Description
St Giles Almshouses were founded in 1665, and built on this site in 1790. They were rebuilt in 1885 by Edward Henry Burnell in Jacobean style of yellow stock brick with red brick bands, strings and stone dressings, fishscale tile roofs with gables. The almshouses are in two ranges forming two sides of a quadrangle with a secluded courtyard garden containing a single tree. The attached boundary walls have stone coping surmounted by cast-iron railings. At the south end of the quadrangle is a York Stone tablet, dated 1790, recording former almshouses on the site as well as a tablet dated 1885 recording the rebuilding of the almshouses.
Practical Information
| Site location | 17a Macklin Street |
|---|---|
| Postcode | WC2B 5NJ |
| What3Words | ///rips.itself.itself |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Tube: Holborn (Central). |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2003 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ303813 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | 1790 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St Giles Almshouses, walls and railings |
| 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 | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Seven Dials |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Character: Central London 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
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Bloomsbury Square was laid out in the early 1660s on land then owned by the Earl of Southampton, but from 1723 became part of the Bedford Estate. The central garden originally had a cruciform layout. From 1800 the 5th Duke of Bedford began developing his estate, demolishing Bedford House to the north of Bloomsbury Square. He commissioned Humphry Repton to redesign Bloomsbury Square in c1806 and by the 1820s there was a large lawn with oval line of trees in the centre, perimeter shrubbery and walk, and an oval shrubbery in each corner. The layout changed at various times throughout the C20th but refurbishment carried out in 2006/7 reflected elements of Repton’s layout, and restored views and links to Russell Square.
Bloomsbury Square was laid out in the early 1660s on land then owned by the Earl of Southampton, but from 1723 became part of the Bedford Estate. The central garden originally had a cruciform layout. From 1800 the 5th Duke of Bedford began developing his estate, demolishing Bedford House to the north of Bloomsbury Square. He commissioned Humphry Repton to redesign Bloomsbury Square in c1806 and by the 1820s there was a large lawn with oval line of trees in the centre, perimeter shrubbery and walk, and an oval shrubbery in each corner. The layout changed at various times throughout the C20th but refurbishment carried out in 2006/7 reflected elements of Repton’s layout, and restored views and links to Russell Square.
Drury Lane Gardens is a small public garden created in 1877 on the site of a former burial ground of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the first burial ground to be made into a public garden in Westminster following closure as a result of the Burial Acts, in this case due to the intervention of Octavia Hill. The mortuary and lodge survive either side of the entrance, together with C19th gate piers. The raised garden is largely taken up with a playground, sports court and hard landscaping but also has a seating area shaded by a pergola, with shrubberies and bedding displays. A number of tombstones are ranged along the northern boundary.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Lincoln's Inn Fields is London's largest garden square, but was once open fields and the site of duelling, jousting and occasional public execution. In the C17th building development began here, and part of the fields were built over, with part laid out with walks. In a bad state by early C18th, Lincoln's Inn Fields was formally laid out as a garden in 1735 and enclosed, ceasing to be publicly accessible. In 1894 the LCC took on responsibility through Act of Parliament and Lincoln's Inn Fields opened to the public, with provision for recreation such as tennis, golf and band concerts. The layout today is largely that of the early C19th with perimeter shrubbery and path, scattered trees, lawns, areas of bedding, and crossed by cruciform paths with an octagonal pavilion in the centre. There are a number of memorials and sculptures in and near the gardens.
Lincoln's Inn Fields is London's largest garden square, but was once open fields and the site of duelling, jousting and occasional public execution. In the C17th building development began here, and part of the fields were built over, with part laid out with walks. In a bad state by early C18th, Lincoln's Inn Fields was formally laid out as a garden in 1735 and enclosed, ceasing to be publicly accessible. In 1894 the LCC took on responsibility through Act of Parliament and Lincoln's Inn Fields opened to the public, with provision for recreation such as tennis, golf and band concerts. The layout today is largely that of the early C19th with perimeter shrubbery and path, scattered trees, lawns, areas of bedding, and crossed by cruciform paths with an octagonal pavilion in the centre. There are a number of memorials and sculptures in and near the gardens.
