Publisher's Synopsis
If the financial City of London is her heart and the parks her lungs, then London’s squares must be her soul. The London square is quintessentially English. Residential or commercial, historical or architecturally ground-breaking, the square is one of the capital’s most familiar and loved features. Square London endeavours to investigate the history of the London square, from its oldest – Covent Garden and Bloomsbury, to its most recent – Canada and Highbury. The focus is not on architectural value or style but on the life of the square, its occupants past and present, significant events of national importance and the dark secrets of individual buildings and their tenants. Each square featured in this book has its own unique story, whether through buildings which still exist or have sadly disappeared, characters both past and present or events of tremendous public joy or deep shock and horror. What becomes apparent is the role the London square has played in the history of this great nation. The square’s of London mirror the capital’s highs and lows, from the celebrations in Trafalgar Square when Britain was awarded the 2012 Olympic games, to the loss and devastation on July 7th when terrorists killed 52 innocent people – 13 of them in Tavistock Square. It has been over 100 years since the publication of a book about London’s squares and this book seeks to address the void of past historical neglect and link the London square to events of national and international importance.
