Torrington Square

View of Torrington Square.

Armillary sphere sundial outside Birkbeck College in Torrington Square, unveiled on 12 June 2008 by Princess Anne to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the University of London External System.

Torrington Square is a square in Bloomsbury, owned by the University of London, located in central London, England.^[1] Today it is a square in name only, most of the houses having been demolished by the university. The southern end of the square is dominated by the University of London's Senate House. Birkbeck College and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) are located here. To the southwest is Malet Street and to the southeast is Russell Square. The square is the site of a weekly farmers' market, held on Thursdays.^[2]

Notable people

John Desmond Bernal lived in a flat at the top of no. 22. In November 1950, Pablo Picasso, a fellow communist, en route to a Soviet-sponsored^[3] World Peace Congress in Sheffield created a mural in Bernal's flat.^[4] In 2007, this became part of the Wellcome Trust's collection^[5][6] for £250,000. It was displayed at the 2012 Tate Britain exhibition on Picasso and Modern British Art.^[7] The poet Christina Rossetti lived at 30 Torrington Square until her death here on December 29, 1894 from breast cancer. ^[8]

See also

Other squares on the Bedford Estate in Bloomsbury included:

• Bedford Square
• Bloomsbury Square
• Gordon Square
• Russell Square
• Tavistock Square
• Woburn Square

Bibliography

• Rasmussen, Sten Eiler. London: The Unique City. London: Penguin (Pelican), 1960.

References

External links

• Map sources for Torrington Square

Bloomsbury
Buildings	Barbadian H.C. Brunswick Centre Church of Christ the King Connaught Hall Goodenough College Hotel Russell The Lamb Montagu House Senate House St. George's St George the Martyr Holborn St Pancras Church UCL Main Building
Squares and parks	Bedford Square Bloomsbury Square Brunswick Square Cartwright Gardens Coram's Fields Gordon Square Mecklenburgh Square Queen Square Russell Square Tavistock Square Torrington Square Woburn Square
Roads	Cartwright Gardens Gower Street Great Russell Street Guilford Street Gray's Inn Road Lamb's Conduit Street Malet Street Museum Street Southampton Row Woburn Place
History	The Bedford Estate Bloomsbury Gang Bloomsbury Group

University of London
Colleges and institutions	Current Birkbeck City Courtauld Institute of Art Goldsmiths Heythrop College Institute of Cancer Research King's College London (KCL) London Business School London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Queen Mary Royal Academy of Music Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Royal Holloway (RHUL) Royal Veterinary College St. George's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University College London (UCL) Former and defunct Bedford College Chelsea College of Science and Technology Imperial College London Institute of Education Institute of Psychiatry Institute for the Study of the Americas London Consortium New College London Queen Elizabeth College Regent's Park College Royal Postgraduate Medical School School of Pharmacy School of Slavonic and East European Studies University Marine Biological Station Millport St Thomas's Hospital Medical School Westfield College Wye College
Central bodies and programmes	Senate House Libraries School of Advanced Study Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Institute of Classical Studies Institute of Commonwealth Studies Institute of English Studies Institute of Historical Research Centre for Metropolitan History Institute of Latin American Studies Institute of Modern Languages Research Institute of Philosophy Warburg Institute University of London Institute in Paris University of London International Programmes
People	Chancellor: HRH The Princess Royal Vice-Chancellor: Sir Adrian Smith Visitor: Chris Grayling (Lord President of the Council) Academics Alumni Heads of Colleges List of University of London people
Places and buildings	Current Bloomsbury Gordon Square Halls of residence Canterbury Hall College Hall Commonwealth Hall Connaught Hall Hughes Parry Hall International Hall Lillian Penson Hall Nutford House Malet Street Russell Square Senate House Tavistock Square Torrington Square Woburn Square Former 6 Burlington Gardens Church of Christ the King
Other	Academic dress The Careers Group History London Student University of London Big Band University of London Boat Club University of London Computer Centre University of London Union (Rebranded) Parliamentary Constituency (Abolished)
Category

Coordinates: 51°31′19″N 0°07′50″W / 51.52201°N 0.13050°W / 51.52201; -0.13050