Introduction
London’s historic squares are woven into the city’s fabric – Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Sloane Square are some of the most recognised. However, one square that may not spring to mind lies quietly south of the river, on the edge of Lambeth and Southwark.
📘Have a read : Discovering Trafalgar Square’s Royal Connections:
A stone’s throw from the Imperial War Museum, West Square offers an oasis of calm surrounded by handsome Georgian houses. A wander around the square today may not reveal much of its unusual history – but it’s there, resting quietly beneath the leaves and railings.
A Georgian Beginning
The square was laid out in the mid-18th century by Colonel Temple West, who had purchased the land from Henry Bartelote. The area had previously been part of the now-vanished St George’s Fields.
Over the next century and a half, the square would house artists, inventors, chemists, philanthropists, hospital workers, orphans, and even an assassin. Some buildings have gone, others remain – but their stories still hover in the square’s soft edges and quiet symmetry.
Art and Invention
Artist Robert Barker, who coined the word panorama, moved to 14 West Square in 1799 and remained there until his death in 1806. Known for his sweeping painted views of cities, Barker exhibited a circular painting of London from the roof of the Albion Flour Mill on the South Bank. Visitors would pay to experience the city in a 360-degree view – an early form of immersive entertainment.
Barker’s widow continued to live at number 14, and his son married the daughter of Captain Bligh, infamous for the Mutiny on the Bounty. Bligh’s own house stood on Lambeth Road and is now marked with a blue plaque.
In 1812, a semaphore telegraph was installed on the roof of number 36, connecting West Square with other locations across the country. Messages from the Admiralty could be relayed through the network of arms and signals in a matter of minutes. The building is still referred to today as Telegraph House.
Chemists and Curiosity
In 1837, John Alexander Reina Newlands was born at number 19 West Square. A visionary chemist, Newlands proposed a system for organising the elements into a table by atomic weight, which he called the Law of Octaves. His theory wasn’t taken seriously at first, but decades later he was awarded the Davy Medal for his contribution to science. A plaque now marks his birthplace at number 19.
Charlotte Sharman and Her Orphanage
In 1867, 26-year-old Charlotte Sharman opened an orphanage for girls in a rented house on West Square. Over the years, she expanded to include a nursery at number 32, a home for 5 to 8-year-olds at number 23, and an infirmary at number 44.
In 1884, she opened a purpose-built orphanage on Austral Street, which housed up to 93 children and was affectionately known as the Orphans’ Nest. A school bearing her name, Charlotte Sharman Primary School, now sits in the square.
The Boy Who Shot at the Queen
In the 1840s, Edward Oxford lived just off West Square, in West Place, with his mother and stepfather. On 10 June 1840, he fired two pistols at Queen Victoria and Prince Albert while they were riding in a carriage. He was arrested immediately, and later judged insane.
He claimed to be part of a fictional secret society called Young England and had practised his shooting at a gallery in Leicester Square. Oxford was detained at nearby Bethlem Royal Hospital under the Criminal Lunatics Act 1800.
The hospital site now houses the Imperial War Museum.
Chaplin’s Early Days
After Charlie Chaplin was born in 1889, his parents moved into the top floor of 39 West Square. Both were actors, and his early childhood was relatively comfortable. However, his father died of alcoholism, and his mother later suffered a breakdown. His half-brother, Wheeler Dryden, was taken away by his own father and sent to India, but reunited with Charlie in the 1920s.
Wheeler appeared in several Chaplin films and moved with the family to America. Wheeler’s son, Spencer Dryden, became the drummer for Jefferson Airplane, a well-known 1960s rock band.
A Green Sanctuary
Today, West Square is home to a leafy community garden surrounded by mature trees and period homes. It’s a short walk from the Tibetan Peace Garden, opened by the Dalai Lama in 1999, and a popular place for locals and visitors alike to rest and reflect.
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