Description
Wilton Square was part of the Clothworkers' Estate and was separated from the main area of the estate when New North Road was constructed in 1812. Wilton Square and Wilton Street were built by 1853, the latter renamed Wilton Villas in 1940. In 1847 the central space was occupied by a temporary chapel, replaced by a Baptists chapel in 1863, eventually demolished after 1963. In 1971 the entrance to Wilton Square was blocked from traffic and the central gardens were replanted with new shrubs and railings erected, retaining the mature plane trees.
Practical Information
| Site location | New North Road/Wilton Square |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N1 |
| What3Words | ///trash.aside.candle |
| Type of Site | Garden Square; |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Facilities | none |
| Public Transport | Rail: Essex Road/Old Street. Tube: Old Street (Northern) then bus. Bus: 271, 76, 141, 341 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Building began on the Clothworkers' Estate in the 1840s and the Wilton Square site together with part of New North Road was leased by Richard Field, a printer and 'commission agent for bandannas'. Field withdraw from the Wilton Square site, which reverted to the Clothworkers' Company and in 1851 it was leased by Edward Rowland and Thomas Evans, who built Wilton Square and Wilton Street by 1853, the latter renamed Wilton Villas in 1940. The central space had been occupied by a temporary chapel in 1847, then in 1863 by a small Baptists chapel known as Salem, which had been removed from Hoxton. The Salem Chapel closed in 1913 and it was then sold to the London and Manchester Assurance Company in 1931, and used by the YMCA until 1963 after which it was vandalised and then demolished. A Welsh Methodist Chapel had also been built at the junction with Wilton Street by 1857; rebuilt in 1884 it was restored in 1955 as a hostel for the Catholic St Vincent's Housing Association, later replaced by a block in 1986.
The garden is a triangular site with two circular paved areas with seating, a central path across the middle and a perimeter path, with shrub beds around the borders.
The garden is a triangular site with two circular paved areas with seating, a central path across the middle and a perimeter path, with shrub beds around the borders.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ325837 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.13 |
| Site Ownership | LB Islington |
| Site Management | Greenspace; Friends of Wilton Square |
| Dates | 1852-53, 1970 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos. 1 - 18; 24 - 27; 29 - 39; 42 - 45 Wilton Square 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 | Yes |
| Local Authority | Islington |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | CA |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
Rosemary Gardens was built on the site of the 'Islington Vauxhall', the name given in 1836 to the popular pleasure gardens of the Rosemary Branch. A tavern of that name had existed here from the C16th. The park is also on the site of a C19th Independent School, a factory and various small residential streets; fragments of the north wall of Carmarthen Street, and cobbled streets remain in the park. The park was extended in 1976, and tennis court were added in 1983.
Arlington Square was part of the Corporate Estate built between 1846-58 by the Clothworkers' Company, who had owned land here since the C14th. Plots on the estate were let for house-building to a number of developers, including Henry Rydon who built Arlington Square and is commemorated in a local street name. Several of the surrounding streets were built to provide artisans' cottages. The garden was originally a private communal area for residents of the square. St Philip's Church was built in 1854-6 on the north side of the square but was demolished in the 1950s following a fire, but it had already been damaged by WWII bombing, which also destroyed many houses in the area. The Clothworkers' Company sold the estate to a private company in 1945 and in the late 1940s ownership of the garden, by then rather neglected, was transferred to Islington Council. The garden was restored and opened to the public in 1953.
Union Square was built on land within the Clothworkers' Estate, which was developed from 1846. The gardens were provided for private use by leaseholders of surrounding houses but as early as 1908 had been proposed for public use by the MPGA, the area by that time densely populated and with little open space. By 1946 Union Square was owned by the London and Manchester Assurance Company who then passed the freehold to Islington Borough Council. In 1966 the square was bisected when the Packington Estate was rebuilt but the gardens were reinstated and opened to the public in c.1968.