History of Gordon Square

Gordon Square is named in honour of Eliza Gordon, the wife of Sir Horatio Davies. He was the last Lord of the Manor of West Bridgford from 1889.

Sir Horatio died in 1912, but members of his family were still on the board that approved street names in West Bridgford until the 1960's, when the then West Bridgford Urban District Council took over this role. As the Lord of the Manor, Sir Horatio named many of the area's new roads after his family and friends. These included Ethel, Florence, Violet, Blake, Mabel and Cyril, six of his seven children, and friends including the Dukes of Cambridge and Devonshire, the Earls of Oxford and Tavistock and Lord Burleigh.

Sir Horatio Davies gave his name to Davies Road. As a property developer he sold off part of his land in West Bridgford for new housing development. He was also a businessman and entrepreneur, who owned many restaurants and hotels in London, Essex and Kent. These included the original chain of Pimms Oyster Houses, and he was responsible for the growth in popularity of the famous 'Pimms No. 1 Cup' drink. He was elected Lord Mayor of London for the year 1897 - 1898, after which he was knighted.

Horatio Davies' family, source of many local road names

More information on the history of Gordon Square can be viewed here [PDF 315KB]

With special thanks to Dr. David Mellor and Geoffrey Oldfield MBE of the West Bridgford and District Local History Society.