West Side, Bedford Square, London WC1

West Side

Bedford Square

Thomas Leverton[?]

c. 1775

London, WC1

Thomas Wakely (1759-1862) founded the medical journal, The Lancet while Thomas Hodgkin (1798-1866) was a physician, reformer, and philanthropist.

Other views of Bedford Square

North side

North side viewed from West (looking toward Totenham Court Road

Home of Thomas Wakeley and Thomas Hodgkin

Building near North-west corner

Historical plaque

Photograph and text by George P. Landow

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL.]

Jones and Woodward explain that this perfectly preserved late-eighteenth-century square was the second developed on the Duke of Bedford's estate (the first being Bloomsbury Square). "This square is made up of plain four-storey houses in brick, with ornaments in Coade stone. . . . The centre houses on each side are stuccoed with pedimemnts supported on pilasters, and the end houses on the south side are capped with balustrades" (110-11), Research suggests that the recently cleaned yellow brick originally bore a coat of black paint with white accents.

Bibliography

Jones, Edward, & Christopher Woodward. A Guide to the Architecture of London. 2nd ed. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1992

Last modified 25 May 2008