Manchester Square

Manchester Square is an 18th-century garden square in Marylebone, central London. It lies 290 metres north of Oxford Street and measures 91 metres from north to south. The square is a small Georgian design, mostly built around 1770. Construction began about 1776. Hertford House stands at the centre of the north side and now houses the Wallace Collection. The square has been home to notable figures such as Admiral Sir Thomas Foley and neurologist John Hughlings Jackson. It also hosted early Beatles photography sessions for their first album cover. The square’s buildings are protected as listed structures, with many retaining original features like cast iron balconies and fanlights. Spanish Place, a short street on the east side, features five Grade II-listed houses built around 1780–90. Visitors find a quiet garden surrounded by tall brick terraced houses, many now offices. The Wallace Collection inside Hertford House displays fine and decorative arts. The square’s history includes urban myths like the pig-faced woman legend and early 20th-century modern architecture by ICI. Nearby Chiltern Street once held a decommissioned fire station now part of a luxury hotel.