Inventory Site Record

John Spencer Square was laid out in 1963 with Prior Bolton Street, Grange Grove and St Mary's Grove as part of postwar rebuilding in the Canonbury area. The square overlooks the residents' communal garden, which has some mature trees but is otherwise rather featureless. It is named after Sir John Spencer who was Lord Mayor of London and had a country retreat at Canonbury in the early C17th; he is buried in St Helen's Bishopsgate. Former residents include Labour Party Cabinet Minister Barbara Castle and her husband Ted Castle (d.1979), journalist and GLC Alderman.

Site location:

Prior Bolton Street

Postcode:

N1

What 3 Words:

pays.wings.meals

Type of site:

Housing/Estate Landscaping

Borough:

Islington

Open to public?

No

Opening times:

private, visible

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Rail/London Overground/Tube (Victoria): Highbury and Islington. London Overground: Canonbury. Bus: 4, 19, 30, 277

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Research updated:

01/11/2004

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news.

Sources consulted:

Mary Cosh, The Squares of Islington Part II: Islington Parish, London, 1993 p116; Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 4: North (Penguin, 1998) p648

Grid ref:

TQ318846 (531892,184724)

Size in hectares:

Site ownership:

private

Site management:

Date(s):

1963

Designer(s):

Nash, Surveyor for Western Ground Rents

Listed structures:

None

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 Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

CA8

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None