Bow-windowed boutiques and Georgian terraces guard the sedate grassy squares, tree-lined avenues, and cobbled lanes of Bloomsbury. Rich in literary associations, academic institutions, and refined bohemian character, Bloomsbury is a thriving cultural community and London's undisputed intellectual driving force.

This eminently respectable district accommodates quiet nooks and hives of activity alike, interspersed with the grand architecture of universities, and museums. In the early 1900s Bloomsbury's admirable buildings resounded to the intellectual musings of the famous Bloomsbury Group, which included TS Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell, and John Maynard Keynes.

This loose league of Cambridge alumni sustained their friendship at weekly soirees in the trendy district. They thrived on risqué behaviour and artistic banter, and united in the belief that self-promotion was an essential element of cultural progress. Their antics caused scandal, but the clique gave the Bloomsbury area credence, and they are now regarded as a major enriching influence.

Now home to a myriad of colleges and specialist hospitals, not to mention the British Museum and the British Library, Bloomsbury is the educational core of London. This inspirational hub is home to a host of outlets selling anything from collector's books to stamps, umbrellas, and other quirky curios. And naturally with a vast student populace, there are drinking holes and eateries galore.

Ideally located in one of London's most vibrant areas, Bloomsbury is sandwiched between the financial district and the West End. Its central locale is ideal for indulging in London's cosmopolitan flair, and is in easy walking distance of Soho, Covent Garden, Fitzrovia, and an array of London attractions.

Once an ancient village identified as Lonesbury, the area was surrounded by fields until it began to be developed in the 17th century by the Earl of Southampton. The streets and squares were developed in the late 17th century, and the region still retains some of its youthful spirit.

It was the 4th Earl of Southampton who imported an Italian novelty called the 'square' and christened the first in London 'Southampton Square', later renamed Bloomsbury in the early 1800s.

Around this time the original Bedford House emerged, as did Tavistock House, where Charles Dickens later settled for a few years. By the 18th century Bloomsbury had become residence to a number of medical institutions, and within the next 100 years it saw the development of numerous hospitals. The University College London was founded in 1826, and soon after other University of London buildings started to appear around Bloomsbury.

The buildings range from elegant Queen Anne and Georgian family houses to Victorian and Edwardian red brick blocks. Unlike its hedonistic neighbours, Bloomsbury is primarily a residential area and is not traversed by any main thoroughfares. In turn a Bloomsbury residence offers a spacious, composed appeal rarely found in the capital's urban jungle, and provides convenient access to some of London's tranquil squares and hotels.

By Abbey Stirling/MOLI