Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many distinguished residents, including Lord Eldon, one of Britain's longest serving and most celebrated Lord Chancellors, who lived in the largest house in the square for many years.
Gordon Tait took up residence in Bedford Square, and took responsibility for the London practice.
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The construction of the building resulted from the intercession of the Duke of Bedford’s steward Robert Palmer, who together with Duchess Gertrude planned and realized the construction of Bedford Square and Gower Street.
In 2012, a decision to erect a plaque at his former home in Bedford Square honoring his memory was turned down by English Heritage, presumably because of the lack of funding on English Heritage's part, as they only have funding to erect 12-15 plaques per year.
The firm, located at 9 North Crescent, Bedford Square, was among the leading lithographers of the day, ranking with Charles Joseph Hullmandel and Vincent Brooks, Day & Son.
Other local street names relating to the Duke of Bedford include Bedford Square, Bedford Place, Bedford Avenue, Bedford Row and Bedford Way; Woburn Square and Woburn Place (from Woburn Abbey); Tavistock Square, Tavistock Place and Tavistock Street (Marquess of Tavistock), and Thornhaugh Street (after a subsidiary title Baron of Thornhaugh).
After teaching English at the Lycée Jean-Baptiste-Say in Paris, he worked as an editor in publishing with Cassell, Penguin, Oxford University Press, and Writers and Readers; later he was managing editor of Bedford Square Press.
Hence some London place names e.g. Bedford Square, Russell Square, Eversholt Street, Woburn Place and in Camden, NW1, Lidlington Place can be found near Mornington Crescent underground station.