Add a review of Piccadilly Circus Square in London

Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly Circus) - this is perhaps one of the two most famous squares in London. One of those urban places that everyone knows. What is characteristic, mostly Londoners use it, but not tourists - this is the main meeting place for an evening hike somewhere: to the cinema, restaurant, club, etc.

The area is very tiny, most of it is occupied by a monument that is officially called "Anteros", and unofficially "Eros."

The history of creation

This place has always been a crossroads of several roads and by the middle of the 17th century it turned into a road junction, which was named after the main of the merging streets - Piccadilly. But in 1819, architect John Nash began construction of Regent's Park and leading to it from the center of the streets, built Regent Street and, accordingly, a road junction for her, which was called Piccadilly Circus. Since that moment, there has been only one important change: in the center there was installed a fountain "Eros", the main attraction of the square.

"Eros"

In fact this "Eros" is a monument. It is dedicated to Lord Shaftesbury, an English philanthropist and politician of the 19th century, a fighter against the exploitation of child labor. The fountain was erected in 1892. The sculpture at the top was created by the famous sculptor Alfred Gilbert, and she depicts Anteros, the deity of the ancient Greek pantheon, the personification of philanthropy.

When the statue was discovered, it seemed too frivolous to the public, and it was immediately renamed Eros - brother Anteros, the embodiment of sensual love. So London got "Eros" as an urban sight.

Now "Eros" (the nickname remains) is one of the symbols of London, and Piccadilly Circus Square around it is the standard meeting place. Convenient: everything is close by, a large traffic intersection. It is a small patch-island, surrounded by a highway, in the center of which a fountain is installed.

"Eros" is always surrounded by people, life does not cease for a minute. Tourists are resting, there are local people, musicians are performing, and the flow of cars is constantly flowing.

Other attractions

In addition to Eros, there are several other curious things. First - a huge glowing advertising stand on the building right above area. Now there is nothing remarkable about this, but this is the first luminous street advertising in the world. The company "Coca-Cola" has been promoting its products for more than 60 years.

The second is the "Criterion" theater. It goes through the main entrance directly to the square, and its building, built in the middle of the 19th century, is included in the British National Heritage Sheet. They put mainly musicals there right now

Third - London Pavilion, a building on the other side of the theater. It was built in the middle of the 19th century by the famous architect - art-deco specialist, first worked as a variety theater, then as a music hall, then as a cinema (it was the world premiere of the Beatles movie "Evening of a difficult day"), and now it's part of the Trocadero entertainment complex.

It's best to go here in the evening, when the English youth come here. At the same time, street performers, inhabitants of night clubs and many other colorful characters gather. This is the best opportunity to take a look at evening London from the inside.
Piccadilly Circus

Practical information

The Piccadilly Circs metro station is right for you to visit, it is directly under the square. It should be noted that the place is always very crowded, the metro station is also always crowded, so if there is a desire to walk, it is better to leave one of the neighboring stations.

Like all too crowded places, Piccadilly Circus attracts many pickpockets thieves. You do not need to keep your wallet in your pockets, be sure to keep an eye on the bag, etc.

Around a lot of other attractions: Regent Street with a mass of shops, Piccadilly with its historic buildings, Soho, filled with bars, theaters and much more. Nearby a lot of restaurants - in nearby Soho, and on Piccadilly there are a lot of coffee shops.