Most people have heard of London’s Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, and Parliament Square, but far fewer people will know of Tolmers Square in the London Borough of Camden. Located just north of Euston Road, it is hidden south of Drummond Street between North Gower Street and Hampstead Road. Today it is a peaceful, leafy retreat surrounded by low blocks of dwellings and a pub. I knew of its existence but visited for the first time today in October 2026. However, it has not always been like it is nowadays …

Tolmers Square began life in the 1860s as a housing development with grand residences, as Patrick’ Allen revealed in an essay (https://tolmers.net/stories/how-i-came-to-tolmers-square/) :

“Tolmers was a large, horseshoe shaped square of grand houses built in the 1860s with porticos and balconies.”

By the 1960s, the properties in the square were in a bad state, and this potentially valuable plot of real estate came under the eyes of  a property developer, as Allen noted:

“Many houses had been unoccupied for years and were in a very poor state with broken and boarded up windows. The balconies were crumbling and on some houses had fallen down or been removed. I later learned that most of the square had been bought up covertly by Joe Levy and his company Stock Conversion Ltd. Joe Levy was a property developer who had made his fortune developing bomb sites after the war. His company had been responsible for building the massive and unsightly Euston Tower (his greatest achievement) which overlooked Tolmers Square on the corner of the Euston Road and Hampstead Road. Apparently, he wanted to knock down Tolmers Square and build another tower. For this he needed planning permission from Camden Council, then led by Frank Dobson.”

Levy became interested in the square in 1962, and a year later the London County Council (‘LCC’) began trying to demolish unfit houses. Three years later, the LCC became the Greater London Council (‘GLC’) and borough boundaries were changed: the borough of St Pancras, in which the square was located, became incorporated into the new Borough of Camden. Between 1966 and 1971, further ‘unfil’ buildings were demolished.

By about 1970, Camden hoped to redevelop the area into office accommodation. A deal was truck with Joe Levy, but before building was about to start, opposition to the plans began and ‘The Battle of Tolmers Square’ commenced. By 1973:

“The issue starts receiving considerable publicity. Squatters start moving into empty property. Camden Council approves the ‘Levy Deal’. Students from University College London survey the area. Claudius Offer (masterminded by Christopher Booker & Bennie Gray) presented to Camden Council. It still involves building offices but the profits would go to the Council. Tolmers Village Association (TVA) formed. Stop the Levy Deal campaign launched. Camden Council reject the Levy Deal.” (https://spitalfieldslife.com/2018/01/24/the-battle-of-tolmers-square/) .

Meanwhile, the old buildings in and around the square continued to deteriorate seriously. In 1979, Camden evicted the squatters from Tolmers Square, and its redevelopment as a primarily residential precinct commenced. This was completed by 1982, and is what can be seen today. Now, more than 40 years later, the trees and vegetation in the square have matured beautifully and the much fought over patch of real estate has become a delightful peaceful haven in a very busy part of north London.

The story of Tolmers Square and its escape from being transformed into characterless office blocks is a great example of ‘people’s power’.