Tavistock Square was built by property developer James Burton and the master builder Thomas Cubitt for Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford.
Tavistock Square was laid out in 1806 but largely built in the 1820s. It takes its name from Marquess of Tavistock, a courtesy title given to the eldest sons of the Dukes of Bedford.
The garden was laid out in 1825. The railed enclosure was initially for the private use of residents. Now open to the public, its centre-piece is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi by Fredda Brilliant and installed in 1968. In 1967, a cherry tree was planted in memory of the victims of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and its colourful blossoms continue to burst forth each Spring.
In 1920 the Tavistock Clinic was founded in the square.
Tavistock Square was the scene of one of the four suicide bombings on 7 July 2005.