Conservation Statement: 33 - 37 Bedford Square
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Conservation Statement: 33 - 37 Bedford Square Bernadette Bone June 2011 Conservation Statement: 33-37 Bedford Square 1 Contents 1. Summary and Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 3 2. Understanding the Site ................................................................................................................................................... 5 3. Assessment of Significance .......................................................................................................................................... 11 4. Issues / Vulnerability ..................................................................................................................................................... 20 5. Outline Policies ............................................................................................................................................................. 22 Appendices ........................................................................................................................................................................... 23 A Bibliography .................................................................................................................................................................. B Listing Notices ............................................................................................................................................................... C List of Previous Occupiers ............................................................................................................................................ D Plans from the AA Archive ............................................................................................................................................ E Development Plans by Wright and Wright ................................................................................................................ 31 Conservation Statement: 33-37 Bedford Square 2 Conservation Statement: 33-37 Bedford Square 3 1. Summary and Introduction The Architectural Association has decided to relinquish the lease on 33-37 Bedford Square. The Bedford Estate has therefore been asked to produce a conservation statement to help assess the cultural significance of the building and the issues and constraints which would need to be considered in finding a new use for the building. One possible tenant is an international technology company whose requirements would include the upgrading of services to cope with their technological requirements, together with facilities for public access and additional dedicated parking. They may also wish to sublet part of the building to a separate tenant who would need independent access. This Conservation Statement has been prepared to establish a common understanding of the significance of the existing fabric of 33- 37 Bedford Square in order that proposals for alternative future use can be considered on an informed basis. In essence the report consists of five parts. Following this introduction and summary, the second part provides background to the history and development of Bedford Square as a whole, and aims to show, in as much detail as can be gained from the documentary evidence consulted to date, how the fabric of no.’s 33-37 has been adapted over time. The third part provides an assessment of significance of the surviving fabric. The analysis of the history and development of the site alongside the assessment of significance is key to the understanding of the site and in developing a common understanding of what the important characteristics are of the heritage asset. The fourth part sets down the issues that affect the buildings today, their condition and how they are used and managed. The final parts sets down the strategy or next steps to address the issues whilst protecting the architectural and historic significance of the site and buildings. Conservation Statement: 33-37 Bedford Square 4 Fig 1 – 1682 map Conservation Statement: 33-37 Bedford Square 5 2. Understanding the Site Bedford Square is located in the Bloomsbury Conservation Area in the London Borough of Camden. Part of the southern section of the Bloomsbury Conservation Area falls within an Archaeological Priority Area. Bedford Square itself is located close to the junction of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. The early history of the area is outlined in the ‘Bloomsbury Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy’ produced by the Conservation and Urban Design Team at the London Borough of Camden, and as such has not been researched in detail for this study. However it should be noted that the land within the vicinity of Bedford Square area was mainly in agricultural and pastoral use until the mid to late 1600’s as can be seen to Fig 1. Early development of the Bloomsbury area itself was instigated by the Earl of Southampton. In the 1660’s he was responsible for the construction of Southampton House and the surrounding square, at first called Southampton Square and now known as Bloomsbury Square. The predecessor to this square was Covent Garden, the 4th Earl of Bedford’s development in the 1630’s and the first public square in the country. Following the death of the Earl of Southampton the Bloomsbury Estate came into the Russell family’s ownership. William, son of the 5th Earl of Bedford, married a young widow, Lady Rachel Vaughan, one of the daughters of the 4th Earl of Southampton. She had recently inherited the agricultural fields comprising the area roughly between Tottenham Court Road, Euston Road, Southampton Row and New Oxford Street.1 As such the Southampton Estate was absorbed into the Bedford Estate. There followed a short period of development but then a hiatus when Great Russell Street was to form the boundary between town and country for over a century.2 However in the mid to late 1700’s the economic situation was suitable for further development and the city started to creep northwards. The Bedford Estate had a tradition of being associated with good town planning3, Covent Garden being a prime example, and the 4th Duke of Bedford had ambitions for the development of the Bloomsbury area. When the 4th Duke died in 1771 the estate was overseen by his widow Duchess Gertrude and the Estates chief steward; Robert Palmer. It is considered that the Duchess and Robert Palmer were responsible for overseeing the development of Bedford Square which was built between 1775 and 1783. Bedford Square marked the start of the Bedford Estates development of Bloomsbury and was the first extension of Bloomsbury northward.1 In its creation of the formal landscaped square and uniform street layouts it established the principles for the development of the Bloomsbury area which is ‘widely considered to be an internationally significant example of 1 town planning’. Fig 2 – 1799 map 1 www.bedfordestates.com 2 Bedford Square An Architectural Study 3 Bedford Square An Architectural Study Conservation Statement: 33-37 Bedford Square 6 Although it is considered that the Duchess and Robert Palmer were the Patrons for the development, Robert Grews and William Scott the builders with the involvement of the architect Thomas Leverton; the extent to which each individuals association with the development informed the design and layout of the square and surrounding buildings is not known. This is in part due to the speculative nature of the development and the apparent lack of detailed accounts attributing the design to any one party. What can be observed is that Bedford Square is ‘a virtually intact and exemplary piece of late 18th century town planning’. The listing notice refers to “the houses in Bedford Square” which “form a most important and complete example of C18 town planning.” Within ‘Bedford Square: An Architectural Study’. Andrew Byrne remarks on the unique qualities of Bedford Square, describing it as the first example of a square in London with consistently uniform proportions to all four sides. It is considered to be the first garden square with an imposed uniformity and set the style for garden squares in London through the late 18th and early 19th century.4 As well as being the first, Byrne states that it is the only surviving example as this uniformity has never been exactly replicated in London.5 It certainly was a lucky survivor of the WWII bombing. The earlier examples of squares in London which include Covent Garden and Bloomsbury Square each have their own peculiarities which effect the overall composition. A uniform composition as seen at Bedford Square was unusual in no small part because of the speculative and entrepreneurial environment in which it was conceived. Examples of complete and uniform squares in other cities, for example Place des Vosges in Paris, were made possible by the control of an overseeing architect or authority.6 At Bedford Square the ambitions of the Estate to produce a good example of town planning ensured that the Estate was determined to exercise a degree of control over the Bedford Sq development by way of clauses in the building agreement. Pevsner describes the square as follows; “Each side of the square is treated as a whole, with stuccoed, pedimented and pilastered five-bay centre. The houses have entrances with window slits flanking the doors so as to make a tripartite pattern, and surrounds of coade stone with intermittent vermiculated rustication and bearded faces on the keystones. Similar