London has
many fine and important historical areas, some are just very fine
examples of the magnificent and diverse architecture of London,
whilst others commemorate the fallen from past conflicts and the
heroes or heroines involved.
The beautiful
garden squares of London are celebrated the world over, partly for
their sheer elegance and partly for creating green areas that could
almost be described as the lungs of London, providing oases of peace
and calm amid the hustle and bustle of one of the world’s major
cities.
There are also
many different centres of celebration, and others which are highly
social with great night-spots, where one can eat and drink at some
of the wonderful and varied restaurants that have turned London
into one of the finest culinary centres in the world over the last
twenty years. However,
whatever time of day you venture onto the busy streets of London
you're always bound to find somewhere fascinating to visit or something
interesting to do!
Carnaby Street
This street became famous around the world during the 1960`s, as
the fashion centre of London. Then it was a “really groovy”
street. Today, it has been pedestrianised and contains shops, which
are obviously aimed at tourists. Some would say that today it is
a “really tacky street” but it is still a fun street.
A good place to buy a whoopee cushion, it’s worth a visit when
you’re on your way somewhere else, even if just to say you’ve
been there.
In 1996 a Dutch property company sold Carnaby Street and the surrounding
3 acres for £70 million.
Nearest Tube: Oxford Circus
Charing Cross Road
Books, books, books and more books! Charing Cross Road and the surrounding
roads are absolutely packed with bookshops. There are the usual
major bookshop chains such as Books Etc, Waterhouse and Dillions
and the gigantic Foyles. For those on a tight budget there are also
plenty of bargain bookshops. Specialist bookshops abound, so whether
you are a feminist bookworm or you are looking for a bookshop that
specialises in cars or cookery, fear not, you will be well catered
for. Perhaps the most interesting bookshops around here are the
antiquarian bookshops. Whilst already very famous, the road was
made more so by the book ‘84 Charing Cross Road’, which
was also made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins. Cecil Court,
a side street just off the main road, is filled with antique book
and map shops.
Nearest Tube: Leicester Square
Chinatown
An abundance
of Chinese restaurants and shops are concentrated in this small
area. The Chinese New Year in late January or early February is
especially entertaining with its traditional celebrations and processions.
There is a thriving Chinese community in London. The public lending
Library in Charing Cross Road, next to the Garrick theatre, specialises
in Chinese books.
Nearest Tube: Leicester Square/Piccadilly
King's Road
King’s Road in Chelsea was originally a private road to take
King Charles II from Hampton Court to his Palace in Whitehall. Entry
to the street was only allowed to ticket holders. It was only in
the 1830’s that the public was finally allowed to use the road.
The road really started to buzz in the swinging sixties when its
trendy fashion shops became the main port of call for everybody
who wanted to look cool. Today King’s Road still has exclusive
designer shops and is frequented by Sloane Rangers. (Sloane Rangers
entered the dictionary in the 1980’s to describe well-to-do
young ladies who were named after Sloane Square at the top of King’s
Road). The square itself was originally named after Sir Hans Sloane,
the benefactor of the Chelsea Physic Garden, and whose collection
of artefacts formed the initial collection of the British Museum.
The area around King’s Road is also a great place to hunt for
antiques. As well as the many up-market antique shops, there are
frequent sales held at the auction houses in adjoining Lots Road,
and Chelsea Old Town Hall in King’s Road is the venue for a
regular antiques fair.
Nearest Tube: Sloane Square
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
is London’s upmarket shopping area, frequented by the rich
and famous. No visit to Knightsbridge would be complete without
a visit to Harrods – the crème-de-la-crème of
department stores. Harrods is a must for shopaholics with loads
of money. The food hall is well worth a visit, and those out to
impress take note – a Harrods carrier bag is considered something
of a status symbol! There are heaps of other posh shops in this
area, and just down the road, Kensington is home to even more.
Nearest Tube: Knightsbridge
Leadenhall Market
Leadenhall Market’s attractive Victorian facade dates from
1881. It was built by Horace Jones who also designed Smithfield
Market and the old Billingsgate Market. The site has been used as
a market for a long time. The earliest record dates from 1357 when
poultry was sold here. This tradition continues today with stalls
and market shops still selling poultry as well as seafood, cheese
and luxury foods. City office workers flock to the market’s
bars in the evening.
Opening Days: Mon-Fri 07:00 - mid afternoon
Nearest Tube: Bank /Monument
Leicester Square
The square was named after the Earl of Leicester who lived in a
house next to it. Originally designed in the mid 17th century, the
square has recently been restored, and the area around it has been
pedestrianised. The square itself, laid out with small lawns and
a fountain centrepiece, is a popular meeting point.
A focal point in the square is the Swiss Centre with its Glockenspiel
clock. It springs to life at set times each day. The square is also
popular with street entertainers and portrait artists. To add to
its general liveliness, during the summer the square is home to
a fun fair. Around the edge of Leicester Square are some of London’s
major cinemas including the Odeon and the Empire. New movies are
premiered here, often with lots of hype, celebrities and royals.
Situated towards the south end of the square is the Half Price Ticket
Booth, which, as the name suggests, sells tickets for West End shows
at half price, plus a small service charge. Tickets are only sold
for performances the same day. You can get a real bargain there
but you may have to queue for a few minutes.
Nearest Tube: Leicester Square /Piccadilly
Neal Street and Neal's Yard
Neal Street
and the surrounding area is the place to go for alternative shopping.
The old warehouses date back to Victorian times, and have been transformed
into shops (the Donmar Warehouse has been converted into a popular
theatre), and the area is now the trendy place to be. It’s
a bit like Carnaby Street was back in the 1960’s. In Victorian
times this area was a centre for second-hand clothing. There’s
a shop for everything here, you can have your astrology chart made
up while you wait, buy a kite, try on some ecologically sound clothing,
or just laze around outside a vegetarian café. Neal’s
yard (just off Neal Street) also has plenty to offer those interested
in new age and alternative therapies. There’s an information
centre in Neal’s Yard, where you can find out about all sorts
of alternative events throughout the capital. There’s something
for everyone here but above all, it’s a fun place. A short
way down Earlham Street (which is just off Neal Street) is Seven
Dials, a tiny junction where seven roads meet. In the middle is
a replica of a sundial monument that was erected there in 1694 by
Thomas Beale and Edward Pierce. It was removed in 1773. In 1989
it was rebuilt and unveiled by Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands.
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden /Tottenham Court Road
Notting Hill
Forget Brazil. For two days each summer the sleepy streets of Notting
Hill become centre stage for the second biggest carnival event in
the world, after Rio. Notting Hill is a surprising venue for the
carnival. It’s the home of many of London’s rich and famous,
from politicians like ex-Chancellor Norman Lamont to pop stars such
as Seal and Leo Sayer. Even a small 2-bedroom mews house here costs
over a quarter of a million pounds.
The carnival, which started in 1966 and takes place annually over
the Bank holiday weekend at the end of August, is truly multicultural,
so you have the chance to sample lots of different types of food
and music. The focal point however, is the carnival procession itself
with its oil drum steel bands (strangely in Trinidad where the steel
band music originated, the oil drum has not been used for 50 years),
and the ‘over the top’ floats and costumes.
The carnival went through a bad patch a few years ago when the relationship
between the police and the crowds broke down and violence erupted.
The police do have a difficult job with around 1.25 million carnival
goers converging on the back streets of Notting Hill, but the problems
have been worked out now and the carnival is a peaceful though noisy
event.
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate /Ladbroke Grove
Oxford Street
Possibly London’s busiest shopping street, yet until the turn
of the century, Oxford Street and the Piccadilly area were mainly
residential.
Today Oxford Street is a solid mile of shops. You are likely to
find everything you want in the street’s shops and department
stores. Major stores include John Lewis, DH Evans and Marks and
Spencer. Bookshops include Dillions and Books Etc, and top music
shops are HMV and the new Virgin Megastore.
However the street’s most famous shop is Selfridges, a vast
department store near Bond Street tube station. The shop was built
in 1909 by the American Gordon Selfridge, and was the biggest shop
in Britain. The shop is so large that a printed floor plan is available
near the entrance to help you navigate around. As well as the usual
big store departments, Selfridges has a highly popular food hall.
Oxford Street is always very busy, especially at Christmas time,
when crowds get so large that various measures have to be used to
prevent gridlock, both for traffic and for pedestrians. At that
time of year mounted police control the traffic lights and signal
pedestrians to cross, using loud hailers. When the number of shoppers
got very large one recent Christmas, the police tried an experiment
whereby pedestrians had to use a one-way system and travel up one
side of the road and down the other. That experiment has not been
repeated. The street is closed throughout the day to all traffic,
except for buses and taxis. Traffic jams however, are still common.
Watch out for mock auctions that are sometimes held in empty shops
in Oxford Street.
Nearest Tube: Oxford Street /Bond Street /Tottenham Court Road /Marble
Arch
Petticoat Lane Market
As a street, Petticoat Lane no longer survives. It was renamed Middlesex
Street in Victorian Times. The market was established in the 1700’s,
in an area where Jewish immigrants had settled. This is probably
the most famous of all of London’s street markets. The market
has a lively and vibrant atmosphere, and some tour operators even
run excursions here on Sunday mornings. There are over a thousand
stalls on a Sunday, 90 per cent of them selling clothes, which is
how the market got its name, mainly new with some second hand garments
to be found as well. Jewellery, accessories and other goods are
also on sale. Care should be taken with wallets and handbags, as
pickpockets are known to operate in the area.
The area around Middlesex Street is rather run down, having been
neglected for a number of years, but a visit to Petticoat Lane should
definitely be included in your itinerary, especially as this is
also a good chance to see some real Cockney people. But don’t
expect them to look like Dick Van Dyke!
Opening Days: Mon-Sun 10:30 - 14:30.
Nearest Tube: Liverpool Street /Aldgate
The Mall
The Mall is
the grand road that leads from Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty
Arch, and on to Buckingham Palace. A wide and straight road, it
is at its best when being used for royal ceremonies, when Union
Jacks, or the national flags of visiting heads of state are flown
from flagpoles, along the length of the road.
The Mall as we see it today, was designed at the beginning of this
century by the architect Aston Webb, who also designed the Victoria
Monument and rebuilt the front of Buckingham Palace around the same
time. The Mall cuts through the middle of royal London. On one side
is St James’s Park, leading to The Horse Guard’s Parade
Ground. On the other side is Green Park and past royal residences,
Lancaster House, Marlborough House, Spencer House and St James’s
Palace. Also on that side is Clarence House, the home of the Queen
Mother, a sort of royal granny flat.
Nearest Tube: Charing Cross /Green Park
The Piazza - Covent Garden
The name Covent Garden dates back to when the area belonged to Westminster
Abbey and was a Convent Garden. For many years it was London’s
Wholesale Fruit and Veg’ market. In 1974 the market was moved
to Nine Elmes in southwest London and in 1980 the Covent Garden
site was turned into a leisure area featuring novelty shops, restaurants,
cafes and pubs. Now certainly one of London’s top tourist attractions,
Covent Garden continues to hold daily markets and craft fairs. Goods
on sale include antiques, arts and crafts, novelties, food, clothes
and bric-a-brac. The buildings are lucky to have survived, as the
original plan was to knock it down and build a Barbican style complex
on the site. There are numerous restaurants and pubs to sample.
You will also find many buskers and street entertainers here, providing
local colour and making Covent Garden a great place to go for lunch
or dinner. Bring plenty of money though!
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden
