Manchester Square

The north side has a central mansion, Hertford House, flanked by approach ways; its first name was Manchester House — its use is since 1897 as the Wallace Collection (gallery/museum) of fine and decorative arts sits alongside the Madame Tussauds museum and the Wigmore Hall concert rooms.

[10] In 1814 and 1815, the square was the chosen setting for cheaper newspapers and, above all, their inner page articles to perpetuate a fresh round of the urban myth of a pig-faced woman.

In the early 20th century, the chemical company ICI moved into a new headquarters in the north-west corner of the square, which was designed in a modern style with classical elements.

Around the rest of the square stand tall brick Georgian terraced houses, many of which are inside converted to offices.

[citation needed] Manchester Square Fire Station, just over a full block north-west, in retail/leisure street Chiltern Street, was decommissioned in June 2005 by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) and, expanding further south, forms a luxury hotel and restaurant.