Arbour Square is a late Georgian square in Stepney.
Arbour Square was first laid out as a garden in 1819 but by 1830, buildings were on all sides of the square. It was built on open land recorded in the 18th century as the Arbour Field - an arbour being a leafy shelter. The square remains laid out as a formal garden with mature trees and planting.
The south and west sides of the square are still made up of the original Georgian townhouses. The east side was demolished and replaced by the Raine’s School building in 1913.
One side of the square was acquired in 1921 by the Borough of Stepney who proposed to build a grand town hall. Instead, the terrace on the north side was replaced by a block of flats in 1937.
St Thomas Church dated from 1838 and was built by George Smith and William Barnes. It was demolished in 1955 and replaced by flats.
Arbour Square is mirrored on the opposite side of the Commercial Road by Albert Gardens, an almost intact late-Georgian residential square. Albert Gardens, Havering Street and Arbour Square together are some of the last remaining original late-Georgian houses in the East End.
Arbour Square is a late Georgian square in Stepney.
