Londonist's Back Passage

M@
By M@ Last edited 212 months ago
Londonist's Back Passage
Coram_walk.jpg

A tribute to the capital’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways

2. Brunswick Square to Mecklenburgh Square

Where? Obscure Bloomsbury hinterland, North of Coram’s Fields.

What? A leafy, nameless passageway connecting the northern ends of the two squares. The track is unsigned and little known even by locals. It runs through land once owned by the Foundling Hospital, a charitable children’s institution whose patrons included Hogarth and Handel. The passage separates the so-called Coram Community Campus from an acre or so of Astroturf to the south.

Why use? The little-known Foundling Museum is sited at the Brunswick end. This is definitely worth a visit if you’re a fan of Twistian tales of woebegone orphans. They’ve got an impressive art collection too. Also nearby is the art-house Renoir Cinema and the soon-to-be reborn Brunswick Centre (‘a high-street for Bloomsbury’ say the posters). Unless you’re lucky enough to live in or around Mecklenburgh Square, however, there are quicker routes to all of these.

Also good for? The only way to see any of the Coram estate without having a small child in tow. (Regulations famously state that adults must be accompanied by a child.)

Last Updated 27 July 2006