Description
Torrington Square was originally laid out as part of the Bedford Estate development in 1821-25, named after the father-in-law of the 6th Duke of Bedford. On the east side a terrace of 6 original houses remains, Nos. 27-32; No.30 was once the home of Christina Georgina Rossetti. The terraces overlooked a long narrow garden enclosure for the private use of residents and had lawns, a shrubbery border and fine trees. The square was purchased in the early C20th for the new University of London and was largely built over in the 1930s. It is now publicly accessible and partly hard landscaped, although some mature trees remain.
Practical Information
| Site location | Torrington Square |
|---|---|
| Postcode | WC1E 7JL |
| What3Words | ///venue.props.drove |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Events | Weekly Farmers' Market on Thursdays. For news and events see Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens website: www.bloomsburysquares.org.uk |
| Public Transport | Tube: Goodge Street (Northern). Bus: 10, 24, 29, 73, 134, 390 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2013 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Torrington Square was originally laid out as part of the Bedford Estate development in 1821-25; its name comes from the father-in-law of the 6th Duke of Bedford. Between 1790 and 1805 the land was leased by the Estate to the Toxophilite Society. On the east side of the square a terrace of 6 original houses remains, Nos. 27-32, which were built between 1821-25 by James Sim, in partnership with James Sim Jnr and Robert Sim, who were also responsible for nearby Woburn Square (q.v.). No.30 was the home of Christina Georgina Rossetti from 1876 until her death in 1894, and No. 3 was that of Charles Kean (1811-68), son of Edmund Kean, and himself an actor-manager who ran the Princess's Theatre in Oxford Street. John Tiltman (1894-1982), one of the renowned Bletchley Park Codebreakers, was born in Torrington Square and spent his early life here when his family lived in No 70. The terraces overlooked a long narrow garden enclosure that had lawns with a shrubbery border, containing fine trees and was for the private use of surrounding houses.
The square was part of the 10-acre site purchased in 1927 for the new University of London, as a result of which the layout of the central garden was considerably changed to become part of the university complex. The architectural scheme selected for the university precinct was that of Charles Holden who in 1931 proposed a building that ran from Montague Place to Byng Place with a tower at each end and wings at right angles along the sides. One objector to the loss of Torrington Square was Holborn Cllr T L Humberstone. In the event only part of Holden's scheme was built, with Senate House in the south built in 1932-7. Torrington Square has recently been re-landscaped in a scheme by Robert Myers Associates, which combines hard landscaping and areas of planting, with some mature trees remaining.
The Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens was set up in 2012 as a forum for the local gardens, with a website www.bloomsburysquares.org.uk, which acts as a point of access for sharing activities, events and concerns. The gardens within the Association are: Argyle, Bedford, Bloomsbury, Brunswick, Fitzroy, Gordon, Mecklenburgh, Regent, Russell, Tavistock, Torrington and Woburn Squares (q.q.v.), and Marchmont Community Garden.
The square was part of the 10-acre site purchased in 1927 for the new University of London, as a result of which the layout of the central garden was considerably changed to become part of the university complex. The architectural scheme selected for the university precinct was that of Charles Holden who in 1931 proposed a building that ran from Montague Place to Byng Place with a tower at each end and wings at right angles along the sides. One objector to the loss of Torrington Square was Holborn Cllr T L Humberstone. In the event only part of Holden's scheme was built, with Senate House in the south built in 1932-7. Torrington Square has recently been re-landscaped in a scheme by Robert Myers Associates, which combines hard landscaping and areas of planting, with some mature trees remaining.
The Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens was set up in 2012 as a forum for the local gardens, with a website www.bloomsburysquares.org.uk, which acts as a point of access for sharing activities, events and concerns. The gardens within the Association are: Argyle, Bedford, Bloomsbury, Brunswick, Fitzroy, Gordon, Mecklenburgh, Regent, Russell, Tavistock, Torrington and Woburn Squares (q.q.v.), and Marchmont Community Garden.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ298820 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | University of London |
| Site Management | University of London |
| Dates | 1821-5; C20th; 2006: Robert Myers Associates |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos. 27-32 Torrington Square (consecutive) and attached 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 | Bloomsbury |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Central London Area (Clear Zone Region) |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space; Strategic View - Background Consultation Area |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Woburn Square is a rectangular enclosure laid out by the Duke of Bedford c.1830, overlooked by C19th terraces of 1829-33. It was for the private use of householders and OS maps of 1881, 1894 and 1913 show the layout of paths and planting changing over the years. By 1928 London University had acquired part of the site, but as late as 1950 it was described as the most perfect of the smaller Bloomsbury squares. Encroachment began in 1958 when the Warburg Institute was built in the north-west corner; in 1972 part of the north and south sides were demolished for the Institute of Education and School of Oriental and African Studies. Today it is an elongated rectangular garden, shaded by mature trees, with perimeter walk, a children's playground in the south, and small shelter to the north. In 2007 the gardens were re-opened following a 7-year restoration project.
Ridgmount Gardens is an elongated private garden for the use of residents of the imposing Ridgmount Mansions apartment building that overlooks it, built in the 1890s. Stretching from Chenies Street to Tavistock Place, the garden has a path that leads alongside a series of miniature lawns interspersed by shrubbery borders. At either end of the garden are ornamental bird baths set off by lavender and wisteria.
The area remained open land until it was developed as part of the Bedford Estate. Although the square was formed in 1800, the garden and houses were not built until the 1820s. Named after Lady Georgina Gordon, second wife of the 6th Duke of Bedford, the design and supervision of the garden was by the Duke himself; an early plan of c.1830 showed a perimeter path and a circular central path around a shrubbery, linked to the perimeter by six curving paths, with shrubberies around the edge and in groups in the enclosures made by paths. By 1894 the layout had changed and it was simplified in the early C20th. In 1920 the Duke agreed to sell the site to the Government for the building of University of London. The gardens initially remained private for use of residents and keyholders but were later open to the public. In 2007 the gardens were formally re-opened by HRH the Princess Royal following a 7-year restoration project.
