Russell Square as One of Londons Most Prominent Locations - Essay Example

NON-FICTION ESSAY Russell Square ranks as one of London’s most prominent locations. It is a big square in Bloomsbury, bound to the right by Woburn Place and to the southeast by Southampton Row (‘Russell Square’ Wikipedia.org, 2007). Russell Square is famous for many reasons. First of all, Russell Square has a rich heritage, being named after the Russell family who held the titles of Earl and Duke of Beresford. During the process of developing their land holdings, the Russell family built new streets on the location of gardens in their old home named Bedford House. Russell Square came into existence as a consequence of the new street layout. This took place in the 19th century. Soon, many big terraced houses were constructed in the Square that came to be inhabited by the upper and middle sectors of London society. While many of the structures have since been converted into hotels, some of them in the western and southern areas of Russell Square still stand intact to this day. While London Borough of Camden presently administers it, Russell Square is still owned by the Beresford Estate (‘Russell Square’ Wikipedia.org, 2007). Russell Square underwent a major renovation in 2002 when famous architect Humphrey Repton embellished it in a distinctive form that corresponded to the first 19th century layout. The main feature of the renovated layout is the new fountain firing jets of water operating from the ground (‘Russell Square’ Wikipedia.org, 2007). The fountain is in the centre of a large park located right in the middle of Russell Square. The park has many shady trees, a lot of green grass and a network of criss-crossing paths. A statue of Francis {one of the previous Dukes of Beresford} stands in the south portion of the park. The park is open from 7.30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Londonlogue.com, 2006) at the behest of the London Borough of Camden as a precaution against ‘other undesirables,’ a veiled hint about homosexual men who made use of the park to search for partners to engage in sex (‘Russell Square’ Wikipedia.org, 2007). Secondly, Russell Square has also derived its fame from many famous persons who lived there such as T.S. Eliot, Philip and Philip Charles Hardwick, and Thomas Lawrence. Thomas Stearns Eliot was a renowned poet and dramatist who worked in Russell Square for several years when he served in ‘Faber & Faber’ as poetry editor. There still exists a blue plaque on a building in the Square’s northwest corner stating that Eliot worked there. Noted architects Philip and his son Philip Charles Hardwick lived at number 60 in the 19th century. Thomas Lawrence, a famous portrait painter, operated a studio at number 67 (‘Russell Square’ Wikipedia.org, 2007). The third source from which Russell Square got its prominence is the famous buildings in it. Hotel Russell is located on the east side of the Square. Its builders, who built the hotel in 1898, belonged to the same organization that built the RMS Titanic that so tragically sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912. To this day, some of the impressive splendour of the Titanic is visible in the magnificent ballroom (‘Russell Square’ Wikipedia.org, 2007) of the massive eight storey terracotta coloured Hotel Russell. The University of London, having a huge populace of 125,000 students (Londonlogue.com, 2006), is located in its west. The School of Oriental & African Studies that is affiliated to the University of London is located in the northwest of the Square, in the building that once housed T.S. Eliot. The Huron University of U.S.A in London is located in the south of Russell Square (‘Russell Square’ Wikipedia.org, 2007). The fourth source of fame to Russell Square comes from easily the greatest tourist attraction in London – the British Museum, whose front entrance is on Russell Street (Londonlogue.com, 2006). The British Museum is renowned as one of the most famous museums of human history and culture in the world. Founded by Sir Hans Sloane, it first opened on 15th January 1759 as a collection of natural history objects. Since then it has sub-divided into 3 parts – the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and the British Library. Today, it has developed collections of 13 million, 70million and 150 million objects in the 3 parts respectively. Visitors are privileged to see two awe-inspiring objects listed among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, namely, the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Visitors can access to a bewildering array of objects such as the 140 mummies {including one of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the world at that time} and coffins; fragment of the beard of the Great Sphinx, Egypt; statue of Pharaoh Senwosret III of Egypt; colossal bust of Ramses II, the ‘Younger Mammon’ of Egypt; the Parthenon or Elgin marbles collection of Greece; bronze plaque collection from Benin; lyre belonging the Queen of the Sumerians; Charles Towneley sculpture collection; antiquities from the Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean cultures of Rome; the Cyrus Cylinder – the world’s first charter of human rights – from Babylon; 130,000 cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia; ethnographic material from Africa, Oceania and the Americas; 40,000 Islamic Art objects; antiquities of the Assyrians and Sumerians; a million plus coins and medal collection; African artefacts 2 million years old; 3.5 million journals, leaflets and books {including works by William Blake and Thomas Berwick, as well as 65,000 books from King George III’s personal library}; and western drawings and prints from the 14th century until now {50,000 drawings including many by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, and 2 million prints including many by Durer and Goya}. The Museum follows the policy of other museums and art galleries in the country of not levying any admission fee; there are only charges to hold transient special exhibitions (‘British Museum’ Wikipedia.org, 2007). The fifth source contributing to Russell Square’s prominence is the Russell Square tube station. Devised by Leslie Green, the underground station lies between Holborn and King’s Cross St. Pancras tube stations along the Piccadilly Line of Travel-card Zone 1. Inaugurated on 15 December 1906, the station possesses 3 lifts and a spiral staircase of 175 steps that connects its platforms to Russell Square above (‘Russell Square Tube Station’ Wikipedia.org, 2007). The ‘Cabman’s Shelter’ is the sixth source of Russell Square’s fame. Located in the west corner of the Square, it is a unique, quaint green coloured shed that was constructed in 1875. The construction of the shelters was financed by the ‘Cabmen’s Shelter Fund’ set up by the Earl of Shaftesbury and some generous friends in 1874. Between 1875 and 1914, the Fund not only constructed 61 shelters at a total cost of £12,200, but also managed them. As the law required drivers of hansom cabs to remain in the cab when it was parked in the stand, the sheds aimed to provide shelter for the drivers as well as make available tasty and health-giving refreshments at reasonable prices. Each shelter had a kitchen, tables and chairs to seat 13 men at any time, and a supply of books and newspapers given free of charge by philanthropic publishers and individuals. Activities such as gambling, drinking alcohol and swearing were stringently prohibited. The relatively small size of the green sheds was because the Fund was forced to comply with the strict police directive that, as the shelters were located on public highways, they should not be ‘longer than a horse and cart.’ Russell Square Cabman’s Shelter is one of 13 original shelters that still exist as Grade II listed structures. The Cabman’s Shelter Fund continues to manage all the 13 shelters (Urban75.org, 2007). While the above mentioned six sources all have rich traditional backgrounds, Russell Square boasts of other sites that are not traditional in nature, yet which do much to enhance its fame and popularity. These are its hotels, diners, pubs, shops and entertainment centres. Backed by the phenomenal presence of the traditional sites housed, they too have developed into a magnetic field that not only keeps locals coming back for more but also provides a delightful ‘additional’ pleasure for tourists that throng the Square to visit the traditional sites. Hotel Russell has undergone a massive renovation of £20 million that elevated its 373 room structure to a 4 star standard. The other notable hotels in the area include the Montague on the Gardens, Thistle Bloomsbury Park, Thistle Bloomsbury, The Academy, Radisson Edwardian Kenilworth and Radisson Edwardian Marlborough. People can have a wide choice of diners according to their tastes and palates. The Pizza Hut serves American style pizza as well as Italian pasta and other delicacies; Callaghan’s offers Irish cuisine and genuine Guinness to the accompaniment of Irish music; Café Nero belongs to the Capital coffee shop chain offering Italian coffee and snacks; China City offers mouth-watering Chinese cuisine; and Hason Raja is an Indian curry house serving food that may sound strange but tastes great (Londontown.com). The various pubs operating in the area are Friend at Hand {a pub with TV, jukebox, Quiz machines and food service}, Queen’s Larder, {offering real ale along with TV entertainment}, London Pub {featuring TV, fruit machines and food service}, Tav Bar, Marquis of Cornwallis and The Lord John Russell {having outside seating as well}(Beerintheevening.com). Lady shoppers delight in visiting the Coast which sells contemporary occasion-wear clothing complete with matching accessories and an impressive array of jewellery. Falkner Fine Papers offers equipment for those interested in calligraphy, papermaking and typography. Oddbins is a well stocked wine bar also selling beer, tobacco, spirits and snacks. For entertainment, Russell Square features three prime venues. The Bloomsbury Ballroom, in operation since 1920, has since been renovated and constantly holds a variety of live music programmes whose artistes are well supported by a magnificent loud and crisp sound system. The Bloomsbury Bowling, in operation since 1950, has an impressive 8 lane bowling alley designed out of 80 year old cherry maple wood as well as arcade games supported by a unique diner, magnificent jukebox and a bar that serves karaoke and cocktails. The All Star Lanes is another bowling alley but with a distinct all-American atmosphere featuring resident guest DJs playing the latest music and a diner offering burgers and beer (Londontown.com). A variety of sounds can be heard around Russell Square during the day. Most prominent are the sounds of transport – buses, cabs, private cars, motorcycles, trams, trains, frequent roar of overhead aircraft and the steady clip-clop of hooves as hansom cabs take passengers for sedate rides. Next comes the chattering of the huge number of students who move in and out of the 3 educational institutions located in the Square. The third source is the excited babble of voices in different languages belonging to the many tourists who throng the Square on any given day, accompanied by the sounds of exploding flashbulbs as they wield their omnipresent cameras. The fourth sound is the excited exclamations and busy pitter-patter of high heels on the concrete pavement as customers frequent the many shops in the area. The fifth sound is the exclamations of joy {or disappointment} as patrons of the bowling alleys taste success or failure. The sixth source of sound is the clatter of dishes, glasses and cutlery as the café, hotels and pubs go about their business of feeding and slaking the thirst of their customers. The seventh series of sounds come from the park where older people relax and engaged in leisurely conversation, while children engage in noisy play or, especially during summer, scream and squeal with delight as they gambol around the fountain and get drenched by jets of water (not such much sound though from lovers who prefer to sit in isolated corners, hold hands and stare soulfully into one another’s eyes). During late evening and night, in addition to the sound of music from The Bloomsbury Ballroom, other sounds emanate from the many forms of transport as well as from the pubs and hotels as alcohol-imbibing patrons typically turn up the volume of their vocal chords. The alcohol effect is also noticeable from the increasing louder roars that emerge from the two bowling alleys as players get increasingly boisterous. The smells around Russell Square are thankfully not dominated by the transportation sector thanks to the strict pollution control directions in force all over London. The strongest smell is the aroma of food that is being prepared and served in the hotels, diners and pubs all over the Square. The food smell is enhanced just before and during usual lunch and dinner times. Added to it is the delicious aroma that emanates from hotdog and other sandwich stands grilling delicacies on sidewalks. The park also does its part by providing the smell of freshness that comes from its many trees, green grass and fine spray of water from the fountain. While the various sites of Russell Square have long served to evoke nostalgic memories in all those who traversed its length and breadth, another dimension has been added since 2005 whereby Russell Square also strongly stirs the emotions of all those who visit it. This is because Russell Square shot to fame that year in the aftermath of the horrific 7th July London terrorist bombings. Two deadly bombs went off on that fateful day – one on a London Underground train in a tunnel leading to Russell Square tube station {the train had come from King’s Cross St. Pancras tube station}, and the other on a bus on Tavistock Square that is one block away from Russell Square (‘Russell Square’ Wikipedia.org, 2007). The train bomb killed 26 people, while the bus bomb caused the death of 13 persons (Londonlogue.com, 2006). A memorial has since been erected in Russell Square to commemorate those unfortunate people (‘Russell Square’ Wikipedia.org, 2007) who tragically sacrificed their lives on the altar of terrorism. References used: Anon. (2007). Cabman’s Shelters, London. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from Urban75.org Web Site: http://www.urban75.org/london/cabmans-shelters.html Anon. (2007). Callaghan’s, Russell Square – Pub Details. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from Beerintheevening.com Web Site: http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/31/31375/Callaghans/Russell_Square Anon. (2007). Local Guide to Russell Square, WC1B. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from Londontown.com Web Site: http://www.londontown.com/LondonStreets/russell_square_de2.html Anon. (2007). Russell Square. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from Wikipedia.org Web Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Square Anon. (2006). Russell Square – London. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from Londonlogue.com Web Site: http://www.londonlogue.com/places-to-go/russell-square-london.html Anon. (2007). Russell Square Tube Station. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from Wikipedia.org Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Square_tube_station Read More