Inventory Site Record

Originally this was a private communal garden for residents of Lonsdale Square, which was laid out in 1838 on the Drapers' Company Estate. The land had once been used as a pen for cattle on their way to Smithfield Market. Unlike the gardens in most Islington squares it remained in private ownership until the 1960s, with a gardener employed until 1959. The gardens were then offered to Islington Borough Council for a nominal sum of £50. Railings had been removed during WWII, and were replaced with reproductions in 1970/71 when the garden was restored.

Site location:

Lonsdale Square

Postcode:

N1

What 3 Words:

lunch.sulk.hooked

Type of site:

Garden Square;, Public Gardens

Borough:

Islington

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

8am - dusk

Special conditions:

no dogs

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

London Overground: Caledonian Road & Barnsbury. Tube: Angel (Northern). Bus: 4, 19, 30, 43, 153

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/04/2012

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.islington.gov.uk/services/parks-environment/parks/your_parks/greenspace_az

Lonsdale Square was laid out by Richard Cromwell Carpenter in 1838 upon Gosseyfield on the Drapers' Company Estate. Gosseyfield had been left to the Company in 1690 by the daughter of former Company Clerk John Walter, for the support of his almshouses in Southwark and Newington, and the land was used for a pen for cattle on their way to Smithfield Market. Carpenter's father had been the first Surveyor for the Drapers' Company Estate and had drawn up plans for pairs of classical houses here. His son became Company Surveyor after his father's death in 1839 and completed the scheme to his own design. A district surveyor for East Islington, he was a church architect and had also built de Beauvoir Square (q.v.) in Hackney.

Lonsdale Square has a central garden on the axis with Drapers' Arms Public House to the north, and uncentred on Barry's Holy Trinity Church in Cloudesley Square (q.v.) to the south. Unlike the gardens in most Islington squares it remained in private ownership until the 1960s, with a gardener employed until 1959. The gardens were then offered to Islington Borough Council for a nominal sum of £50. Railings had been removed during WWII, and were replaced with reproductions in 1970/71 when the garden was restored, having become run down in the interim. Surrounding houses are intact, with Arup Associates offices of the 1960s built behind the façade of buildings in the south west corner.

Sources consulted:

Mary Cosh, The Squares of Islington Part II: Islington Parish, London, 1993; Elain Harwood & Andrew Saint, Exploring England's Heritage: London, 1991; Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 4: North (Penguin, 1998); Mary Cosh, Barnsbury, London 1981; Michael Whitaker lecture

Grid ref:

TQ312839 (531294,183996)

Size in hectares:

0.19

Site ownership:

LB Islington

Site management:

Greenspace. Lonsdale Square Association

Date(s):

1838-45

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

LBII: Nos.1-48 Lonsdale Square

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 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:

Barnsbury

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

Local/strategic view corridor. Shopping Policy Area

Photo: Sarah Jackson

Click a photo to enlarge.