Description
Myddelton Square is considered the chief adornment of the New River Estate and is named after Sir Hugh Myddelton who was responsible for building the New River to provide fresh water to London's growing population in the early C17th. The central garden contains some notable trees particularly on the perimeter, with an ornamental garden of raised beds, and now surrounded by new railings. Railed off within the area of the square is St Mark's Church.
Practical Information
| Site location | Myddelton Square |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC1 |
| What3Words | ///single.spicy.scars |
| Type of Site | Garden Square; |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Facilities | Children's playground |
| Public Transport | Tube: Angel (Northern). Bus: 3, 19, 30, 38, 153, 205, 214, 341, 394, 476 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Myddelton Square is contemporary with Wilmington Square (q.v.) and the last part of Claremont Square (q.v.), and was built for the New River Estate in 1824-7 on the former site of a large field, Buther's Mantells. Railed off within the area of the square is St Mark's Church, which was built in 1827, some of the stone for which came from Wanstead House demolished in 1821 now Wanstead Park (q.v.). St Mark's was designed by William Chadwell Mylne, an engineer more than an architect who was surveyor to the New River Company from 1811, when he inherited the position from his father Robert Mylne to whom he had been assistant since 1804. Robert Mylne had become famous early in his long and distinguished career as the designer of the first Blackfriars Bridge, and worked on numerous projects throughout the country, predominantly concerned with water, and he named his son after the Chadwell stream that fed the New River. William Chadwell Mylne was equally engaged in projects involving water, working for the New River Company as well as other bodies, including advising House of Lords committees on supplying water to London, and draining schemes in the Fens.
In addition to designing St Mark's Church, Mylne was also responsible for laying out 50 acres of the New River Company's land in Islington for building. The church was gutted in 1941 and the north side of Myddelton Square was also destroyed in the 1940s and rebuilt in replica by the New River Company in 1947/48. A modern monument to Hugh Myddelton was erected in the garden but has since disappeared, its defaced plaque remaining.
In addition to designing St Mark's Church, Mylne was also responsible for laying out 50 acres of the New River Company's land in Islington for building. The church was gutted in 1941 and the north side of Myddelton Square was also destroyed in the 1940s and rebuilt in replica by the New River Company in 1947/48. A modern monument to Hugh Myddelton was erected in the garden but has since disappeared, its defaced plaque remaining.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ312829 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.57 |
| Site Ownership | LB Islington. Church: Diocese of London |
| Site Management | Greenspace |
| Dates | 1824-27 |
| Designers | William Chadwell Mylne |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St Mark's Church; Nos. 1 - 74 Myddelton Square and attached railings and some gate piers |
| 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 | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local/strategic view corridor |
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
The New River Head was the terminus of the New River, constructed in the early C17th to bring fresh water to London from Hertfordshire. Prior to this there were ponds on this site where fishing and duck shooting took place. The New River ended here in a small circular reservoir, the Round Pond, with a larger outer reservoir built in the early C18th. The reservoir was drained when the Metropolitan Water Board took over the New River Company in 1904 and by 1920 the MWB had built its new headquarters here, with the Laboratory Building added by 1938. After it became Thames Water, the headquarters moved to Reading and the buildings here were converted into private apartments. The formal gardens of the MWB became private communal gardens, their landscaping including fountains and rose gardens, now known as the Nautilus Garden. Remnants of the New River Head are at times visible from a viewing platform accessed via Myddelton Passage.
Claremont Square was developed around the Upper Pond or 'New Reservoir' of the New River Company, which had been provided in 1708/9 as an extension of the New River Head to serve this area of Islington. The railed reservoir had garden walks around it that were only accessible to the privileged few. The terraced houses of Claremont Square were built when the New River Company began to develop their estate for housing in the 1820s. In the 1850s the reservoir was drained, covered and turfed over, the central area raised and enclosed by a high brick wall so that the former reservoir became a high flat-topped mound with steep sides.
The central garden at Claremont Close is an oval space that acts as a focus for the surrounding eight blocks of flats erected in 1935/6, the last 'square' to be built by the New River Company. The site had previously served as cattle layers for beasts en route to Smithfield Market, and by the 1840s there were livery stables and service buildings here. When the flats were built in 1935 two houses were removed in order to provide better access.