In April of 2023 Sean Scully RA unveiled a new public art work for Hanover Square to mark the final completion of the transformation from historic square into a celebrated gateway into London’s West End.

The arrival of the Elizabeth Line at the end of 2022 catalysed a series of new developments at Hanover Square. The eastern ticket hall of the new Elizabeth Line Bond Street Station now opens onto the square, increasing the number of people moving through the space and its surrounding streets each day.

Building on aspirations identified by GPE and Crossrail, Publica undertook a process of meetings with local stakeholders to discuss the shared benefits of revitalising this extraordinary civic space within the heart of the city. With the support of GHS-GPE, our team produced a vision and concept design for Hanover Square as an exciting new entrance into the West End and a revived garden oasis for residents, workers and visitors.

Our design for Hanover Square provides a revived setting for the area’s buildings, businesses, monuments and new public art pieces. It celebrates the square’s intrinsic character by revealing historic vistas and celebrating its civic identity. By increasing pedestrian space, improving crossings, planting new trees and improving cycle infrastructure, paving, street furniture lighting and signage, the design elevates the experience of being in the square and moving through its adjoining streets.

Westminster City Council (WCC) adopted the concept design in 2016 and convened a project board made up of WCC, GPE, TfL, Crossrail, the Crown Estate, Clivedale/Indiabulls, Fenwick, NWEC, Historic England, along with other neighbouring landowners and developers. Publica is worked within a multidisciplinary team on the detailed design and construction delivery phases of the project.

In April of 2023 Sean Scully RA unveiled a new public art work for Hanover Square to mark the final completion of the transformation from historic square into a celebrated gateway into London’s West End.

The arrival of the Elizabeth Line at the end of 2022 catalysed a series of new developments at Hanover Square. The eastern ticket hall of the new Elizabeth Line Bond Street Station now opens onto the square, increasing the number of people moving through the space and its surrounding streets each day.

Building on aspirations identified by GPE and Crossrail, Publica undertook a process of meetings with local stakeholders to discuss the shared benefits of revitalising this extraordinary civic space within the heart of the city. With the support of GHS-GPE, our team produced a vision and concept design for Hanover Square as an exciting new entrance into the West End and a revived garden oasis for residents, workers and visitors.

Our design for Hanover Square provides a revived setting for the area’s buildings, businesses, monuments and new public art pieces. It celebrates the square’s intrinsic character by revealing historic vistas and celebrating its civic identity. By increasing pedestrian space, improving crossings, planting new trees and improving cycle infrastructure, paving, street furniture lighting and signage, the design elevates the experience of being in the square and moving through its adjoining streets.

Westminster City Council (WCC) adopted the concept design in 2016 and convened a project board made up of WCC, GPE, TfL, Crossrail, the Crown Estate, Clivedale/Indiabulls, Fenwick, NWEC, Historic England, along with other neighbouring landowners and developers. Publica is worked within a multidisciplinary team on the detailed design and construction delivery phases of the project.

A Civic History

One of the first open spaces laid out in London’s West End during the Georgian period, the distinct urban composition of Hanover Square greatly influenced the development of the Great Estates. Originally built as a private residential square, by the 19th century it had evolved alongside the rest of the West End into a thriving commercial district.

Recent years saw the prominence of Hanover Square fade as it became congested with traffic and overshadowed by the West End’s major retail thoroughfares. Much of the original character and quality of the square and its strong visual and spatial connections to the wider neighbourhood had been obscured or forgotten.

Restoration and redesign for the 21st Century

Publica led a series of design workshops with WCC and TfL and a team of specialist traffic engineers, access and sustainability consultants and landscape architects to refine the concept design and ensure its integration with the new station and with existing traffic across the square.

The transformation of Hanover Square demonstrates how private and public sector bodies can come together to provide a step change in the quality of public realm provision in the West End. It forms part of a greater effort to ensure the city’s historic places remain relevant, attractive and useful. 

This project is featured in Building Magazine for exemplary placemaking and collaboration. You can read the full article here.