Page 54 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast

52  ENGLAND ’ S SOUTH C O AST REGION B Y REGION

the whole of its north side. A
popular meeting place, the
square is also used for public
rallies and events.
At the northwest corner, the
Fourth Plinth features temporary
artworks by leading national
and international artists.

r National Gallery
Trafalgar Sq, WC2. Map D3. Tel 020
7747 2885. 3 Charing Cross.
1 Charing Cross, Leicester Sq,
Piccadilly Circus. Open 10am–6pm
daily (to 9pm Fri). Closed 1 Jan &
The Annenberg Courtyard at Burlington House, home to the Royal Academy of Arts 24–26 Dec. 8 9 7 via Sainsbury
Wing and Getty entrances. 0 -
0 Royal Academy first electric advertise ments had = ∑ nationalgallery.org.uk
of Arts been installed. For years people
have congregated at its centre, The National Gallery is London’s
Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1. beneath the iconic winged statue leading art museum, with a
Map C3. Tel 020 7300 8000. of the Shaftesbury Memorial collection of over 2,300 paintings,
1 Piccadilly Circus, Green Park. Fountain, often mistakenly called most on permanent display. It
Open 10am–6pm daily (to 10pm Fri). Eros, which was erected in 1892. was established in 1824, after
Summer Exhibition: Jun–Aug.
Closed Good Fri & 24–26 Dec. Parliament agreed to purchase 38
& 8 by appt. 9 7 0 - = w Leicester Square major paintings at the instigation
∑ royalacademy.org.uk of famous art patron Sir George
WC1. Map D3. 1 Leicester Sq, Beaumont, who also donated
The Royal Academy was founded Piccadilly Circus. 16 works from his own collection.
in 1768 to train artists and to These became the core of a
promote and exhibit works of art. Named after the Earl of Leicester national collection of European
It is best known for its Summer who built a grand house here in art that now ranges from Cimabue
Exhibition, an annual event 1635, the square was first laid out in the 13th century to Pablo
displaying works by established in the 1670s and soon became Picasso in the 20th century.
and unknown artists. For the rest a fashionable place to live. In the The imposing Neo-Classical
of the year, there are exhibitions 18th cen tury residents included building, designed by William
of both international and British scientist Sir Isaac Newton, the Wilkins, opened in 1838. Its
art. The courtyard of Burlington painter Joshua Reynolds and the many outstanding Renaissance
House, one of London’s few surgeon John Hunter. Today it paintings include Jan van Eyck’s
surviving mansions from the forms the heart of London’s West The Arnolfini Portrait (1434), Da
early 18th century, contains a End entertainment district and is Vinci’s masterpiece The Virgin
statue of the academy’s first home to cinemas, including the of the Rocks (1508) and Hans
president, Sir Joshua Reynolds. Empire and a large Art Deco
An exceptional permanent Odeon – both are often used to
collection (not all on display) screen major film premieres.
includes one work by each
current and former academician;
the highlights are displayed e Trafalgar Square
in the Madejski Rooms. WC2. Map D3. @ 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15,
23, 24, 29, 53, 87, 88, 91, 139, 159, 176,
q Piccadilly Circus 453. 1 Charing Cross.
Built on the former site of the
W1. Map C3. 1 Piccadilly Circus.
Royal Mews, Trafalgar Square
Dominated by neon billboards, commemorates the famous 1805
Piccadilly Circus is a hectic traffic victory of Admiral Lord Nelson
junction surrounded by shops over Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle
and restaurants. It began as an of Trafalgar (see p37). At its centre
early 19th-century crossroads stands a 51-m- (169-ft-) tall column
between Piccadilly and John topped with a bronze statue of
Nash’s Regent Street. It was briefly Nelson. Trafalgar Square opened
an elegant space, edged by in 1844, a few years after the The Virgin of the Rocks (1508) by Leonardo
stucco façades, but by 1910 the National Gallery, which occupies da Vinci at the National Gallery
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p174 and pp184–5

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