Square from above

We recently came across this aerial photograph dating from the 1940s showing Arlington Square as it was shortly after World War Two. No railings or gates, no paths, no flowerbeds, just an open space with a few trees scattered along three sides. It’s impossible to tell whether the rectangle is filled with grass or is simply bare earth. St Philip’s church still stands at the north corner of the square (it was demolished in 1953) and there are hardly any cars.

If you have any other old photographs of the area, we’d love to see them and perhaps use them, with your permission, on the web. Check out the Area History section of our website, www.arlingtonassociation.org.uk.