Category Brunswick Square

Bloomsbury Festival, 18-27 October 2024

This year’s Bloomsbury Festival has things to look out for in our gardens. ECHO by Joe Duggan, Russell SquareA new public sculpture by artist Joe Duggan, commissioned by the Commissioners of Russell Square, this monumental artwork stands 4 metres tall in Russell Square Gardens, resembling hastily erected metal scaffolding with a concrete boulder precariously balanced […]

Girls in the Garden finale…for now

The five-week trial of free nature-based outdoor activities for teenage girls ended with a session making glorious Flower Crowns for Midsummer’s Day in Tavistock Square. Each week a different activity has been followed, with pre-booked participants being joined by passers-by. The activities, led by Wild Remedy, were supported by the Association of Bloomsbury Squares and […]

Girls in the Garden, Brunswick Square

Arranged by the Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens together with the Camden Open Spaces team, the goal of these free sessions* is to inspire and engage girls from the local area, encouraging them to feel safe and spend time outdoors discovering nature. The inaugural workshop, “Self-Care with Nature,” took place on May 29th, 2024, […]

Girls in the Garden, Bloomsbury, May & June

Girls in the Garden free Nature Workshops have been arranged by the Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens in association with Camden Council and Wild Therapy. They are offering a summer opportunity for girls only to take part in creative outdoor activities in the famous garden squares, encouraging girls to enjoy their local gardens. The […]

Thanks to the volunteers in Bloomsbury Squares

Last autumn teams of volunteers planted large numbers of bulbs in Brunswick Square, Red Lion Square, Russell Square and Tavistock Square. In February, braving the weather, they were out clearing the way for the spring display to appear (as in Brunswick Square, below) . Despite the rain in March, the flowers were colourful and abundant […]

Playing in the New Year

If you couldn’t make it to the big parade in central London on New Year’s Day, then at least you could have heard the big band from Chatanooga High School rehearsing in Russell Square ahead of the event. Meanwhile, a robin was making its own music in one of the snake bark maples in Brunswick […]

Ailanthus trees in Brunswick Square

Ailanthus altissima ‘Tree of Heaven’ trees looking amazing laden with with clusters of winged seeds in Brunswick Square, spotted by our roving photographer in October. Another name is ‘stink tree’ because of its unpleasant smell. Ailanthus is not a native tree and can be something of a weed tree, turning up and growing fast where […]

Bloomsbury Festival in the Bloomsbury Squares

The festival is well underway with many events around the area. In particular, an open air dramatic production in St George’s Gardens on Saturday 21 October at 3 pm and, all through the festival, a photographic exhibition on the railings of Brunswick Square. Deaf photographer Stephen Iliffe’s photographic portraits range from female vicar to Muslim […]

Spring gardening dates

On the first Saturday of the month -1 April – the volunteer gardeners will be at work in the morning from 11 am in Red Lion Square (pictured) and also in Brunswick Square (2-4 pm this week, but usually 10-noon). Either group would be delighted if you want to join them for this session. They […]

New trees and shrubs in the Bloomsbury Squares

As part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, 8 wild cherry saplings (Prunus avium ‘Stella Colt’) have been planted in Woburn Square by the University of London and 3 in Gordon Square (below) over the winter. While tiny at present, they will have spring blossom as they grow, hopefully to full size. (The fruits are edible […]