This is one of my favourite parts of central London, and on a Sunday afternoon – when the endless roar of traffic subsides – it’s easy to imagine how it might have been back in Georgian times.
I wrote a feature about the history of the square a while ago – here’s an excerpt:
Situated in Bloomsbury, between the electronics Mecca of Tottenham Court Road and the British Museum, Bedford Square was built between 1775 and 1783 as an upmarket residential area.
The best example of an exquisitely preserved Georgian square in London, it’s a great place to grab a quiet lunchtime sandwich (but you’ll only be able to enviously gaze at the garden in the centre as it remains privately owned).
When I visited the square last December it looked uber-Christmassy, with the snow lending it a real Dickensian feel. I loved it!
More photos: Bedford Square in the snow, December 2010