Tavistock Square...London's Peace Park

London is renowned for its gardens and parks but some are rarely seen due to their location being well away from the normal tourist tracks. Within the streets away from the main thoroughfares are large numbers of these green areas offering relaxing refuge from the daily hustle and bustle that a large city of this kind thrives on.

It was during a recent trip to London that I came across Tavistock Square in the Bloomsbury area of the capital. With time on my hands I entered and sat on one of the many benches there and just watched the world go by.

It was extremely peaceful, a quietness in the air despite the heavy traffic on the four roads surrounding the small park. It was obviously a popular spot for rest and reflection judging by the number of people quietly sitting there with the benches all around the park being occupied.


The atmosphere reminded me of a library, a hushed and respectful silence being observed by all visitors, quite fitting considering the Bloomsbury areas role in literacy history. For part of the Mid Nineteenth century Charles Dickens lived in Tavistock House facing the park and it was here that classics such as Bleak House and A Tale of Two Cities were wrote. Although the house is no longer there, a blue plague signifying the fact can be found on the front of the British Medical Associations building.



The "Bloomsbury Set", a group of Cambridge intellectuals, artists and writers, also played a part in the establishing the areas literacy heritage. Virginia Woolf was considered one of the most eccentric members of the group and wrote most of her best works whilst living at 52 Tavistock Square. Within the park itself there is a bust of the infamous authoress albeit perhaps not the most flattering example of her beauty.




The centre piece of the park is a magnificent statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the legendary leader of the Indian Independence movement. Gandhi's successful policy of peaceful protest is emphasised in the statue with his seated posture giving off a calming influence. This is enhanced further by the burning candles, messages of love and offerings beneath. It is more than correct to say this is a "Brilliant" statue...being the work of artist Fredda Brilliant, unveiled in 1968.

The parks message of  "Peace" is further evidenced by a large stone serving as a memorial to Conscientious Objectors who have given their lives over the years by refusing to be forced to participate in wars they do not believe in. A relatively recent memorial, being placed there in 1994, the plague carries the following message "to all those who established and maintaining the right to refuse to kill, their foresight and courage give us hope". A powerful statement demonstrating how the peace and anti-war movement has developed during the late twentieth century.


Also within the park is a Cherry Tree planted in 1967 to commemorate the victims of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. A memorial plaque provides a place for people to visit and pay their respects, an activity evidenced by the messages left round the trunk of the tree. The park is the site of a annual gathering by the CND movement on the anniversary of the bombing to promote their message of peace around the world.

Ironically, despite all the signs of peace promoted here, the park bore witness to the horrific 7/7 terrorist attacks back in 2005 when an explosion on a double decker bus passing the site killed 13 innocent victims. A commemorative plague on the railings facing the park lists the names of those who lost their lives.

Many of these public squares are missed by the everyday tourist but each one will have it's own stories to be told, they are certainly worth including on any visits to London.  Tavistock Square in particular provides a peaceful environment to stop and reflect and although it may not have the prettiest gardens in the world it's serenity can make the world look a lot nicer place.