There is a statue on the south side of Russell Square of the duke of Bedford which tells the story of the ownership of not only this piece of land, but all the land in its immediate proximity. It is owned by the Russell family one of the richest families in England. Like the Duke of Westminster, the Russells, an aristocractic family, have managed to increase their wealth in the modern age by showing considerable business acumen. The business acumen in question being to already own a lot of the land surrounding London as London grew during the the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and thus profit by its increase in value.

        Russell Square used to be one of London's most popular spots amongst London's homosexual community. However after a campaign by Camden council about ten years ago which involved chopping down all the little gardens which grew inside the complex and removing a lot of the bushes and locking the square up at night, this activity came to an end. Sometimes, though, you will see the odd character sitting on a bench with a smile on his face reminiscing about the good old days.
        The removal of the bushes has made the task of tree identification considerably easier; there are no longer any of those plants which meet the borderline between trees and shrubbs. The trees which predominate are the holm oak, the yew, and hollies.

The duke of Bedford

Trees of London        A James Wilkinson Publication ©