Author Archives: leafshade

Another Big Birdwatch invitation: St George’s Gardens

Lots of birdwatching is taking place in the Bloomsbury Squares in the RSPB Big Birdwatch week, as well as that previously announced in our last post. Friends of St George’s Gardens are joining in as a group, offering the opportunity especially for people who don’t have gardens for bird counting. A chance for young children […]

Coming soon: Join in Big Birdwatch, 23-25 January, in the Bloomsbury Squares

Your annual opportunity to check out the birds seen in our beautiful garden squares is next week. Join amateur spotters all over the country in recording birds for the RSPB Big Birdwatch 2026 and sending in your results for your location. Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Every year, hundreds of […]

Christmas cards and carols: St George’s Gardens

Christmas is coming and Friends of St George’s Gardens have Christmas cards and carols for you. The cards show a drawing of the Gardens by FoSGG committee member Sarah Colquhoun, but with a discreet little Santa making his way down the path. The cards are 6×4 inches and cost £6 for packs of 10. If […]

Discover the Russell Square Sculptural Prize Winners at the Brunswick Art Gallery

Did you enjoy the Michael Craig-Martin sculptures in Russell Square during October’s Bloomsbury Festival, which were part of the Russell Square Sculpture Programme? The Russell Square Commissioners have also sponsored, in collaboration with CityLit, The Russell Square Commissioners’ Sculptural Prize to recognize innovation, craftsmanship and critical thinking in Sculpture – and offering students a platform to showcase their […]

Celebrate National Tree Week: visit Bloomsbury’s venerable plane

In National Tree Week, the wonderful mature trees in Bloomsbury’s squares cannot go without mention. The most venerable and celebrated of all, however, is the Great Brunswick Plane, currently showing its autumn colours. Well over 200 years old, this London plane (Platanus x hispanica) is believed to be the second oldest plane tree in central […]

Autumn’s glory in the Bloomsbury squares

Autumn colour on the Bloomsbury trees is glorious this autumn, from the red maple in Gordon Square, the autumn-yellow ginkgo in Tavistock Square and the wondrous 200+ year old plane tree in Brunswick Square -and many, many others. It’s been a firework show to lift the spirits in shorter, darker days.

Start of the festive season in the Bloomsbury Squares

The festive season got off to an early start in Russell Square on 11 November. A large crowd gathered to watch the switch on of the Christmas tree lights, visited by Father Christmas, Cinderella and Prince Charming together with several extremely tall elves. Imperial Hotels provided drinks and mincepies and there was a splendidly lit […]

Mayor of Camden helps at spring bulb planting in Bloomsbury Square

The Mayor of Camden helped out when a large number of volunteers planted spring bulbs recently in Bloomsbury Square. The Friends group, who garden regularly and generally try to keep the square looking good, was glad of all the extra hands that helped out on this occasion. Look out for the mass of flowers in […]

Free events at the Bloomsbury Festival in the Bloomsbury Squares this weekend

Two free events not to miss: Friends of St George’s Gardens: Saturday 18 October 3 pm at Holy Cross Church, Cromer St a dramatic ‘unearthing’ of the story of Jonathan Richardson, Georgian gentleman, a ghost of the former graveyard Friends of Brunswick Square: Sunday 19 October, 10.30 am and 2 pm in the gardens a […]

Don’t miss these events in St George’s Gardens

There will soon be another Bloomsbury Festival ‘unearthing’ of a person buried in the former graveyard. If you enjoyed Mr Dilly’s story last year, come and hear about ‘Jonathan Richardson, Georgian gentleman’, in Holy Cross Church, on Saturday 18 October at 3pm with actors Debbie Radcliffe and Jules Date. Admission free, all welcome. Then on […]