A Tour of the Squares of London, 27th January 2001

Granville Square (TQ 309 827) is set between a tight-packed group of houses. Much of the square is taken up with a children's playground, so I feel the rest of the square is somewhat overlooked.

Wilmington Square's (TQ 312 826) partial hard-surface, partial lawn approach works well, and manages to enhance the size. The surrounding houses are somewhat unusually fenced off from the main area of the square.

Having an overgrown and untidy appearance, Lloyd Square (TQ 311 828) is obviously not really valued by those who live in the neigbourhood. Some of the buildings on the square have a grim look about them, the grass seems untended and the perimeter hedges do little to bring together the area around the square.

The smart towered church of St. Mark's greets you when you first arrive at Myddelton Square (TQ 313 829). The rest of this serene square thus kind of feels like a churchyard, but this is really no bad thing and the square lends an amiable air to the area around.

Claremont Square (TQ 312 831) is the most unusual of all the squares I visited. On the A to Z map, the green square, with 'Res.' marked, gave an indication before I arrived as to what I was to find there. The inside of the square consists of grass banks, fenced off to the public. I can only presume that inside there is indeed a reservoir; from street-level there's no way to tell whether this is open topped, or covered over. Why there should be a reservoir here in the Finsbury area, I have no idea. It's certainly not particularly large. My guess is that this location is at a particularly high altitude; certainly the nearest underground station - Angel - has the longest escalator I've seen in London. I travelled from here one stop down the Northern Line to Old Street station.

Hoxton Square (TQ 332 827) is well-known as being a centre for London artists. The affordable rents in the nearby area (now with many popular bars and clubs) is obviously a key factor, but the square itself is pleasant and friendly, and enjoys a location in Shoreditch away from most traffic.

Finsbury Square (TQ 329 820) is divided in two; the northern half is a bowling green. The southern half is a lawn, strangely having what appear to be palm trees and similar around the edges. Some history.

Unfortunately Charterhouse Square (TQ 320 819) is fenced off. It looks like a relaxed and uncluttered place. A few further details.