Brunswick Square lies just east of the large Brunswick Centre, a Grade-II listed brutalist structure that is part housing complex and part shopping promenade. The square itself was formed in The park has a paved perimeter route with benches and shrubberies, as well as paths that wind through the space beneath its tall and ancient trees. The square was first laid out as gardens in the early 1800s as part of the Brunswick Estate - Catherine of Brunswick was the wife of the future-king George IV, who tried (unsuccessfully) to divorce her - the lawyers who represented Catherine in court actually lived in one of the grand townhouses surrounding the park.
Today the 2-acre green space serves as a communal outdoor area for residents of Bloomsbury and students who live in accommodation nearby, and there are sports pitches available for booking in the grounds next door.
The main attraction, however, is Coram's Fields, a children's-only playground built on the historic site of the Foundling Hospital. This was an organisation set up in 1750s by retired sea captain Thomas Coram to care for abandoned children - at the time it was common for mothers who could not afford to care for their children to abandon them or bring them to organisations like The Foundling Hospital, a condition which informed the writings of Charles Dickens. The Foundling Museum just outside Brunswick Square Gardens tells the story of Thomas Coram and The Foundling Hospital, while the children's charity Coram is also based nearby.
Details
- Address:
- Brunswick Square Gardens
- WC1N 1AX
- Transport:
- Russell Square Underground station