Wikipedia

Euston Square Gardens

Euston Square Gardens is a public garden on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden.

The gardens in March 2008

The gardens are the northern gardens of the former residential Euston Square, the southern gardens were renamed Endsleigh Gardens.[1]

The gardens are enclosed by railings and covered with grass and London plane trees.[1] The two lodges at the gardens date from 1870 and were once the entrance to Euston station. They are inscribed with the names of the London and North Western Railway.[1]

A worksite for High Speed 2 and the proposed Euston St Pancras railway station is situated at the gardens. This is to construct an underground pedestrian link between Euston railway station and Euston Square tube station.[2]

Protest edit

 
HS2 protesters in September 2020

A protest camp against HS2 was set up in the park in September 2020.[3] This included a tall construction made largely of pallets that the protestors dubbed “Buckingham Pallets”.[4]

It was revealed in January 2021 that protesters had built a 100ft tunnel under the gardens as part of protests against the planned High Speed 2 railway.[5] Nine activists occupied the tunnels starting 27 January as part of the protest.[6][7] The first protester left the tunnel on February 5[8] A second protester left on the 6th.[9] A third left on the 15th and a fourth on the 17th.[10][11] A 5th was evicted on the 23rd and a further 3 left on the 25th.[12][13] The final protester left on the 26th.[14]

In March, a freedom of information request revealed that the Metropolitan Police had spent £140,000 on policing the tunnels during the removal of the protesters.[15]

 
Euston Square Gardens sign in 2020

Historic maps edit

  •  
    The East and West Euston Square Gardens at the centre of an 1874 Ordnance Survey map[16]
  •  
    The evolution of the gardens are visible on this 1895 Ordnance Survey map after renaming[17]
  •  
    The encroaching boundaries of Euston railway station to the gardens are visible on this 1953 Ordnance Survey map[18]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Euston Square Gardens". London Gardens Online - Euston Square Gardens. London Parks & Gardens Trust. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Crossrail 2 factsheet: Euston St Pancras station" (PDF). October 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  3. ^ Foot, Tom (4 September 2020). "Protest camp aims to save ancient trees from HS2 axe". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2021. 
  4. ^ Russell, Anna (13 January 2022). "The Eco-Protesters Who Live in Tunnels". The New yorker. Retrieved 18 April 2022. 
  5. ^ Diane Taylor (27 January 2021). "On Swampy ground: a brief history of protest tunnelling in the UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. ^ Taylor, Diane (1 February 2021). "'I couldn't be prouder': Swampy and 16-year-old son in HS2 tunnel protest". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  7. ^ Taylor, Diane (6 February 2021). "Digging, cards and chocolate: HS2 activists on life in Euston tunnel". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  8. ^ Taylor, Diane (5 February 2021). "HS2 activist escapes bailiffs and heads back into Euston tunnels". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2021. 
  9. ^ Taylor, Diane (6 February 2021). "HS2 activist who evaded bailiffs leaves Euston tunnels". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2021. 
  10. ^ Holland, Lisa (15 February 2021). "HS2: Teenage protester says she learned more in Euston tunnels than at school". Sky News. Retrieved 16 February 2021. 
  11. ^ "HS2 protest: Boy, 16, leaves Euston tunnel". BBC News. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Euston tunnel protest: Dr Larch Maxey removed by bailiffs". BBCNews. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  13. ^ "HS2 protest: Swampy and two other activists leave Euston tunnel". BBC News. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  14. ^ "HS2 protest: Final activist removed from Euston tunnel". BBC News. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Police spent more than £140,000 guarding HS2 protesters' tunnels in Euston". Metro. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  16. ^ 1874 Ordnance Survey map, Digimap. Retrieved 5 March 2018. (subscription required)
  17. ^ 1895 Ordnance Survey map, Digimap. Retrieved 5 March 2018. (subscription required)
  18. ^ 1953 Ordnance Survey map, Digimap. Retrieved 5 March 2018. (subscription required)

51°31′39″N 0°07′54″W / 51.5274°N 0.1317°W / 51.5274; -0.1317

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