Joseph Barber was born in St Marylebone in 1774 and took the name of Beaumont in 1812. A pioneer of insurance and self-help, he founded the County Fire Office in 26 Beaumont Street in 1807. In 1840 he built and endowed the Beaumont New Philosophical Institute in the Mile End Road. He died in 1841. His trustees, in association with the Drapers’ Company, began to develop the institute’s technical school which later became the nucleus of Queen Mary College. The institute itself was the forerunner of the People’s Palace.

Initially, the central enclosure was a private communal garden for the exclusive use of the residents of the surrounding houses. However, by the late 19th century, the London County Council (LCC) had negotiated a lease with Captain Beaumont for a nominal rent of 5s a year until 1928, opening the square to the public. In 1928, the arrangement continued with the LCC paying the owner, Mr F W L C Beaumont, £52 10s per annum. The square was open to the public except for one day each year. At that time, it was described as "a rectangular enclosure surrounded by a shrubbery and attractively laid out with well-kept lawns, tennis courts and flower beds. Contains some fine trees."

The Beaumont Philosophical Institution, founded by Joseph Barber Beaumont in 1840 to provide "intellectual improvement and rational recreation and amusement for people living in the East End of London," was located in the north-west corner of the square. The Institution closed in 1879 and the site is now occupied by London Independent Hospital, which opened in 1986. Sydney House, built in 1953 as a hostel for the elderly and designed by architect C H James in Regency style with a pediment bearing the date 1953, stands on the east side of the square.

Beaumont Square underwent major restoration around 1984.

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Citation information:	The Streets of London
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