King Square in

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

within the English county of

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

was laid out with large Georgian houses between 1770 and 1800 on the site of

Bridgwater Castle Bridgwater Castle was a castle in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England. The stone castle was built around 1220 and contributed to the development of the town. It was surrounded by a moat and included a watergate giving access to the quay. In ...

. It is also the site of the

Bridgwater War Memorial Bridgwater War Memorial is a Grade II* listed war memorial located on King Square in Bridgwater, Somerset, England, on the site previously occupied by Bridgwater Castle. It was designed by John Angel in the mid-1920s. The green figure of the ...

History

The site of King Square was previously occupied by

. It was laid out with large Georgian houses between 1770 and 1800. During the later part of the 17th century John Harvey developed the site of the castle. In 1721 the remains of the castle, the house and the land was sold to

James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, (6 January 16739 August 1744) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the English House of Commons, English and House of Commons of Great Britain, British House of Commons from 1698 until 1714, wh ...

who developed an industrial centre in the town and demolished the last of the buildings. Much of the site was built on in the 1720s to create the Georgian Castle Street. In 1734 Chandos sold the whole of the redevelopment area to Thomas Watts, who sold it the following year to John Anderton, whose descendants continued to clear old buildings and construct new ones. King Square was built between 1807 and 1814, with many of the buildings incorporating stone from the old castle, although further study would be needed to say how much of their cellars and foundations are in situ castle walls. In 2008, during sewer renovation work, a section of the curtain wall of the castle and a tunnel used to transport goods from the port were discovered.

Architecture

is a Grade II* listed

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

located on King Square. It was designed by John Angel in the mid-1920s. The green figure of the memorial is

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...

, representing "''Civilization'' as a seated female, holding a globe in one hand and with the book of knowledge on her lap." . Number one on the southern side is a house of

Flemish bond Flemish bond is a pattern of brickwork that is a common feature in Georgian architecture. The pattern features bricks laid lengthwise (''stretchers'') alternating with bricks laid with their shorter ends exposed (''headers'') within the same cou ...

brick with a Roman tile roof. Numbers One to Seven and eight and nine are part of a terrace with similar construction, listed separately. Numbers 10 to 14 are on the east side. Numbers 11 and 12 are on the west side of the square, as is the larger number 24, while 16 and 17 are on the north.

References

{{reflist, 30em Grade II* listed buildings in Sedgemoor Bridgwater Streets in Somerset Garden squares in the United Kingdom