Between 1630 and 1648, Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, acquired land from Henry VIII, and built Leicester House on a site between the existing Square and Lisle Street, with a formal garden on the site of the Swiss Centre. The area south of the House became known as Leicester Fields and was laid out in 1782. It had been used as common land for drying clothes and cattle grazing, and the Earl was obliged to compensate parishioners by providing a tree planted public area. Grand houses were constructed fronting the Square and no shops were allowed until the 3rd Earl permitted booths in front of the courtyard of Leicester House towards the end of the 17th century.
The Square remained a fashionable area throughout the 18th century but by the end of that century, with the construction of New Coventry Street and increased traffic, private residents began to move out and craftsmen and commercial uses moved in. The original houses were converted or demolished to allow for this change. ln Victorian times the Square was renowned for its turkish baths, oyster rooms and theatres, such as the Alhambra, the Empire, Dalys and later the Hippodrome. The public garden fell into very poor repair until it was purchased by Albert Grant in 1874. Grant commissioned James Knowles to lay out the garden, including the provision of a marble fountain topped by a statue of Shakespeare. Around the Square were positioned busts of Reynolds, Newton, Hogarth and John Hunter, all of whom lived in or near the Square. Leicester Square continues to be a centre of entertainment, in particular of the film industry with large cinema buildings on the north, east and south side of the Square. In 1981 a statue of Charlie Chaplin was erected. The gardens have been recently refurbished by the City Council and the road around them pedestrianised.
Streets of the City of Westminster