Piccadilly Circus

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Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and meeting point that lights up with huge illuminated advertisements as dusk falls on the city.

New visitors trying out London rentals for short breaks may be puzzled to hear about two circuses in the heart of the city’s main shopping area – Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus. Of course, Londoners know that these have never had anything to do with performing elephants, trapeze artists or clowns, but are instead the circular junctions where several major roads converge.

Right in the middle of Piccadilly stands the world-famous statue which has come to be known to millions as ‘Eros’. Charming though this name undoubtedly is, the statue was actually originally a memorial to the Earl of Shaftesbury, not to the Greek god of love. The Earl was a generous philanthropist who did a great deal of good work for the poor in the area. Like many millions of other visitors to the city, though, you’ll almost certainly want to venture out from the comfort of your London rentals, to have your photo snapped beneath ‘Eros.’

The name ‘Piccadilly’ comes from a term for a frilled collar worn by many in the seventieth century – the ‘piccadil’. Originally, Piccadilly Circus was created by the infamous Anglo-Welsh architect, John Nash (who was responsible for most of Regency London) as part of the Price Regent’s plan to connect his Carlton House residence with Regent’s Park. When Shaftesbury Avenue was created in 1885, however, the area was transformed from a grandiose regal gateway into a busy traffic junction, which it remains to this day!

Today, Piccadilly Circus is the destination for shoppers and theatre goers alike, with the latter having access to many performances on magnificent West End stages. There are major theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue, the Haymarket, Coventry Street and Glasshouse Street. Behind Piccadilly Circus some thriving cultural centres, such as London's China Town and Leicester Square, where star-studded film premieres take place all year long.

Whether you’re a movie buff, a theatre goer or a heavy duty shopper, you can’t miss out on Piccadilly Circus even if you’re luxuriating in the most comfortable of London rentals. Like the city itself, Piccadilly Circus never sleeps, although you will, very soundly, after paying it a visit. London rentals will suit all budgets, from the extravagant to the modest, so you’ll have plenty left over to spend on retail therapy in Piccadilly.