Description
University College London (UCL) is the third oldest university in England after Oxford and Cambridge. It was founded in 1826 as the University of London to provide university education without religious bias. The benefactors of the new university purchased the site, once part of the Mortimer estate, and William Wilkins' design was selected following public competition. The main buildings are ranged around the Front Quad, accessed via central entrance gates past the Front Lodge. The neo-Grecian central block was designed by William Wilkins, the south and north wings added in 1869-76 and 1871-81 respectively. The Front Quad is laid out as two lawns either side of a central path, in each an octagonal Observatory with domed lead roof and a number of mature trees.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Gower Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | Gower Street |
| Postcode | WC1E 6BT |
| What3Words | ///atom.mole.festivity |
| Type of Site | Institutional Grounds |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | accessible to visitors to UCL and students; has opened for London Open Gardens and London Open House |
| Public Transport | Tube: Euston Square (Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City), Goodge Street (Northern). Bus: 10, 18, 24, 30, 73, 134, 253 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The site was once owned by Hans Winthrop Mortimer, MP for Shaftesbury from 1774-90 and a property speculator, who purchased arable land here and began to develop his small estate from 1800 with shops and housing. In 1824 the land was purchased from the Mortimer estate by a builder who planned to create a residential square to be called Carmarthen Square, but he was bought out in 1825 by the three benefactors of what would become University College London (UCL) as the site for the new university. UCL, the third oldest university in England after Oxford and Cambridge, was founded in 1826 as the University of London to provide university education without religious bias, and its three benefactors were Catholic, Jewish and Nonconformist. There was some opposition from the clerical establishment, but on 30 April 1827 the Duke of Sussex laid the foundation stone. The architect was William Wilkins who was later to build the National Gallery, selected through a public competition. However his design was not fully carried out and the building took place over a period of time although UCL opened in 1828. Not only was it the first English university to admit students of any race, class or religion, in 1878 it was the first to admit women on equal terms with men.
The main buildings are ranged around a large quadrangle, the Front Quad, off Gower Street, accessed via central entrance gates past the Front Lodge. The magnificent neo-Grecian central block of 1827-9 was designed by Wilkins. The Flaxman Gallery and Library of 1848 were designed by TL Donaldson. The south wing was added 1869-76, and the north wing in 1871-81, both designed by T Hayter Lewis. Later additions include the north-west wing, 1912-13 by F M Simpson, and south-west wing, c.1923 by A E Richardson. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology is housed at the college, and the Slade School of Fine Art occupies the north wing. The Front Quad has two expanses of lawn either side of the central path and a number of mature trees; in each lawn is an octagonal Observatory, each with domed lead roof, dating from c.1804-6.
Within UCL is the preserved body of philosopher Jeremy Bentham, who died in 1832 having bequeathed himself to the university. His ideas on education and on society were influential on a number of the founders of UCL, who included James Mill (1773-1836) and Henry Brougham (1778-1868). The University of London today is now umbrella for c.50 different colleges and institutes across London.
The main buildings are ranged around a large quadrangle, the Front Quad, off Gower Street, accessed via central entrance gates past the Front Lodge. The magnificent neo-Grecian central block of 1827-9 was designed by Wilkins. The Flaxman Gallery and Library of 1848 were designed by TL Donaldson. The south wing was added 1869-76, and the north wing in 1871-81, both designed by T Hayter Lewis. Later additions include the north-west wing, 1912-13 by F M Simpson, and south-west wing, c.1923 by A E Richardson. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology is housed at the college, and the Slade School of Fine Art occupies the north wing. The Front Quad has two expanses of lawn either side of the central path and a number of mature trees; in each lawn is an octagonal Observatory, each with domed lead roof, dating from c.1804-6.
Within UCL is the preserved body of philosopher Jeremy Bentham, who died in 1832 having bequeathed himself to the university. His ideas on education and on society were influential on a number of the founders of UCL, who included James Mill (1773-1836) and Henry Brougham (1778-1868). The University of London today is now umbrella for c.50 different colleges and institutes across London.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ295822 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | University College London |
| Site Management | University College London |
| Dates | 1827 onwards |
| Listed Structures | LBI: University College and attached railings to north and south wings. LBII: 2 Observatories |
| 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 | To be checked |
| 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 Corridor |
Gallery
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 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.
The Friends House was built between 1924-27 as the headquarters for the Religious Society of Friends, an award-winning design by Quaker architect Hubert Lidbetter. The site had previously included private open space of Endsleigh Gardens, and from an early stage the plans for the new building incorporated a garden to the east of the Meeting House. This is enclosed by a low Portland stone wall with railings on the north and south side and is laid out with two square lawns with a central path and roses, shrubs to the north and south, and a magnolia tree alongside Euston Road.
Euston Square does not currently exist as a garden square, temporarily built over as part of the Government's HS2 rail scheme of which Euston Station is the London Terminus. The garden square was laid out in the early C19th on the site of the Bedford Nursery Ground. It formed two rectangular strips either side of New Road, built as a cattle route to Smithfield Market and later renamed Euston Road. The southern side of Euston Square became Endsleigh Gardens in 1880 and only the northern part survives as a garden, enclosed by railings, with grass and mature London plane trees. Euston Station opened in 1837 and was enlarged over the next decades. The two lodges, inscribed with names of stations served by the London and North Western Railway, date from c.1870 and were once at the station entrance. They are now the only survivors of the formal 1870 layout, which was replaced by the new station in 1968. Following completion of HS2, the historic gardens are due to be reinstated.
