London – Around Town : Soho and the West End (part 1)

by

London’s West End is where
everyone heads for a night out. Clubbers from outside London catch the
last trains into the capital and head for its bars and music venues,
knowing they won’t leave till dawn. Here are the great theatres of
Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road, the star-struck cinemas of
Leicester Square and, at its heart, Soho, abuzz with activity as the
night wears on. But it’s not all for the night owl – Trafalgar Square
has the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery and free
lunchtime concerts at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Nelson’s Column

The centrepiece of
Trafalgar Square, this huge column is topped by a statue of Horatio,
Viscount Nelson (1758–1805). Britain’s great naval hero was fatally shot
at his hour of greatest triumph, the drubbing of the French and Spanish
fleets off Cape Trafalgar, southern Spain. His lasting affair with
vivacious Emma Hamilton added to his romantic image.




Sights


  1. National Gallery





  2. National Portrait Gallery

  3. Trafalgar Square

    Trafalgar
    Square – once the royal mews – is a hub of the West End and a venue for
    public rallies and events. From the top of a 50-m (165-ft) column,
    Admiral Lord Nelson, who famously defeated Napoleon’s fleet at the
    Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, looks down Whitehall towards the Houses of
    Parliament. The column is guarded at its base by four huge lions – the
    work of Edwin Landseer. On the north side of the square is the National Gallery and the church of St-Martin-in-the-Fields while, to the southwest, Admiralty Arch leads to Buckingham Palace.

    • WC2




    Fountain, Trafalgar Square



    Admiralty Arch

  4. Piccadilly Circus

    Designed
    by John Nash as a junction in Regent Street, the Circus is the endpoint
    of the street called Piccadilly. Its Eros statue – erected as a
    memorial to the Earl of Shaftesbury – is a familiar London landmark and a
    popular meeting place. Piccadilly Circus is also renowned for its neon
    advertising displays, which mark the entrance to the city’s
    entertainment district. On the south side of the Circus is the Criterion
    Theatre, next to Lilly­white’s – a leading sporting-goods store.

    • W1




    Piccadilly Circus

  5. Chinatown

    Ornate
    oriental archways in Gerrard Street mark the entrance to Chinatown, an
    area of London that has, since the 1950s, been the focus of the
    capital’s Chinese residents. Here you can shop at Chinese supermarkets,
    gift shops and martial arts suppliers and, on Sundays, browse the street
    stalls selling exotic vegetables. The Chinese New Year, celebrated in
    late January or early February, is a particular highlight. Chinatown
    abounds with excellent-value restaurants.

    • Streets around Gerrard Street, W1




    Chinatown

  6. Soho Square

    This
    pleasant square, spiked with palms, is popular at lunchtime, after work
    and at weekends, when there’s always a friendly atmosphere, especially
    in summer. With the most fashionable address in London, many of the
    square’s buildings are now occupied by film companies. On the north side
    is a church built for French Protestants under a charter granted by
    Edward VI in 1550. The redbrick St Patrick’s, on the east side,
    sometimes has music recitals. On the corner of Greek Street is the House
    of St Barnabas in Soho, a charitable foundation in an 18th-century
    building which is occasionally open to visitors.




    Mock-Tudor shed, Soho Square

  7. Old Compton Street

    The
    main street in Soho is a lively thoroughfare both day and night. It is
    also the centre of London’s sex scene, and now the site of popular gay
    pubs, Compton’s of Soho and the Admiral Duncan. Soho’s vibrant
    streetlife spills into Frith, Greek and Wardour streets, where pubs,
    clubs, restaurants and cafés have pavement tables, often warmed by gas
    heaters in winter. Some, like Bar Italia in Frith Street and Balans Café
    at 34 Old Compton Street, are open until the early hours. Everywhere
    fills up when the evening’s performance at the Prince Edward Theatre
    ends. A delicious breakfast is to be had at Patisserie Valerie at No.
    44, and such long-standing shops as the Italian delicatessen I Camisa,
    and the Vintage House (700 whiskies in stock), give the area its village
    feel. Body tattooists are at work here, and fetish shops show that the
    sex industry still flourishes.




    Old Compton Street



    Old Compton Street

  8. Berwick Street Market

    There
    has been a market here since the 18th century, and the daily fruit and
    vegetable stalls remain cheap, cheerful and thoroughly Cockney. Half the
    time, traders talk in old money (“ten bob” is 50p) and round things up
    to a “nicker” or a “quid” (£1). It opens around 9am six days a week.




    Berwick Street Market

  9. London Trocadero

    Take
    the escalator to the top of Funland and make your way down through this
    electronic jungle of video games and virtual-reality rides. There are
    dodgem cars, a race-track simulator and a bowling alley. Themed
    restaurants, bars, shops and cinemas fill up the space, as well as an
    HMV record store.

    • Piccadilly Circus W1

    • 10am–midnight Sun–Thu, 10am–1am Fri & Sat

  10. Leicester Square

    When
    this square was originally laid out in 1670 it was a grand and
    fashionable place to live. Celebrities of the 17th and 18th centuries to
    live here include Sir Isaac Newton and the painters Joshua Reynolds and
    William Hogarth. Today the square forms the heart of London’s West End
    entertainment district and houses the Empire and Art Deco Odeon cinemas.
    There is also a cut-price theatre ticket booth called “Tkts” on the
    southside of the square.

    • Leicester Square W1




    Leicester Square