History Project

In 2006 we established a group to research into the history of the area. In 2007 we produced an exhibition, which was first shown in Mary Ward House and then Camden's Local Studies and Archives Centre. It illustrated the development of Marchmont Street from 1790 to the present day (with the support of an Awards for All/Heritage Lottery Fund grant). You can view a small selection of the historic photos which featured in the exhibition via the Flickr.com link, below.

In 2008 we published the first edition of a book based on the exhibition titled "The Story of Marchmont Street - Bloomsbury's original high street". This was our response to numerous visitors to the exhibition who wrote to say "I can't wait for the book". The demand for this book far exceeded our original expectations, demonstrating a high level of interest in the social history of the area. We have so far published four editions of the book, with the most recent one being launched at Skoob Books on 2nd November 2012. See the section on 'The Story of Marchmont Street' for more details, including local shops selling the book.

Our early research revealed a number of notable former residents of the street, including Kenneth Williams, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley (author of "Frankenstein"), Richard Greene, who played Robin Hood in the long-running TV series, William Henry 'Bird's Nest' Hunt and John Skinner Prout, both 19th century watercolour painters. This led us to establish our own independent commemorative plaques scheme in 2009, as a means of further raising awareness of the social history of the area. We have so far installed plaques to Kenneth Williams, William Henry (Bird's Nest) Hunt, John Skinner Prout, Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley, (George) Emlyn Williams, Sir William Empson, Sir John Barbirolli and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, with more to come. See the section on Commemorative plaques for more details. We are grateful to Camden Archives (web link below) and the London Metropolitan Archives for allowing us unlimited access to their fascinating collections of historical documents and images.

We are currently completing a publication about the history of Brunswick Square, which will be a collection of stories based on the lives of former residents and the events which have helped shape the history of the square since it was created by James Burton in 1795-1804. We are also exploring the possibility of installing interpretive boards in key locations around the area, to explain the rich history of the locality to visitors. We envisage these boards being of a similar design to those installed in the various garden squares throughout Bloomsbury. However, this will require funds to be raised, via a combination of grants, donations and sponsorship.

If you have other ideas for promoting awareness of the area's history, please get in touch with us via the 'Get Involved' link on this page.

Additional Info:  

 
http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/leisure/local-history/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/macollections/sets/72157626101671004/

Created On 05 November 2010