Fitzroy Square

Fitzroy Square stands in the London Borough of Camden as a fine Georgian square, the only one in the area known as Fitzrovia. The square’s name comes from the FitzRoy family, whose land it once formed part of. Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, owned the land through marriage, and his descendant developed the area late in the 18th and early in the 19th century. The square was built in four stages, with the eastern and southern sides designed by Robert Adam and completed by 1798. The northern and western sides followed later, finished between 1827 and 1835. Bomb damage in the Second World War led to careful rebuilding that kept the square’s character intact. The square is worth the journey for its architecture and history. The Adams brothers’ work on the south and east sides shows Portland stone brought by sea from Dorset. After the Napoleonic Wars slowed progress, the square stood half-finished for years, with vacant ground described as a resort of the idle. Today the square is at the heart of the Fitzrovia conservation area, protected by Camden’s appraisal and management strategy. Many buildings carry blue plaques marking famous former residents, from painter James McNeill Whistler to Prime Minister Lord Salisbury. Visitors find a largely pedestrianised space laid out at a single level, with street clutter removed. The central gardens hold a fibreglass sculpture by Naomi Blake, made for Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. Around the square stand grade I listed buildings, including the office of The Georgian Group at No. 6 and the home of Sir William Quiller Orchardson at No. 37. The square has appeared in films and novels, from Jane Austen’s Emma to Phantom Thread, and remains a quiet corner where history and culture meet.