Russell Square

Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. Bloomsbury is an area of central London in the south of the London Borough of Camden, developed by the Russell family in the 17th and 18th centuries into The London Borough of Camden ( is a borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row. Southampton Row is major thoroughfare running north-south in Bloomsbury, Camden, central London, England. Russell Square tube station is nearby to the north-east. Russell Square is a London Underground station on Bernard Street Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden.

History

Hotel Russell, at 1–8 Russell Square

Blue plaque for George Williams, founder of the YMCA

The square is named after the surname of the Earls and Dukes of Bedford, who developed the family's London landholdings in the 17th and 18th centuries, beginning with Covent Garden (Bedford Street). Sir George Williams ( October 11, 1821 -1905 was the founder of the YMCA. The titles of Earl or Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) were created several times in Covent Garden (Pronunciation kɒvʌnt is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest Russell Square was formed when new streets were laid out by the Duke on the site of the gardens of his former home Bedford House, their London seat. Other local street names relating to the Duke of Bedford include Bedford Square, Bedford Place, Bedford Avenue, Bedford Row and Bedford Way; Woburn Square and Woburn Place (from Woburn Abbey); Tavistock Square, Tavistock Place and Tavistock Street (Marquess of Tavistock), and Thornhaugh Street (after a subsidiary title Baron of Thornhaugh). The titles of Earl or Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) were created several times in Bedford Square is a square in the Bloomsbury district of the Borough of Camden in London, England. Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden with a fine garden named after Tavistock in Devon The titles of Earl or Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) were created several times in The street lamps around this area carry the Bedford Arms.

The square contained large terraced houses aimed mainly at upper middle class families. A number of the original houses survive, especially on the southern and western sides. Those to the west are occupied by the University of London, and there is a blue plaque on one at the north west corner commemorating that T. S. Eliot worked there for many years when he was poetry editor of Faber & Faber: a building now used by the School of Oriental and African Studies (a college of the University of London). The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. In the United Kingdom, a blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26 1888 – January 4 1965 was a poet Dramatist, and Literary critic. Faber and Faber, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing The School of Oriental and African Studies (commonly abbreviated to " SOAS " pronounced (so as or (so az is a constituent college of the University of The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. Thomas Lawrence had a studio at number 67 (1805–1830). Sir Thomas Lawrence RA ( April 13, 1769 &ndash January 7, 1830) was a notable English painter, mostly of portraits On the eastern side the imposing Hotel Russell, built in 1898, dominates (its builders were connected with the company which created RMS Titanic and some of that tragic ship's magnificence can be seen in the impressive ballroom); sadly the sixties-built President Hotel is completely out of keeping. Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland Other past residents include the famous 19th Century architectural partnership of father and son, Philip and Philip Charles Hardwick who lived at number 60. Since 2004, the two buildings on the southern side, at numbers 46 and 47, are occupied by the Huron University USA in London. Huron University USA in London, also referred to as Huron University, is a Private university located on Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London

In 1998, the London Mathematical Society moved from rooms in Burlington House to De Morgan House, at 57–58 Russell Square, in order to accommodate staff expansion. The London Mathematical Society ( LMS) is the leading mathematical society in England. For the New York City skycraper see Burlington House (New York City Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in London Augustus De Morgan ( 27 June, 1806 &ndash 18 March, 1871) was a British Mathematician and Logician.

In 2002, the square was re-landscaped in a style based on the original early 19th century layout by Humphry Repton (1752–1818), and the café in the square was redeveloped. Humphry Repton ( 21 April 1752 &ndash 24 March 1818) was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century The centrepiece of the new design is a fountain with jets playing directly from the pavement, which have become popular with children in the summer. A traditional fountain is an arrangement where water issues from a source ( Latin fons) fills a basin of some kind and is drained away Managed by London Borough of Camden the freehold of the square remains with the Bedford Estate. The London Borough of Camden ( is a borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. The square is now locked at night to prevent what London Borough of Camden described as "other undesirables", a cloaked reference to gay men, who used the area to cruise for casual sex. The London Borough of Camden ( is a borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. Casual sex refers to certain types of sexual activity outside the context of a Romantic relationship.

Cabman's Shelter

Main article: Taxicabs of the United Kingdom#Cabmen's Shelter Fund

Russell Square cabmen's shelter

The Cabmen's Shelter Fund was established in London in 1875 to run shelters for the drivers of hansom cabs and later hackney carriages (taxicabs). London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A Hansom cab is a kind of Horse -drawn Carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an Architect from York. See also Taxicab ||-||-||}A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab or hack) is a Carriage or Automobile A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of Public transport for a single passenger or small group of passengers typically for a non-shared ride ^[1]

The Russell Square shelter is one of the thirteen shelters that still exist. All are now Grade II listed buildings. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance

7 July 2005 bombings

'London Social Centre'^[2], a squatting action by anarchists in Russell Square. Squatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or Building that the squatter does not own rent or otherwise have permission to use Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i

The square has become the focus of tourism interest since the bombings of 7 July 2005. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel The 7 July 2005 London bombings (also called the 7/7 bombings) were a series of coordinated bomb blasts that hit London's public transport system during Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. One of the bombings was on a London Underground train from King's Cross St Pancras tube station to Russell Square tube station, and another was on a bus on Tavistock Square, in proximity to Russell Square. The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire King's Cross St Pancras is a tube station in the London Borough of Camden, on the London Underground network serving both King's Cross and St Russell Square is a London Underground station on Bernard Street Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden. Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden with a fine garden named after Tavistock in Devon There is now a memorial south of the cafe located in the square dedicated to those who lost their lives in the bombings.

References

See also

• List of eponymous roads in London

Other squares of the Bedford Estate in Bloomsbury included:

• Bedford Square
• Bloomsbury Square
• Gordon Square
• Tavistock Square
• Torrington Square
• Woburn Square