diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 1285b29..824afc6 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ Bug fixes and minor improvements
 * Now allows alpha values to be specified
   within the `fill` (and `fill2`) colour strings for
   `gridpattern_plasma()` and `gridpattern_gradient()` (when `use_R4.1_gradients=FALSE`).
+* In `pattern_square()` for the "horizontal" and "vertical" types the value `1L` is
+  now guaranteed to be in the center of the pattern (#46).
 
 gridpattern v0.2.1
 ==================
diff --git a/R/pattern_square.R b/R/pattern_square.R
index fbdbe1f..1ae59ab 100644
--- a/R/pattern_square.R
+++ b/R/pattern_square.R
@@ -123,9 +123,15 @@ pattern_horizontal <- function(subtype = NULL, nrow = 5L, ncol = 5L) {
     if (is.null(subtype) || is.na(subtype)) subtype <- 3L
     stopifnot(is_integer(subtype))
     n <- as.integer(subtype)
-    s <- seq.int(n)
-    v <- rep(s, length.out = ncol)
-    v <- rep(v, length.out = nrow)
+    if (nrow > 2L && n > 1L) {
+        v1 <- rev(rep(c(seq.int(n, 2L, -1L), 1L), length.out = nrow %/% 2))
+        v2 <- rep(seq.int(n), length.out = (nrow %/% 2) + (nrow %% 2))
+        v <- c(v1, v2)
+    } else {
+        s <- seq.int(n)
+        v <- rep(s, length.out = nrow)
+    }
+    v <- rep.int(v, ncol)
     matrix(v, nrow = nrow, ncol = ncol)
 }
 
@@ -170,9 +176,15 @@ pattern_vertical <- function(subtype = NULL, nrow = 5L, ncol = 5L) {
     if (is.null(subtype) || is.na(subtype)) subtype <- 3L
     stopifnot(is_integer(subtype))
     n <- as.integer(subtype)
-    s <- seq.int(n)
-    v <- rep(s, length.out = nrow)
-    v <- rep(v, length.out = ncol)
+    if (ncol > 2L && n > 1L) {
+        v1 <- rev(rep(c(seq.int(n, 2L, -1L), 1L), length.out = ncol %/% 2))
+        v2 <- rep(seq.int(n), length.out = (ncol %/% 2) + (ncol %% 2))
+        v <- c(v1, v2)
+    } else {
+        s <- seq.int(n)
+        v <- rep(s, length.out = ncol)
+    }
+    v <- rep.int(v, nrow)
     matrix(v, nrow = nrow, ncol = ncol, byrow = TRUE)
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/text_diagrams/vertical.txt b/tests/text_diagrams/vertical.txt
index b397d9b..a69f368 100644
--- a/tests/text_diagrams/vertical.txt
+++ b/tests/text_diagrams/vertical.txt
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 > pss("vertical", nrow = 7, ncol = 9)
 / - - - - - - - - - \ 
-| 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 | 
-| 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 | 
-| 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 | 
-| 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 | 
-| 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 | 
-| 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 | 
-| 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 | 
+| 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 | 
+| 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 | 
+| 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 | 
+| 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 | 
+| 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 | 
+| 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 | 
+| 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 | 
 \ - - - - - - - - - /