King Square is a square in central London, in the St Luke's area of the

London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington ( ) is a London borough in Inner London. Whilst the majority of the district is located in north London, the borough also includes a significant area to the south which forms part of central London. Islington has ...

. It is at the corner of Lever Street and Central Street, and shares in King Square Gardens to the west. It is two green courtyards, one of a semi-private nature hemmed in by mid-rise blocks at the corner of Lever Street and Central Street; and King Square Gardens which takes the only street named as the 'Square', namely as its east side, and uses Lever Street and part of Goswell Road (designated part of the A1) for its other sides.

Surroundings

The square is surrounded by restaurants, cafeterias, a newsagent's, a florist shop, a pub and somewhat modernist, mid-rise housing. 19th century St Clement's Church stands in the corner of the square. On the other side of Central Street stands Thistle City Barbican Hotel.

History

The square originally lined with spacious housing for wealthy Londoners to live in a convenient distance from the

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

was laid out between 1822 and 1825 on land belonging to

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (die ...

. It was named after

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten ye ...

, the ex-

prince regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...

and

constitutional monarch A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. In 1824 the construction of a church at the square (then called St Barnabas) was completed. During

Victorian times In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardi ...

, the social composition of the area changed and the housing was occupied mostly by poorer Londoners, with houses divided into smaller flats. The area now occupied by the square was badly damaged during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

and the houses were demolished in the 1950s. In 1959 Finsbury Borough Council ordered the construction of the King Square Estate surrounding the square; work was completed in 1965. The estate was designed by Emberton, Franck and Tardrew and built from pre-cast concrete. Turnpike House, the tallest tower was completed in 1965; it stands to the west of King Square Gardens, with a ground-level arch providing entrance to the park. President House, a collection of six-storey blocks, was built to the north of the park.

Transport

The nearest bus stops are located on the nearby Goswell Road (

London Bus Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn ''omnibus'' service from Paddington to the City of London. In the decades since their introduction, the red London b ...

routes 4 and 56) as well as City Road (route 43). The square is approximately 10 minutes walk from

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

, Barbican, and

Old Street Old Street is a street in inner north-east Central London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, via St Luke's and Old Street Roundabout, to the crossroads where it meets Shoreditch High ...

tube stations, and 12 minutes from

Farringdon station Farringdon is a London Underground and connected main line National Rail station in Clerkenwell, central London. The station is in the London Borough of Islington, just outside the boundary of the City of London. Opened in 1863 as the terminu ...

References

{{Coord, 51, 31, 38.46, N, 0, 5, 52.53, W, scale:1563_region:GB, display=title Squares in the London Borough of Islington