Euston Square

This is the 25th station I have visited on the Circle Line. It is a small station on the corner of Euston Road and Gower Street. There are three other underground stations less than 500m away. Consequently I am only going to have a look at buildings around the block that houses Euston Square station. The majority of the buildings around the station are part of the University College London.

I exited the station onto Gower Street

The main entrance of the University is on the left hand side of the road and the University Hospital on the opposite side,

On the same side as the hospital is the Grant Museum of Zoology. Fortunately it was open to the public on the day I visited the area as this museum was a first for me. It is perhaps one of the strangest museums I have visited. First impressions were of a cluttered galleried room. There was even a lecture taking place as I wandered around.

The gallery was crammed with all kinds of animals from jars of worms to stuffed birds.

Leaning over the gallery were human skeletons in various poses.

A duck billed platypus

A variety of skulls.

The Museum was founded by Robert Grant in 1827. A believer in evolution he was the first professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy in England. When he first started lecturing at the University of London he realised he needed some teaching materials and began to collect specimens which are still used today by students. Grant taught at the University from 1828 until his death in 1874.

After visiting the Grant Museum I crossed Gower Street and went onto the University Campus in search of the Auto-Icon of Jeremy Bentham.

Sitting in a wooden cabinet on a corridor in University College is the auto icon (man in his own image). Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was a radical philosopher and reformer who stated in his will that he wanted his body to be preserved, dressed in his own clothes, sitting on his favourite chair in his usual thoughtful pose. A very strange request that was more or less carried out. His head is made of wax on his preserved skeleton. For several years the real head lay between his legs but the temptation of students from another University to steal it was too great. After going missing more than once it is now kept elsewhere.

Whilst still on the University campus I went in search of the Petrie Museum. It was set up by the University's Egyptian Archaeology Department by William Petrie, the department's first professor.

The museum has more than 80.000 objects, many of which were unearthed by Petrie on his many archaeological Egyptian digs. There are numerous everyday objects as well as jewellery and some excellent hieroglyphics and bas reliefs.

There is a large collection of shabtis. Shabtis are small figures which were placed in the tombs to magically perform tasks for the deceased. Ancient Egyptians believed they had to perform everyday manual labour in the afterlife just as they had done when they were alive.

I exited the University onto Torrington Place and continued my walk around the block. Around the next corner was Christ the King Church. The English Chapel inside was open but no photography was allowed which was a great pity as it is a beautiful small chapel with a vaulted ceiling and impressive stained glass windows. 

I assume the cloisters next door are private apartments.  Both the church and the cloisters overlook Gordon Square.

Gordon Square garden was laid out by the 6th Duke of Bedford and named after his second wife, Lady Georgina Gordon. The gardens are now owned by the University and restored in 2006 with new railings, paths, plantings and extensive tree work. 

The houses around the Square were built between 1820 and 1850. In 1905 a group of writers, artists and intellectuals met here to discuss and share ideas.  The group became known as the Bloomsbury Group and continued to meet for the next 30 years. They were a group that attracted disapproval and criticism. They all came from wealthy families which had given them social advantages and self confidence. The group had very liberal ideas about sex leading to complicated relationships and affairs amongst the group.

This is another University College of London building, the School of Slavonic and East European Studies. The school moved into this building in 2005.  I like the way the windows slope upwards away fro the central door. I assume they follow  staircases on either side. The symmetry of the building is an eye catcher.

Apart from its unusual design, I read that it aims to be environmentally friendly by ensuring the passage of cool air around the building, avoiding the need for air conditioning.

This is The Friends' House which provides a meeting place and conference rooms as well as offices for Quakers. In the cafe they have a suspended soup scheme. It means you can pre pay for a bowl of soup. A soup voucher will then be held at the reception for any one to claim. A simple way of providing sustenance for someone in need.

I was now back on Euston Road. This is the Wellcome building. It was constructed in 1931 to house the scientific and historical research activities supported by the American pharmaceutical manufacturer Sir Henry Wellcome. The building is now used as a free museum and library. It has exhibitions there all relating to health. When I visited I saw an exhibition entitled 'Living with buildings'. It explored how buildings affect our physical and mental health. I found it very interesting.

In 2004 the new London headquarters of the Wellcome Trust biomedical research charity moved into a newly built ten storey glass roofed Gibbs building. It is located next to the Wellcome Building. The Wellcome Trust is one of the world's biggest medical research charities.

I used the subway to cross the road and back to the Underground station. Although I covered very little ground with today's walk there  was still a few interesting places I hadn't seen before.