St James's Square, one of London's most prestigious garden squares in the exclusive St James's district of City of Westminster, London, England, UK
In 1658 Newcourt and Faithorn's map of London shows the site of St James's as a square open space with a double row of trees. In 1662 Lord St Albans was granted the lease of 45 acres (c 19ha) (St James' Fields) but his development of the area was suspended during the Plague of 1665/6 and the Fire of London in 1666, building eventually beginning in 1667. A more comprehensive plan for development which included the allocation of building sites was made in 1676. Although Lord St Albans stipulated that the intended piazza should be paved, this does not appear to have been done; only a raised pavement around the square was made, the centre being left uneven and neglected with a few pre-existing trees surviving. By the early C18 the centre of the square was a rubbish dump and a petition was lodged for a Bill to allow the raising of a special rate and the appointment of trustees to 'clean, adorn and beautify the square'. The Bill received Royal Assent in April 1726 and in the following year a survey was carried out and a plan drawn up by Charles Bridgeman (d 1738). In 1817-18 John Nash (1752-1835) was called in to redesign the garden. He enlarged the enclosure, added curving walks and a shrubbery around the perimeter, and also produced plans and an estimate for a garden seat (the summerhouse), to be presented by the Duke of Northumberland. From 1909 to 1910 the garden was restored and replanted. During the First World War an Officers' hostel was built at the south end of the garden; after the war the garden was cleared, new paths laid, and the 'ancient openness had returned' (Forrest 1986). In 1927 a Royal Commission on London Squares was appointed to enquire and report on the squares and similar open spaces existing in the area of the Administrative County of London. The recommendations published by the Royal Commission were numerous and recognized the need to safeguard squares.
Size: 3840px × 5760px
Location: St James's Square, London, UK
Photo credit: © Jeff Gilbert / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: chatham, city, flowers, garden, gardens, historic, house, jamess, london, londons, open, park, parks, prestigious, space, spring, square, squares, st, tulips, westminster
