Explore London - Piccadilly Circus

The hub of London. Eros, Theatres, Pubs,Nightlife,Soho and Shopping

Apr 22, 2007

This little island surrounded by traffic is London's favourite meeting place for people from around the world. It was meant for better things but progress got in the way.

Like its grand neighbour, Marble Arch, at the nothern end of Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus started out as another of John Nash’s ambitious projects. He planned a wide, sweeping road that would link Regent’s Park to the Prince Regent’s home at Carlton House on Pall Mall.

There is not much left at Piccadilly Circus of Nash’s original big plan but you just need to walk along nearby Piccadilly and Regent’s Street to get an idea of the grandeur that was meant to include the Circus.

London - Piccadilly Circus- The building of Shaftsbury Avenue

Unfortunately, in 1886 the construction of Shaftesbury Avenue got in the way of the original plan and the Circus lost its circular form. Tenants of the new buildings realised they were on to a good thing by selling advertising on their facades, which were bound to be seen by the masses of people passing through this busy intersection, and the area became famous for its advertising boards.

Eros and the fountain were erected in 1893. The boy with the arrow was London’s first aluminium statue and, in fact, the statue has nothing to do with the God of Love. It portrays the Angel of Christian Charity. Somehow, telling someone you will meet them at the Angle of Christian Charity doesn’t have the same pizazz as Eros.

The 'lights', as the huge illuminated advertising boards are known, arrived in the same year as the Circus was built. and the light came from incandescent light bulbs until neon arrived in the 1930’s when every inch of surface was lathered with logos and slogans. Some people complained about “the uglification of the capital of the Empire” but the lights were here to stay. George Orwell was vocal in his dislike and commented “Evil red and blue... a frightful corpselight.”

This patch of London wasn’t always as wholesome a meeting place as it is now. In 1937 a ‘concerned citizen’ wrote about men and women beginning to undress in front of Eros and when the police tried to stop them the women pulled up their skirts. Perhaps this was a precursor of what followed, as Piccadilly Circus soon became a regular haunt of prostitutes.

Today, Piccadilly Circus is one of the most popular meeting places in London. It is the hub for some of the capital’s major attractions: the theatre district along Shaftesbury Avenue, Leicester Square with its clubs and pubs and pretty little park . Trafalgar Square is close by and it is right on the doorstep of Soho with its hundreds of restaurants offering food from almost every part of the world.

It remains one of the busiest intersections in London. No matter what the weather is doing there are always crowds of young people from around the world sitting on the steps under the statue of Eros.

They say if you stand in Piccadilly Circus for long enough, eventually everyone in the world will pass by. You might have to wait a while before meeting up with your Great Aunt Mary in her zimmer frame, but you never know.

Explore London's landmarks from the top of a red double-decker - Take the No.15 Bus!

The copyright of the article Explore London - Piccadilly Circus in Historical Travel is owned by Cathy Smith. Permission to republish Explore London - Piccadilly Circus in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.