Walk Three - Covent Garden to Oxford Circus
Covent Garden
Originally the site of a fruit, vegetable and flower market from the early sixteenth century until 1974, when it was moved to a more suitable location at Nine Elms. Originally the site of the Convent ('Covent' in middle-english) of St. Peter, it was appropriated by Henry VIII after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540. The arcaded piazza was the work of Inigo Jones and it was not long after its construction, that street entertainment became synonymous with the area (since goods here attracted buyers and sellers from far and wide). Samuel Pepys recorded witnessing his first Punch and Judy show here in 1662. After browsing the shops and taking in the buskers, head south down Bedford Street to the.
Strand
Its name derives from the english word for a shore (river or coastal). It initially represented the high tide mark of the Thames, before the river was embanked. It was also the traditional route connecting the ancient Roman settlement of the 'City' and the settlement of Westminster. Houses on the south side backed onto the Thames, until the construction of the Victoria Embankment in 1870, which moved the river 50 metres further south. Turn right, heading west and you will pass Charing Cross station before the road opens out into.
Trafalgar Square
At the centre is Nelson's Column, a monument built in Portland stone - Nelson was commander of the British fleet for the Battle of Trafalgar (it was a naval battle of the Napoleonic wars in 1805). The battle reliefs at the base and the four bronze lions (Sir Edwin Landseer) were constructed using recycled bronze from the captured French cannon. Heading north towards the National Gallery you will see the empty 'fourth plinth' (as it has been, for 150 years) which is currently the subject of a soon to be completed art project (One & Other) where participants are each allocated an hour (24 hours a day for 100 days) to say or do anything they please, on the empty plinth. Pass in front of the National Gallery heading west down Pall Mall and take the second road on the right - Lower Regent Street. Head north until you come to.
Piccadilly Circus
Like Cambridge Circus, the name derives from the Latin, meaning 'circle' and was an early form of roundabout. It's an important junction for Shaftesbury Avenue, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Coventry Street and has been heavily laden with traffic since its construction in 1819. The first electric advertisements were added in 1910 and the electric billboards appeared from 1923. Initially traffic flowed around the statue and fountain (usually referred to as 'Eros', its name is the 'Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain') until it was moved to its present location in the 1980s. Crossing over Piccadilly you will find the entrance to.
Regent Street
Although Associated with John Nash (architect of Buckingham Palace) all his original buildings (which were of suspect quality) were replaced between 1895 and 1927. The current buildings are constructed in the Beaux Arts style, faced in Portland stone, with a uniform architectural appearance running from one building to the next. The purpose was to house the new but popular concept of department stores, which needed larger premises to satisfy public demand, several of which are still in their original locations (Hamleys and Liberty & Co.). The entire street is Grade I or Grade II listed, the highest level of conservation status in the UK. The Christmas lights of Regent Street have been a tradition since 1953, after wartime restrictions were lifted in 1949 - a celebrity flicks the switch from a nearby booth. As you travel north up the street, you will pass many established clothing brands such as Aquascutum, Scotch House and Austin Reed and the newly appointed 'Apple Retail Store' which opened in 2004. Regent street is bissected by Oxford Street at.
Oxford Circus/Street
There are many high street fashion shops clustered around Oxford Circus including Topshop's flagship store, billed as the largest fashion store in the world. Turn left and head west down Oxford Street to pass John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Selfridges and flagship branches of many other department stores. At Bond Street the clothing and jewellery shops become emphatically 'designer'; continuing further along to Marble Arch leads to the north-east entrance of Hyde Park. Turning right at Oxford Circus and heading east up Oxford Street towards Centre Point (the tall modern office block) will take you to Tottenham Court Road. Originally Oxford Street was the route taken by prisoners from Newgate Gaol to the gallows at Tyburn near the present day Marble Arch. Named after the river which flows underground into the Thames and often called the 'Tyburn Tree', the gallows were 3-sided allowing multiple executions at one time. Prisoners were cheered for 'dying well' (with an air of supreme indifference) and jeered for any displays of fearfulness. 'Dancing the Tyburn jig' was a popular euphimism of the day, for being hanged.
The nearest Tube is Marble Arch in the west and Tottenham Court Road in the east.
Approximate time - 75-90 minutes depending on foot traffic.
