Hanover Square

Hanover Square is a quiet green space in Mayfair, Westminster, just south-west of Oxford Circus. Six streets meet at the square: Harewood Place, Princes Street, Hanover Street, Saint George Street, Brook Street and Tenderden Street. These link to Bond Street and Oxford Street, making the square easy to reach. The square sits on land once owned by Richard Lumley, the 1st Earl of Scarbrough, a soldier and statesman. He sold plots for grand town houses after George I became king in 1714. The square was named in honour of the new king’s coronation, reflecting the Whig Ascendancy of the time.

The square’s history is tied to military leaders and politicians from the 18th century. Early residents included Generals Earl Cadogan, Sir Charles Wills, and Lord Carpenter, all linked to the wars of the period. The parish church, St George’s Hanover Square, stands 100 metres south, built on land given by William Steuart. In 1759, James Abercrombie, commander-in-chief in North America, lived in St George Street. A statue of William Pitt the Younger was added in 1831 at the square’s southern end.

Today, the square is mostly offices, including the London office of Vogue. Some original 18th-century houses remain, though many have been rebuilt. The north-west corner was rebuilt in the 2010s for the Crossrail project, adding a new Bond Street entrance for the Elizabeth line. The square’s buildings still carry early 19th-century numbering, from 1 to 25. It was once home to prominent surgeons, earls, and even the Royal Agricultural Society.