Description
Warwick Square takes its name from the Earls of Warwick who had a mansion in Warwick Lane from 1351. The square is overlooked from the north by buildings erected in 1966-72 to extend the Central Criminal Court, which had been built in 1902-07 on the former site of Newgate Gaol. Part of the earlier building was replaced and remnants in the form of four columns are within a small formally landscaped garden adjacent to Warwick Square. Landscaping in the square consists of two trees within an oval traffic island and a paved area in the south-west with shaped beds, a birdbath and a few seats.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Warwick Court |
|---|---|
| Site location | off Warwick Lane |
| Postcode | EC4M 7BP |
| What3Words | ///chop.zebra.spray |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: St Paul's (Central) |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Warwick Square takes its name from the Earls of Warwick whose mansion was in Warwick Lane from 1351. The site in the C17th and C18th was called Warwick Court, a courtyard surrounded on all sides by buildings, with an opening to the east leading to Warwick Lane. By 1875 it is shown as Warwick Square. The square today opens out from Warwick Lane and is overlooked from the north by austere buildings of 1966-72, erected to extend the Central Criminal Court that had been designed by E W Mountford and built in 1902-1907, on the former site of Newgate Gaol. When the Criminal Court was extended, it replaced part of Mountford's building, remnants of which are the four columns now sited in a garden area visible from the south west of Warwick Square. The left of the square was largely occupied by Hodders Publishers in November 1965. Landscaping in the square consists of two trees forming a traffic island with to the west, backed by railings, a paved area with bedding plants in shaped beds, a small birdbath and a few seats.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ318812 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Open Spaces Dept. |
| Dates | 1966-72 |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - St Paul's Heights Policy Area |
| Other LA Designation | Strategic Viewing Corridor |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Amen Court dates from the C17th, when a range of houses was built for the canons of St Paul's Cathedral close to the cathedral and within the City Walls, forming a quiet enclave situated to the north of Ludgate Hill. In the late C19th century, a new range of houses was constructed, the two terraces are separated by an enclosed private garden. Ave Maria Lane is so-called as a former processional route of the clergy,
Stationers' Hall Garden is on the site of the former burial ground of St Martin-within-Ludgate. The church, said to have been founded in the C7th, certainly dates from at least the C14th. Before it burnt down in the Great Fire of 1666 the church was situated just outside the City walls adjacent to the Lud Gate. After the Fire the church was rebuilt by Christopher Wren to the west of its earlier site, its west wall incorporating part of the old Roman Wall. Behind the church is the private garden of Stationers' Hall. The Worshipful Company of Stationers was established in 1403 and built the Hall on the present site in 1611. The Hall has an outer courtyard and a secluded inner garden whose current layout dates from the 1930s, shaded by a mature plane tree.
The former churchyard lies to the west of the Wren tower, all that remains of Christchurch Greyfriars. A Priory was established here in 1225, following the arrival from Italy of a group of Franciscan monks, called Greyfriars from the colour of their clothing. The Priory was later dissolved by Henry VIII but in 1546 the church and other Priory buildings became 'Christ Church within Newgate'. The church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and a new church by Christopher Wren completed in 1704. Smaller than the church it replaced, the remainder of the site to the west was enclosed as the burial ground. The walled and railed churchyard became a garden and public open space in 1872, and is largely grass, a few mature trees, two chest tombs and a number of headstones.
