Is one of uncommon celebrity, chiefly on account of the elevated characters who reside in it. It is very large, and there is in the centre an extensive circular sheet of water from the middle of which rises a pedestal surmounted by a statue of William III. The enclosure long remained, however, little better than an uncultivated, and somewhat unsightly waste; but the space within the railing has been considerably extended, and round the sheet of water, is now occupied with walks ornamented with shrubs, plants &c. The alteration is a great improvement to the appearance of the square.
Source: Leigh's New Picture of London. Printed for Samuel Leigh, 18, Strand;
by W. Clowes, Northumberland Court. 1819