Leicester Square The square takes its name from the title of Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester. In 1630 he purchased four acres of land in St. Martin's Field and by 1635 he had built himself a large house, known as Leicester House, at the northern end of it. The enclosure of part of the site for building deprived the inhabitants of St. Martin's Parish of their rights to use the common land. The King appointed three members of the Privy Council to arbitrate and Lord Leicester was ordered to keep part of his land (which thereafter was known as Leicester Field and later as Leicester Square) open for use by the parishioners. The area was developed in the 1670s. It was initially a fashionable area, and Leicester House was even the residence of Frederick, Prince of Wales at one time, but by the later part of the 18th century the square was no longer a smart address. Leicester House was demolished circa 1791-2. In 1848 Leicester Square was the subject of the famous land law case of Tulk v Moxhay. The plot's previous owner had agreed upon a covenant not to erect buildings after his purchase. However, the law would not allow purchasers who were not 'privy' to the initial contract to be bound by any subsequent promises. The leading judge, Lord Cottenham, decided that future owners of land could be bound by promises to abstain from activity. Otherwise, a buyer could simply sell land to himself again to undermine an initial promise. Hence the Leicester Square known today was saved from development. By the 19th century Leicester Square was known as an entertainment venue, and also housed several hotels. It was popular with overseas residents and visitors to London. A large theatre called the Alhambra, built in 1854, dominated the square. - Wikipedia.org