38 Comments

It's of no interest for anybody but me, but I spotted a London taxi parked up in Regent Square with the plate number 12345. (The plate records that the vehicle has been inspected and certified fit for use to ply for hire.)

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I think the square attracts oddities of every kind.

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Mecklenburgh Square near Coram's Fields is well worth a look. When I worked around the area delivering parcels I'd stop off for a break there, watch the sheep trimming thd grass around Coram's Fields.

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And of course Mecklenburgh Square got bombed too - Virginia and Leonard Woolf lived at no. 37 through the Blitz in 1939-40, and ran the Hogarth Press from the basement, but the house was destroyed in 1940. Which may or may not have contributed to Woolf's awful final awful depression.

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Indeed! I've got a map of everything Virginia Woolf coming up on this newsletter soon, to mark 100 years of Mrs Dalloway.

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Is the Virginia Woolf burger bar still in what was the Russell hotel? Her preference for a double cheeseburger with extra gherkins was little known at the time.

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Oh well sod that I'm resubscribing

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Wonderful newsletter, thank you!

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This is so interesting. I thought i knew this bit of London but it turns our I don't!

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Makes me want to go there! Thanks Matt

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I recall allthese squares fondly... but you're right, I don't recognise Regent's. I'll have to have a look on the way to The Harrison...

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Thanks Matt for such a rich history. You certainly know how to make the most of a place, and encourage us to explore.

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Outstanding! Thanks.

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For info on the other Bloomsbury Squares, check out the website bloomsburysquares.com

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The artworks were chosen/produced by local residents/children as part of the 1990s King’s Cross Estates Modernisation Programme, in which KCBNA was heavily involved, by providing support for residents in the form of translation services and advocacy. No idea what the relevance of their choice of the shiny black bollard is.

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Wonderful. I walked past that ghost sign only yesterday and was wondering about it! Thanks so much for this fascinating post.

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Fascinating thank you. Walked nearby many times when I worked nearby, but never knew any of this history.

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Nice to see Regent Square getting some attention. I lived there for over a decade and have many fond memories of the place and its surrounds. Have subscribed!

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Thank you!

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A lovely read,

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When a student in London in the 1990s I lived off Mecklenburgh Square for a few happy years. Thanks for this lovely reminder of a fascinating area. I will go on a hunt for random bollards on my next visit!

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So interesting!! Every square inch of London must have a murder or two...

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