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43-515: Soho Square is a garden square in Soho , London, hosting since 1954 a de facto public park let by the Soho Square Garden Committee to Westminster City Council . It was originally called King Square after Charles II , and a much weathered statue of the monarch has stood in the square, with an extended interruption, since 1661, one year after the restoration of the monarchy . Of

86-766: A 21st-century focus on pollution mitigation, an increasing number of the Places in Paris today many have a focal tree or surrounding raised flower beds/and or rows of trees such as the Place de la République . The enclosed garden terraces ( French: jardins terrasses ) and courtyards ( French: cours ) of some French former palaces have resulted in redevelopments into spaces equivalent to garden squares. The same former single-owner scenario applies to at least one garden square in London ( Coleridge Square ). Grandiose instances of garden-use town squares are

129-554: A bench that commemorates the singer Kirsty MacColl , who wrote the song "Soho Square" for her album Titanic Days . After her death in 2000, fans bought a memorial bench in her honour, inscribing the lyrics: "One day I'll be waiting there / No empty bench in Soho Square". Fans of Kirsty gather at the bench each year on the Sunday closest to her birthday (10 October) to mark her life, music and legacy. The Lindisfarne album Elvis Lives on

172-516: A key to the park is a jealously guarded privilege that only certain local residents enjoy. The tradition of fee simple land ownership in American cities has made collective amenities such as garden squares comparatively rare. Very few sub-dividers and developers included them in plats during the 19th century, with notable exceptions below. Rittenhouse Square in the Center City, Philadelphia encases

215-605: A part of many French cities, others opt for solid material town squares. The Square de Meeûs and Square Orban are notable examples in Brussels. Dublin has several Georgian examples, including Merrion Square , Fitzwilliam Square , Mountjoy Square , St Stephens Green and Parnell Square . Perhaps the most famous garden square in the United States is Gramercy Park in southern Midtown Manhattan . Famously, it has remained private and gated throughout its existence; possession of

258-521: A private garden square are commonly required to pay a maintenance levy. Normally the charge is set annually by a garden committee. Sometimes private garden squares are opened to the public, such as during Open Garden Squares Weekend. Privately owned squares which survived the decades after the French Revolution and 19th century Haussmann's renovation of Paris include the Place des Vosges and Square des Épinettes in Paris. The Place des Vosges

301-454: A public garden, one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century. It was first named Southwest Square. Nearby Fitler Square is a similar garden square named for late 19th century Philadelphia mayor Edwin Henry Fitler shortly after his death in 1896. The Square, cared for through a public private partnership between

344-584: A public gathering place: due to its inherent private history, it may have a pattern of dedicated footpaths and tends to have considerably more plants than hard surfaces or large monuments. At their conception in the early 17th century, each such garden was a private communal amenity for the residents of the overlooking houses akin to a garden courtyard within a palace or community. Such community courtyards date back to at least Ur in 2000 BC where two-storey houses were built of fired brick around an open square. Kitchen , working, and public spaces were located on

387-438: Is Greenmarket Square , in the center of Cape Town , which previously hosted more townhouses at its edges but has been mostly paved over. Garden Squares generally do not occur throughout Asia. Parks usually occupy the need for urban green spaces, while historic and modern gardens exist as attractions, not central communal spaces. Frederick Goodall Frederick Goodall RA (17 September 1822 – 29 July 1904)

430-407: Is a black-and-white, half-timbered, rustic gardener's hut with a steep hipped roof , a squat upper storey which overhangs ( jettying ), supported by timber columns. Its details use "Tudorbethan" style, built to appear as an octagonal market cross building. It was built in 1926, incorporating 17th- or 18th-century beams to hide the above-ground features of a contemporary electricity substation. In

473-591: Is a listed mock "market cross" building, completed in 1926 to hide the above-ground features of a contemporary electricity substation ; small, octagonal, with Tudorbethan timber framing . During the king's statue's absence through intercession of resident business Crosse & Blackwell it was a private garden feature at Grim's Dyke , a country house where it was kept by painter Frederick Goodall then by dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator W. S. Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan fame. Initial residents were relatively significant landowners and merchants. Some of

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516-587: Is in Town he lives in Soho-Square ." In the song "Why Can't The English?" from the musical My Fair Lady , Professor Henry Higgins laments, "Hear them down in Soho Square/Dropping H's everywhere." In the novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke , the eponymous Jonathan Strange and his wife Arabella maintain a home in Soho Square as their residence in London. The Soho Square garden contains

559-623: The British Board of Film Classification , 20th Century Studios UK , Dolby Europe Ltd , Tiger Aspect Productions , Saint Patrick's Catholic Church which provides many social outreach projects to local homeless and addicts, the French Protestant Church of London (by architect Aston Webb ) and the House of St Barnabas , a members' club since 2013, which fundraises and hosts events and exhibitions for homelessness-linked good causes. Built in

602-569: The Gothic novel Vathek , may have been born there. In the 1770s, the naturalist Joseph Banks who had circumnavigated the globe with James Cook , moved into No. 32 in the south-west corner of the square. In 1778, Banks was elected president of the Royal Society and his home became a kind of scientific salon hosting scientists visiting from around the world. His library and herbarium containing many plants gathered during his travels were open to

645-577: The Place Royale as it was known in 1612 was that the house fronts were all built to the same design, probably by Baptiste du Cerceau . In town squares, similarly green but publicly accessible from the outset, is the Square René Viviani . Gardens substantially cover a few of the famous Places in the capital; instead, the majority are paved and replete with profoundly hard materials such as Place de la Concorde . Inspired by ecological interests and

688-474: The 38 old houses in the square were rebuilt or considerably altered. The majority of the new buildings provided office accommodation only and the residential, mercantile and manufacturing elements in the square declined. However, three of the eleven houses were demolished to make way for church buildings. Two of the original houses, No.s 10 and 15, still stand. At No.s  8 and 9 is the French Protestant Church of London , built in 1891–93. Fauconberg House

731-740: The Department of Parks and Recreation and the Fitler Square Improvement Association. In Boston tens of squares exist, some having a mainly residential use. The Kingstowne development in Fairfax County, Virginia , near Washington, DC , contains several townhouse complexes built around garden squares. In Africa, garden squares are rare. Many squares and parks in Africa were constructed during colonial rule, along with European-styled architecture. A well-known square like this in Africa

774-463: The Moon also includes a song named "Soho Square". 51°30′55″N 0°7′56″W  /  51.51528°N 0.13222°W  / 51.51528; -0.13222 Garden square The archetypal garden square is surrounded by tall terraced houses and other types of townhouse . Because it is designed for the amenity of surrounding residents, it is subtly distinguished from a town square designed to be

817-466: The Royal Academy 27 times between 1838 and 1859. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) in 1852 and a full Royal Academician (RA) in 1863. Goodall visited Egypt twice; in 1858 and again in 1870, both times travelling and camping with Bedouin tribesmen. On his first visit to Egypt, he shared a house and studio with artist, Carl Haag and the pair often sketched together, both in

860-582: The book A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens , Soho Square is where Lucie and her father, Doctor Manette, reside. It is believed that their house is modelled on the House of St Barnabas, which Dickens used to visit, and it is for this reason that the street running behind the House from Greek Street is called Manette Street (it was formerly Rose Street). Joseph Addison and Richard Steele wrote of their character Sir Roger de Coverley in The Spectator , "When he

903-460: The character of garden squares or small communal parks. Many private squares, even in busy locations, remain private, such as Portman Square in Marylebone in London, despite its proximity to London's busiest shopping districts. London is famous for them; they are described as one of the glories of the capital. Many were built or rebuilt during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, at

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946-516: The engraver James Thomson , in 1846. Among their five children were artists Frederick Trevelyan and Howard Goodall . Frederick Trevelyan was the more successful in a very short career, dying following a pistol accident at the age of 24. Following the death of Anne, who is buried in Highgate Cemetery in 1869, Goodall married artist Alice May Tarry in 1872. they had two children. Frederick Goodall's brother, Edward Angelo Goodall (1819–1908)

989-746: The general public. Between 1778 and 1836 the square was home to the infamous White House brothel at the Manor House, 21 Soho Square . In 1852, the Hospital for Women (begun nine years earlier at Red Lion Square ) moved to No. 30 to accommodate 20 more beds. Twelve years later it bought 2 Frith Street ; the old site was remodelled in 1908. It moved and merged in 1989 into the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Obstetric Hospital , Euston Road. Eleven artists whose addresses are given as being in Soho Square in exhibition catalogues, whose names do not appear in

1032-403: The ground floor, with private rooms located upstairs. In the 20th century, many garden squares that were previously accessible only to defined residents became accessible to the public. Those in central urban locations, such as Leicester Square in London's West End, have become indistinguishable from town squares. Others, while publicly accessible, are largely used by local residents and retain

1075-598: The height of Georgian architecture , and are surrounded by townhouses . Large projects, such as the Bedford Estate , included garden squares in their development. The Notting Hill and Bloomsbury neighbourhoods both have many garden squares, with the former mostly still restricted to residents, and the latter open to all. Other UK cities prominent in the Georgian era such as Edinburgh , Bath , Bristol and Leeds have several garden squares. Householders with access to

1118-473: The immediately surrounding fields, for 53 + 1 ⁄ 4 years, was granted in 1677 to Richard Frith, citizen (elector of the Corporation of London) and bricklayer. Ratebooks (of the vestry ) continued to call the square King Square until the first decade of the 19th century; however, John Rocque's Map of London, 1746 and Richard Horwood 's in 1792–99 mark it as Soho Square . By the early 19th century,

1161-466: The intention that it might be restored. Goodall placed the statue on an island in his lake at Grim's Dyke , where it remained when dramatist W. S. Gilbert purchased the property in 1890, and there it stayed after Gilbert's death in 1911. In her will, Lady Gilbert directed that the statue be returned, and it was restored to Soho Square in 1938. The politician William Beckford lived at No. 22 from 1751, and his son William Thomas Beckford , author of

1204-452: The late 1670s, Soho Square was in its early years one of the most fashionable places to live in London. It was originally called King's Square, for King Charles II . The statue of Charles II was carved by Danish sculptor Caius Gabriel Cibber during the King's reign in 1681 and made the centrepiece of the square; since it has returned it has not been in the centre. The development lease to convert

1247-457: The linked record label Sony Soho Square is renamed S2 Records. The Football Association was headquartered at No. 25 from October 2000 until 2009. On the east side the Roman Catholic parish church is partially on the site of Carlisle House with catacombs that spread deep under the square and further. Six approach ways to the square exist: From the south side: At the square's centre

1290-436: The public until April 1954. New iron railings and gates were provided in 1959 by the Soho Square Garden Committee with the assistance of Westminster City Council. Burroughes Hall was an important billiards and snooker venue in Soho Square from 1903 until it closed in 1967. The hall was in the premises of Burroughes & Watts Ltd., which had been at 19 Soho Square since 1836. During the 1970s and 1980s Number 13 Soho Square

1333-461: The square remains residential. From the 1820s to the 1860s, at least eleven artists recently qualified for major exhibitions were resident aside from permanent residents, some of whom were more accomplished artists, as comprised in the local rate books; by the end of that century charities, music, art and other creative design businesses had taken several premises along the square. A legacy of creative design and philanthropic occupants lingers including

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1376-540: The square's 30 buildings (including mergers), 16 are listed (have statutory recognition and protection). During the summer, Soho Square hosts open-air free concerts. By the time of the drawing of a keynote map of London in 1746 the newer name for the square had gained sway. The central garden and some buildings were owned by the Howard de Walden Estate , main heir to the Dukedom of Portland 's great London estates. At its centre

1419-459: The statue, fountain and attendant figures was described as "in a most wretched mutilated state; and the inscriptions on the base of the pedestal quite illegible". In 1875, it was removed during alterations in the square by Thomas Blackwell, of Crosse & Blackwell , the condiment firm (which had premises at No. 20-21 Soho Square from the late 1830s until the early 1920s), who gave it for safekeeping to his friend, artist Frederick Goodall , with

1462-461: The streets and outside Cairo, especially in the area around the Pyramids. On his second visit in 1870, he lived at Saqqara, near the Pyramids with the aim of directly observing Bedouin lifestyles. After his return to England, Goodall painted many variations of the same Eastern themes. In order to provide authentic detail to his paintings, Goodall brought back sheep and goats from Egypt. The Egyptian theme

1505-444: The vestry ratebooks, are listed by the 1966 Survey of London by historian F H W Sheppard. A common for commercial/high demand areas sequence of house rebuilding and renovation, which had begun in the 1730s when many of the houses built in the 1670s and 1680s were becoming dilapidated and old-fashioned, continued for the next one-and-a-half centuries. After the 1880s the rate of change was considerably faster. Between 1880 and 1914, 11 of

1548-627: Was a British artist. Frederick Goodall was born in London in 1822, the second son of steel line engraver Edward Goodall (1795–1870). He received his education at the Wellington Road Academy. Goodall's first commission, for Isambard Brunel , was six watercolour paintings of the Thames Tunnel . Four of these were exhibited at the Royal Academy when Goodall was 16. His first oil won a Society of Arts silver medal. He exhibited work at

1591-408: Was a fashionable and expensive square to live in during the 17th and 18th centuries, and one of the central reasons that Le Marais district became so fashionable for French nobility. It was inaugurated in 1612 with a grand carrousel to celebrate the engagement of Louis XIII to Anne of Austria and is a prototype of the residential squares of European cities that were to come. What was new about

1634-580: Was also a highly gifted artist who exhibited at the RA from 1846 to 1853. A specialist in watercolours, he was invited to join the Royal Watercolour Society in 1856 and exhibited 328 pictures at its exhibitions. It was Edward who had the distressing task of arranging the sale of his brother's pictures and effects when he was declared bankrupt in 1902. His other brother Walter Goodall , and sister Eliza Goodall , were also artists. Although hugely wealthy at

1677-495: Was headquarters of VistaScreen . The composer Benjamin Frankel lived at 17 Soho Square between 1953 and 1957, where he often hosted a circle of artists including the poet Cecil Day Lewis , film director Anthony Asquith , and the writer Leonard Woolf . From 1967 to 1968, TVC Animation Studio leased floors at No. 20 for the production of The Beatles – Yellow Submarine animated feature film. From 1955 to 1993, 13 Soho Square

1720-779: Was home to Richard Williams Animation, an animation studio which produced many award-winning films, including A Christmas Carol , which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 1972. In 1862 the charity House of St Barnabas moved around the corner from Rose Street to its present base at 1 Greek Street (all other buildings fronting the square have Soho Square addresses). Wilfrid Voynich had his antiquarian bookshop at No. 1 from 1902. No. 22 became home to British Movietone and Kay (West End) Film Laboratories, having been re-built to its current form between 1913 and 1914. Publisher Rupert Hart-Davis lived at No. 36 from about 1947. From 1956 to 1961, No. 16

1763-482: Was on the north side of the square until its demolition in 1924. A 200-person air raid shelter was built under the park during the Second World War , one of dozens in central London. In 2015, Westminster City Council announced plans to put it up for sale. In April 1951, the residents' Soho Square Garden Committee leased the garden to Westminster City Council for 21 years; the garden was not restored and opened to

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1806-516: Was prominent in his work, with 170 paintings being exhibited at the Royal Academy over 46 years. Goodall's work received high praise and acclaim from critics and artists alike and he earned a fortune from his paintings. He had a home built, Grims Dyke , Harrow Weald , (1870-2), designed by Norman Shaw , where he would entertain guests such as the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII ). Goodall married Anne Thomson (26 Dec 1822 - 11 Aug 1869), daughter of

1849-427: Was the home and headquarters of animator Richard Williams . Soho Square is home to several media organisations, including the British Board of Film Classification , 20th Century Fox , Bare Escentuals , Deluxe Entertainment Services Group , Dolby Europe Ltd , Fin London, Paul McCartney 's MPL Communications , Tiger Aspect Productions , Wasserman Media Group and See Tickets . Past businesses include Sony Music ;

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