Page 60 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

58  BRIT AIN AND IRELAND

The West End 8 Piccadilly
The West End is the city’s social and cultural center located W1. 1 Piccadilly Circus, Green Park.
@ 9, 14, 19, 22, 38.
right next to the London home of the royal family. Stretching
from the edge of Hyde Park to Covent Garden, the district The thoroughfare called Piccadilly
bustles all day and late into the night. Whether you are links Hyde Park Corner with
Piccadilly Circus, but the name
looking for art, history, or street- or café-life, it is the most also refers to the surrounding
rewarding area in which to begin an exploration of the city. area. Today, Piccadilly has two
Monuments, shops, cinemas, and restaurants radiate out from contrasting faces: a bustling
Trafalgar Square, and the entertainment scene is at its liveliest commercial district full of
in the busy streets around Chinatown, Soho, and Leicester shopping arcades, eateries, and
cinemas; and St. James’s, to the
Square. From the garish lights of boisterous Piccadilly Circus south, which still focuses on a
to genteel St. James’s Square, the West End embraces all wealthy, glamorous clientele.
aspects of London life, and caters to every budget. Piccadilly Circus, with its
dazzling neon lights, is a focal
point of the West End. It began
as an early 19th-century
crossroads between Piccadilly
and John Nash’s Regent Street.
Briefly an elegant space, edged
by curving stucco facades, by
1910 the first electric advert-
isements had been installed.
Crowds congregate beneath
the delicately poised figure of
Eros, the Greek god of love.
Erected in 1892 as a memorial
to the Earl of Shaftesbury, a
Victorian philanthropist, the
statue was originally intended
to represent an angel of mercy.
Trafalgar Square by night, with Nelson’s Column in the foreground Among the many notable
sights along Piccadilly, the
7 Trafalgar Square corner stands St. Martin-in-the- Royal Academy, founded
Fields. This 18th-century church in 1768, houses a permanent
WC2. 1 Charing Cross. @ 3, 6, 9, 11,
12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, 88, 91, 139, by James Gibbs became a art collection, including a
159, 176, 453. model for the Colonial style of Michelangelo relief of the
church-building in the US. Madonna and Child (1505). Its
London’s main venue for Adjoining the National Gallery, annual summer exhibition is
rallies and outdoor public the National Portrait Gallery renowned for its clever
meetings, Trafalgar Square was depicts Britain’s history through juxtaposition of new and
conceived by John Nash and portraits, photographs, and established works.
mostly con structed during the sculptures. Subjects range from The tranquil St. James’s
1830s. The 50-m (165-ft) tall Elizabeth I to photographs of Church was designed by Sir
column com memorates politicians, actors, and rock stars.
Admiral Lord Nelson, Britain’s Further north, Leicester Square
most famous sea lord, and dates is at the heart of the West End’s
from 1842. Edwin Landseer’s entertainment district, with the
four lions were added 25 years city’s leading cinemas and lively
later. Today the square is very nightclubs, while London’s
popular with tourists. Chinatown attracts a steady
Admiralty Arch, designed in throng of diners and shoppers.
1911, separates courtly London Bordering it, Shaftesbury
from the hurly-burly of Trafalgar Avenue is the main artery of
Square. The central gate is London’s theaterland.
opened only for royal pro cessions.
The restored buildings on the E National Portrait Gallery
square’s south side were built in 2 St. Martin’s Place WC2. Tel 020-7306
1880 as the Grand Hotel. The 0055. Open 10am–6pm daily (to 9pm
north side is taken up by the Thu & Fri). Closed Dec 24–26. & for
National Gallery and its Sainsbury special exhibitions. 7 - = 8 Alfred Gilbert’s 1892 statue of Eros in
Wing (see p57). In the northeast audio guide. ∑ npg.org.uk Piccadilly Circus
For hotels and restaurants see pp104–6 and pp107–9

058-059_EW_Europe.indd 58 14/07/16 10:12 am