Difference between revisions of "London/West End"

Revision as of 11:24, 22 March 2008

The West End is an extensive part of Central London, the traditional counterbalance to "the City", the financial and business district housed to the East... London has no centre as such, rather possessing a number of centres, each with their own unique character and function. Although not possessing an exclusive hold, the West End is widely-considered the best of London with regard to the arts (museums, theatres, cinema), shopping and entertainment. It is also very much the night-life hub of London. For this reason, most travellers to London spend the majority of their time within its various - and numerous - districts.

Districts

The West End of London has no clear or official boundaries, but is a large area roughly bordered by the City to the east, by the Euston Road to the north, by Park Lane and Hyde Park to the west, and by the River Thames to the south.

• Soho
• Chinatown
• Covent Garden
• Oxford Street
• Regent Street
• Leicester Square
• Trafalgar Square
• Piccadilly Circus
• Mayfair

Understand

The West End is that part of central London north of the Thames that witnessed the first major expansion of settlement in modern times (17th and 18th centuries) out of the traditional walled city of London (the "Square Mile"). This was in keeping with tradition: long before the complete revival of the old Roman walled city further donwstream, the Saxons and Vikings had created a flourishing area of settlement in the area by the Strand.

Later, it was in part because of the influence of royal Westminster that saw settlement creep westwards from the city in the Middle Ages, confirmed with the explosion of population and urban expansion in the early modern period.

The area west of the city being highly desirable for its much healthier environment and cleaner air (the prevailing wind is from the west), the West End (as it became known) became the focus of aristocratic square development, the growth of smart shops and places of entertainment.

Get in

The West End is served by the following tube stations:

• Covent Garden
• Picadilly Circus
• Leicester Square
• Charing Cross
• Embankment

And By Taxi/Minicabs

• West End Car Services, 47 Rupert Street, W1D 7PD, ☎ 020 7734 8970 (Info@westendcarservices.com), [1]. Licenced minicabs for the whole of London. Open 24 Hours a day. Can supply 6 and 8 seaters Minicabs and Luxury cars. Lowest priced available if booked online at WestEndCarServices.com.

Get around

See

Piccadilly Circus

There are many shows being shown at West End theatres, and films being shown at a variety of cinemas, both mainstream and arthouse.

• Leicester Square - Possibly one of the busiest areas in London. It houses the largest cinemas (frequently hosting star-studded premieres), as well as cafes and restaurants. Due to the huge influx of tourists, everything from cinema tickets to bottles of water are very expensive.

• Oxford Street - The largest shopping street in Europe

• Piccadilly Circus - London's "Times Square".

• Somerset House [2] - this magnificent 18th century building off the Strand, recently restored to the public, houses the collections of the Courtauld Institute of Art, Gilbert Collection and Hermitage Rooms. You'll also find shops, cafés, a restaurant and the spectacular Fountain Court, scene of public ice-skating in the winter.

Do

Buy

Regent Street and Oxford Street are very close to the West End.

Jermyn Street is a street in central London, England, parallel and adjacent to Piccadilly that is famous for its resident shirtmakers. It contains a good many shops selling both "off-the-peg" and bespoke shirts and other men's apparel such as hats and shoes.

Resident shirtmakers include:

Eat

There are a great variety of restaurants, many centred around Chinatown

Drink

There are many places to drink, including pubs and clubs on or near Leicester Square, around Piccadilly Circus and Old Compton Street

• The Midas Touch, Beak Street (tube: Piccadilly Circus). Popular pub with locals and usually has some good happy hour deals. Cheap-Moderate.

Sleep

• Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill, 30 Portman Square, ☎ +44 20 7486 5800 (london.churchill@hyattintl.com), [5]. 5 star hotel with 444 rooms and suites. The hotel is host to Locanda Locatelli Michelin Star Italian restaurant.

• Oxford Street Youth Hostel.

Cope

Toilets

For £0.25 per message, visitors to the Westminster area can use a toilet-finding service called SatLav. Just text the word "toilet" to 80097 in order to receive a reply with directions to the nearest public toilet.

Get out