Travel back to the seventeenth century and meet master-builder Inigo Jones, who has been summoned for a meeting with the Earl of Bedford. In this episode we chart the conception of the Covent Garden piazza.
Master-builder and architect Inigo Jones is summoned to meet the 4th Duke of Bedford in 1629. What does the Duke want, and will Jones accept the challenge?
If you want to delve deeper into this subject, you could try here:
Wikipedia has a map of Bedford House and its environs from 1690, showing the Covent Garden Piazza, St Paul’s church to its east, the formal gardens of Bedford House to the south etc.
Writer Hamish Roberts considers what Inigo Jones might have thought about in 1629 as he considered his options for the Covent Garden site the Duke of Bedford asked him to develop.
Want to know more? Try starting here:
The History of London website has an article about Jones and Covent Garden, along with a contemporary picture of the west side of the square, showing St Paul’s church.
It is 1629. Architect Inigo Jones presents his ideas for Covent Garden’s redevelopment - and the thinking behind it - to the landowner, the 4th Duke of Bedford.
If you like this story and want more information, here are some suggested links:
British History Online has a detailed article about the Piazza. Britannica has a biography of Jones, and Poetry Nook has Ben Jonson’s poem about Inigo.
