Torrington Square was originally laid out as part of the Bedford Estate development in 1821-25.
Torrington Square, named after the father-in-law of the 6th Duke of Bedford, is a square in name only, most of the houses having been demolished by the University of London.
The southern edge is dominated by the University of London’s Senate House. Birkbeck College and the School of Oriental and African Studies are also here.
John Desmond Bernal lived in a flat at the top of 22 Torrington Square. In November 1950, Pablo Picasso, en route to a World Peace Congress in Sheffield created a mural in Bernal’s flat.