The Theft of Bedford Square

The social life of small urban spaces that are private but should perhaps be public

I’m lucky enough to live very close to Bedford Square, a classic Georgian square right in the centre of the London. If London does indeed have a centre, which is another story. (Ed. This piece was first published at cityofsound.com on 24 June 2005.)

However, I’m unlucky enough not to be a ‘resident’ on the Square, and therefore have no access to the quite beautiful gardens in the centre of the Square itself. I live in the adjacent street. I’ve never been in the gardens, and don’t see how I could do. I can go into the square once a year, for the Open Garden Squares weekend and at the cost of a fiver, but that doesn’t seem like the best deal in the world.

The gardens are generally empty, as the surrounding buildings have largely become commercial property space, with barely any residential property left — if any at all. Hence the gardens are used for corporate functions from time to time, but that’s it. I imagine those businesses must pay a fee to help maintain the gardens, as if they were residents, as they’re in absolutely wonderful condition. So it’s incredibly frustrating to walk past this oasis once or twice a day and never get to use the space — more so, given that it’s unused pretty much every day.

The last people I saw in there were vaulting over the high railings.