Cavendish Square, London
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Cavendish Square is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
garden square A garden square is a type of communal garden in an urban area wholly or substantially surrounded by buildings; commonly, it continues to be applied to public and private parks formed after such a garden becomes accessible to the public at large. ...
in
Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...
in the
West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, Central London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster. It is west of the City of London an ...
. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of
Wigmore Street Wigmore Street is a street in the City of Westminster, in the West End of London. The street runs for about 600 yards parallel and to the north of Oxford Street between Portman Square to the west and Cavendish Square to the east. It is named af ...
that runs to
Portman Square Portman Square is a garden square in Marylebone, central London, surrounded by townhouses. It was specifically for private housing let on long leases having a ground rent by the Portman Estate, which owns the private communal gardens. It mar ...
in the much larger
Portman Estate Portman may refer to: * Portman (surname) * Viscount Portman Places * Portmán, a town near Cartagena, Spain * Orchard Portman, a village and civil parish in Somerset, England * Portman Estate, 110 acres in Marylebone in London’s West End * Por ...
to the west; of
Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.Royal Bank of Scotland The Royal Bank of Scotland Public Limited Company () is a major retail banking, retail and commercial bank in Scotland. It is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of NatWest Group, together with NatWest and Ulster Bank. The Royal Bank of Sco ...
and
Pret a Manger Pret a Manger (; French for "ready to eat") is a British multinational sandwich shop chain founded in London, England, in 1983. It is popularly referred to simply as Pret. As of January 2025, Pret had over 700 locations across 19 countries and ...
premises.
Oxford Circus Oxford Circus is a road junction connecting Oxford Street and Regent Street in the West End of London. It is also the entrance to Oxford Circus tube station. The junction opened in 1819 as part of the Regent Street development under John Nash ( ...
150m south-east is where two main shopping streets meet. Only the south is broken by a full-width street, Holles Street. which also runs one block only; the north is broken by Dean's Mews in which Nos. 11–13 exist, the office conversion of a nunnery, retaining a chapel in its rear. Planning permission was granted in April 2020 for a subterranean health and wellbeing development of 280,000 square feet across four storeys below ground level.


History

It was first laid out for the 2nd Earl of Oxford by architect John Prince, beginning in 1717 as the first development on the Earl's London estate. It was named after the Earl's wife Henrietta Cavendish-Holles, but the bursting of the
South Sea Bubble South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
delayed further work. It included nobles' London rentals and longer leases including
James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, (6 January 16739 August 1744) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the English House of Commons, English and House of Commons of Great Britain, British House of Commons from 1698 until 1714, wh ...
(whose house was never completed), Princess Amelia (in which house she died), and the Lane Baronets. The heir to the main landowner,
Duke of Portland Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...
lived his London life here. It measures 408 to 420 feet across. A
blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
unveiled in 1951 commemorates
H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...
, the Liberal
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
from 1908 to 1916, having long lived at No. 20. Another is to Quintin Hogg, founder of what is now the
University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...
and the flagship building of the university backs on to his former family home. The square hosts the
Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union and professional body in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916 as the College of Nursing, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Eliz ...
headquarters and the
West London Synagogue The West London Synagogue, abbreviated WLS, and fully the West London Synagogue of British Jews () is a Reform Judaism, Reform Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located near Marble Arch, at 34 Upper Berkeley Street, in the City of Wes ...
. Near to
Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.James Paget Sir James Paget, 1st Baronet FRS HFRSE (11 January 1814 – 30 December 1899) (, rhymes with "gadget") was an English surgeon and pathologist who is best remembered for naming Paget's disease and who is considered, together with Rudolf Vir ...
. Artist
Robert William Sievier Robert William Sievier FRS (24 July 1794 – 28 April 1865) was a British engraver, sculptor and later inventor of the 19th century. Engraver and sculptor Sievier showed an early talent for drawing, and studied under John Young and Edward Scr ...
lived on the square, and David Williams, founder of the
Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its lon ...
, ran a chapel. Frances Fanshawe, wife of Abraham Blackborne, grandson of
Richard Levett Sir Richard Levett (1629 – 20 January 1711) was an English merchant and politician who was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1699. Born in Ashwell, Rutland, he moved to London and established a pioneering mercantile career, becoming involved w ...
,
Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...
, died at her home on Margaret Street, an approach way, in 1795 and was buried at
Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...
. The square features in
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
's novel '' Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' as the home of Dr Lanyon, Jekyll's former best friend. The bronze statue on the south side is of (William) George Frederick Cavendish Bentinck (1802–1848). Known simply as
Lord George Bentinck Lord William George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (27 February 180221 September 1848), better known as Lord George Bentinck, was an English Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and racehorse owner noted for his role (with Benj ...
, he was MP for King's Lynn, Norfolk. The statue is by Thomas Campbell and was erected in 1848. A statue of
Prince William, Duke of Cumberland Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S./nowiki> – 31 October 1765) was the third and youngest son of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ire ...
was erected in 1770, following his defeat of
Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...
at Culloden in 1746, but was removed in the 1860s after public opinion of him had changed. The plinth remained empty until 2012, when it housed a temporary artwork '' Written in Soap, A Plinth Project''; a similar sculpture but made in soap gradually eroded until it was removed in 2016. The square was targeted on 17 December 1992 by the
Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
, 15 minutes after another small bomb at
John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
. Four people were injured in total.


Parking

Underground is vehicle parking for 521 cars and 83 motorcycles. Operated by
Q-Park Q-Park is an operator of parking garages in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Q-Park is the number two on the European parking market. In total Q-Park controls 800,000 parkin ...
, it is promoted for
Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...
. It unusually has the form of a double
helix A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...
(a twin-start screw). Vehicles are parked on either side of a continuously descending right-hand helix with one-way traffic. At the bottom, cars are directed diametrically across, to find a left-hand ascending helix, also one-way with parking on either side, sandwiched between the turns of the descending helix. It has no pedestrian lift (as of 2013). Parking near the beginning or end makes shortest walks. But having hoped for the latter and finding them full will result in the need for a second pass.
Oxford Circus Oxford Circus is a road junction connecting Oxford Street and Regent Street in the West End of London. It is also the entrance to Oxford Circus tube station. The junction opened in 1819 as part of the Regent Street development under John Nash ( ...
(corner-to-corner 150 m south-east), a slightly longer journey by any southern approach along John Prince's Street, is where two main shopping streets meet. By 2022 a pedestrian lift had been installed, which rises to an exit on the south side of Cavendish Square. The excavated location under most of the middle of Cavendish Square was originally dug as an access shaft for construction of the Victoria Line Underground in the mid-1960s, with a further horizontal access tunnel towards Oxford Circus station. The excavation was adapted for the car park after completion of this.


Listed structures


Buildings

Anticlockwise from south-east corner; note traffic goes clockwise. Grade II: ;East side: *No. 1 (no frontage to square) and 1A (Flanders House) representative office of
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
*No. 4 *Nos. 12 and 14 Cavendish Place (both with oblique views of the square, only listed buildings of their short street) ;North side: *No. 15 *No. 16 ;West side: *Nos. 19 and 19A (Harcourt House) a pair of joined mirror-image mansion flats in Edwardian Baroque style, completed in 1909, designed by the firm of Gilbert and Costanduros with "an impressive Portland stone frontage in Edwardian Baroque style". The flats are decorative externally with stone octagonal domed roof pavilions and classical features including carved pediments, Ionic columns and pilasters and cast iron lamp standards; some ingenuity exists in variation of ceiling heights of the flats; one apartment has 1943-painted wall murals in Classical style by war artist Rupert Shephard; *No. 20 (Royal College of Nursing) *Nos. 1, 3 and 5 Harley Street – see Harley Street (with oblique view of the square) *No. 17 At Grade II*: ;East side *No. 3 *No. 5 of about 1740 with next two centuries alterations *No. 7. Converted to offices. Built 1910–12 by James Gibson for Arthur Ridley Bax. ;West side *No. 18


Epstein statue and bridge

In the 19th century, No.s 11, 12 and 13 on the middle of the northern range had become a convent with an interconnecting tunnel, under Dean's Mews. After damage of the
London Blitz London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...
the nuns commissioned architect Louis Osman to restore the building and create a bridge between the two. He approached
Jacob Epstein Sir Jacob Epstein (10 November 1880 – 21 August 1959) was an American and British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British subject in 1910. Early in his ...
for a Virgin and Child that would "levitate" above the arch and specified that it should be cast in lead which was plentiful from the bombed roofs. However, Osman did not inform the mother superior that the sculptor was
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, which may have been an objection among some Catholics at the time. However, the Arts Council congratulated her on her "innovative choice of artist" and Epstein's work was unveiled in 1953. This work is Grade II* listed (protected in the mid-rarity category).


Notable occupants

*No. 1a (Flanders House) – the Representative Office of Flanders and Visit Flanders office *No. 4 – the Embassy of East Timor *No. 5 – As of 27 February 2017 hosts a headquarters of Lifescience Dynamics LtdLifescience Dynamics Limited
/ref> *Nos. 11–13 –
Heythrop College, University of London Heythrop College, University of London, was a constituent college of the University of London between 1971 and 2018, last located in Kensington Square, London. It comprised the university's specialist faculties of philosophy and theology with so ...
, followed by the
King's Fund The King's Fund is an independent think tank, which is involved with work relating to the health system in England. It organises conferences and other events. Since 1997, they have jointly funded a yearly award system with GlaxoSmithKline. Th ...
think tank and award giver. *No. 20 – the
Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union and professional body in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916 as the College of Nursing, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Eliz ...
and its library and heritage centre *No. 37 – the highest number having an oblique view of the square, The Phoenix public house.


See also

* List of eponymous roads in London


References


External links


Cavendish Square at londontown.com
{{coord, 51.5165, -0.1450, display=title, region:GB_type:landmark 1717 establishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 1717 Squares in the City of Westminster Garden squares in London Prince William, Duke of Cumberland H. H. Asquith Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde