Walcot Square facts for kids
Walcot Square is a special area in London that looks like a triangle, not a square! It was built a long time ago, in the 1700s. You can find it just south of Central London in a part of the city called London Borough of Lambeth. Since 1968, this area has been protected as a "Conservation Area." This means its unique look and history are kept safe. The houses around the central green space were given a special "Grade II listed" status in 1981. This means they are important historical buildings.
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Where is Walcot Square?
Walcot Square is surrounded by interesting places. To the north, you'll find Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park. This park is home to the famous Imperial War Museum and a couple of cafes. Long ago, a mental health hospital stood on this spot. South of the square is St. Mary's Gardens. To the west, there's a main road called Kennington Road. East of the square is another area called West Square.
The streets around the green space are in the SE11 postcode district. If you want to visit by tube, the closest station is Lambeth North. It's about 500 meters (or about 1,640 feet) north of the square.
The houses around Walcot Square are three stories tall. They were built in the late Georgian period, which was a long time ago. These houses surround a private garden that is about 0.2 acres (or 800 square meters) in size. The Walcot Foundation owns and takes care of this garden. You won't find house numbers 1 or 64 here. The highest numbers are 68A on the even side and 95 on the odd side of the estate.
A Look at History
The street gets its name from Edmund Walcott. He was a haberdasher, which means he sold small sewing items like needles and thread. When he passed away in 1667, he left about 30 acres of land. This land was put into a trust to help poor people in the areas of St. Mary, Lambeth, and St Olave's Church, Southwark.
Each of the three rows of houses around the square looks a little different. But they all use common bricks and a special plaster finish called stucco. This gives the area a formal and neat look. You can see special details like stucco around the doors and black painted doors. The houses also have long windows with fancy metal railings called balconettes. Different builders worked on the houses. John Woodward built numbers 9 to 81 (the odd numbers). Charles Newnham built numbers 16 to 24 (some of the even numbers). And John Chapman built numbers 26 to 50 (other even numbers).
Walcot Square During the Blitz
Just like many other parts of London, Walcot Square was hit by bombs during World War II. This time was known as the London Blitz. When buildings were destroyed, new ones were built in their place. These new buildings were designed to look just like the original ones.
Walcot Square in Movies and Books
Walcot Square has appeared in some famous stories and films!
- In the book Bleak House by Charles Dickens, published in 1853, a character named Mr. Guppy says he has moved to Walcot Square.
- The Walcot Stores, a shop on the corner of the street, was shown in the 1990 film The Krays.
- Scenes for the 2014 movie The Woman in Black: Angel of Death were filmed on the street.
- The street was also used for filming parts of the 2016 movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film). It also appeared in the 2018 sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. In these movies, the nearby St Mary’s Gardens is where the character Newt Scamander lives.
