Coram's Fields, with Brunswick & Mecklenburgh Square, Bloomsbury

The following is from the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. For the most up-to-date Register entry, please visit The National Heritage List for England (NHLE):

Mid 18th century children's gardens, symmetrically flanked by an 18th and an early 19th century square, designed to preserve the surroundings of the Coram's Fields gardens.

Location, Area, Boundaries, Landform and Setting

Coram's Fields and Brunswick and Mecklenburgh Squares, c 4ha, are located to the east of Tottenham Court Road, the British Museum and Russell Square, on the eastern edge of Bloomsbury. Coram's Fields are surrounded by the forecourt buildings with gates and railings (together listed grade II) to the south, further C20 cast-iron railings with gates to the west and east (both listed grade II), and by a mesh fence to the north. Brunswick Square is enclosed by mesh fencing on the north, west and south sides, and by cast-iron railings, with an additional mesh fence, to the east. Mecklenburgh Square is enclosed by a mesh fence. The gardens are all on level ground. Coram's Fields is surrounded by the Coram Family Campus across a footpath to the north, Brunswick Square to the west, Landsdowne Terrace to the south-west, Guilford Street to the south, Mecklenburgh Place to the south-east and Mecklenburgh Square to the east. To the west of Brunswick Square is the Brunswick Centre (1969-72), with cantilevered and terraced flats above, designed by Patrick Hodgkinson. To the north is the School of Pharmacy and to the south is International Hall, both London University.

Entrances and Approaches

The main entrance to Coram's Fields is through the gate from Guilford Street to the south. There are side entrances (not used by the public) through the west and east sides. Brunswick and Mecklenburgh Squares each have three entrances: on the north, west and south sides and north, east and south sides. These are through gates set within the railings or fence.

Gardens and Pleasure Grounds

The forecourt buildings, with railings, surround the garden on the west, south and east sides. The buildings form a continuous line except at the south where it is broken by sections of railings, with entrance gates and porters' lodges. The present pedestrian entrance is through a C20 gate with railings. The buildings are stuccoed and painted brick, with slated roofs. The ranges are closed with round-arched windows except the northern halves of the east and west ranges which have open peristyles. There are loggias on the west, south and east sides, and pavilions terminating the northern ends. In the south range there are offices on the east side of the entrance and a nursery in the west side, with its playground to the north. The west range of buildings houses animals (sheep, goats, peacocks) with their pens opening to the west into a small area between the building and perimeter railings. In the comparable space on the east side there is a small wildlife garden (not accessible to the public). In the east range there is a café in the far northern end of the loggia and room for children's indoor activities within the colonnades.

The basic layout of the gardens is as it was in the mid C18, as the forecourt of the Foundling Hospital. A broad strip of asphalt runs around the edge of the gardens and north/south through the centre of the gardens. The centre is taken up by an ornamental fountain at southern end, a rectangular paddling pool in the middle, and a pavilion (listed grade II) at the northern end. To either side there is a large rectangular lawn, both open with scattered trees, including large mature planes. At the outside edges of the lawn there are: to the south-west the nursery playground; to the north-west a playground for older children; along most of the east side and part of the south-east a playground for younger children. There are lines of mature plane trees along the west and east sides. To the north of these features is an extensive all-weather sports area, on the site of the hospital building (demolished c 1926).

Mecklenburgh and Brunswick Squares are completely separate from each other and from Coram's Fields, with their own boundaries and entrances. Mecklenburgh Square is D-shaped and enclosed by a privet hedge. Paths run around the perimeter and curving paths from each corner meet at the centre. The remaining ground is lawn with scattered mature trees, especially plane. This is very similar to the original early C19 layout. There is a tennis court to the north. The Square is surrounded to the east by the original houses built by Joseph Kay c 1810-20 (listed grade II*), to the north by five 1820s houses (listed grade II) and by William Goodenough House (a students' hostel), and to the south London House (listed grade II; now a hostel for overseas medical students). Coram's Fields adjoins the gardens on the west side.

Brunswick Square is a mirror-image of Mecklenburgh Square. A shrubbery runs around the curving west side, with a perimeter path. The central lawn is crossed by a winding path from north to south. There are very large plane trees scattered on the lawns. At the south end there is a shrubbery with laurel, copper beech and ornamental cherry. Coram's Fields adjoins the Square on the east side.

Maps

• John Rocque, Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster ..., 1744-1746
• Cary, Plan of London, 1787
• Richard Horwood, Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster, 2nd edn 1813
• [The following appear as plates in Olsen 1982]
• Foundling Estate Building Plan, c 1775 (pl 62)
• Thomas Merryweather, Foundling estate building plan, 1792 (pl 64) John Britton, Map of St Pancras, 1838 (pl 65)
• OS 25" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed 1870/1873
• 2nd edition published 1894
• 3rd edition published 1914

Description written: August 1998

Amended: March 2000

Edited: May 2000