Description
Salisbury Square is on the site of the former forecourt of the large house of the Bishops of Salisbury, who had acquired the site in c.1200. In 1564 it was acquired by the Sackville family, later given the title the Earls of Dorset after whom nearby Dorset Rise is named. Although the square has some C18th housing, it was predominantly redeveloped from the 1960s onwards. The central area was laid out formally and is surrounded by cobbled roadway. It provides seating within a paved garden that has a raised bed at each corner planted with shrubs and small trees. In the centre is a granite obelisk that commemorates Robert Waithman, Lord Mayor of London in 1823-24. This was erected in Salisbury Square in the mid 1970s, but had originally been located in Farringdon Street.
Practical Information
| Site location | Salisbury Square |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC4Y 8AE |
| What3Words | ///labs.closet.hours |
| Type of Site | Square |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Blackfriars (District, Circle). Rail: Blackfriars |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Salisbury Square is on the site of the former forecourt of the large house of the Bishops of Salisbury, hence the name, who acquired the site in c.1200. In 1564 the Sackville family had the property, later given the title the Earls of Dorset after whom nearby Dorset Rise is named. Although the square has some C18th housing, No. 1 an early C18th house largely reconstructed and No. 12 a mid-late C18th house much altered, it was predominantly redeveloped from the 1960s onwards. In the centre of the square on a low circular plinth is a granite obelisk brought here in c1975 from Bartholomew Close, which prior to 1951 had been at the south end of Farringdon Street. It commemorates Lord Mayor of 1823-24 Robert Waithman (d.1833) and is the work of James Elmes. Surrounding the obelisk, the area is paved with seating and a raised brick planter forming each corners planted with shrubs and small trees, the road around this central landscaping is cobbled. Improvements were carried out in 1990 by epr Architects Ltd as part of the Corporation of London's City Challenge scheme.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ314811 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Open Spaces Dept. |
| Dates | C18th; 1990s |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Obelisk |
| 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 |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The church is dedicated to the C5th Irish St Bride or Bridget and has existed here for some 1500 years, possibly the first place in London where Christianity was practiced. The old church was destroyed in the Great Fire in 1666 and the current building is the eighth on the site, rebuilt by Wren by 1680. Its spire, once higher, was completed in 1703, the highest of Wren's steeples and apparently the inspiration for the first tiered wedding cake. It is known as the Printers Cathedral or Journalists Church after the first printing press with moveable type was brought here in 1500. Many famous people are connected with the church including John Milton, Samuel Pepys, Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens. On the north side of the church the raised railed churchyard has a number of mature trees, areas of paving and seats, with gravestones set into the ground.
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.
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.
