep passed to Islington Council and the garden was open to the public. In 1970 a ventilator shaft for the new Victoria Line was built in the gardens, its design resembling a classical temple with a domed roof in order to better harmonise with the garden, which has ornamental beds with roses, lawns, and a variety of trees.