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Ladies College in Bedford Square
- Also Known As: Bedford College for Women University of London
- Also Known As: Bedford College, London
- English National Heritage: Numbers 40-54 and Attached Railings
- Address: 40 - 54 Bedford Sq
- As Noted In: English National Heritage Listed I, Historic England
Bedford Square Nos 40-54, a terrace of 15 houses forming the south side of a square, were all built by W Scott and R Grews. Likely designed by Thomas Leverton or Robert Palmer for the Bedford Estate, Nos 40-53 form a symmetrical terrace. The structures are of yellow stock brick with evidence on most of the houses of tuck pointing with slate mansard roofs with dormers and tall slab chimney-stacks. Interiors have original stone stairs with cast and wrought-iron balusters of various scroll designs, decoration and fine plasterwork. No 40 has a full height canted bay window at the rear, a fine plasterwork. The ceiling features 5 restored painted panels and joinery. No 41 rear elevation includes a full height bowed bay. During the second half of the 19th century the Ladies College in Bedford College was located here.
The houses in Bedford Square form a very important and complete example of C18 town planning. Built as a speculation, it is not clear who designed all the houses. Leverton was a country house architect and may have been involved with only the grander houses; he lived at No 13 (qv). Palmer was the Bedford Estate surveyor and may be responsible for the vagaries of the square. The majority of the plots leased by the estate were taken by Robert Grews, a carpenter, and William Scott, a brickmaker. The following have plaques or tablets: No 41 was the residence of Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, novelist; No 42 of William Butterfield, architect; and No 49 of Ram Mohun Roy, Indian scholar and reformer (LCC / GLC plaques). Nos 50 and 51 have oval plaques inscribed "St.GF 1859" and "St GB 1823", the line that divides the parishes of St Giles in the Fields and St George, Bloomsbury running along the party wall. - Historic England