Piccadilly Circus is the square onto which all major London roads lead. There are several interesting sights here. One of them is a sculpture installed at the end of the 19th century and depicting a mythical creature. Where is Piccadilly Circus located? When did she appear in the British capital?
Title
Piccadilly Circus is translated into English as Piccadilly Circus. Once, back in the 17th century, there was a mansion in which a wealthy tailor named Robert Taylor worked. He produced at that time quite popular jewelry for male collars - pickadills. There is no Russian analogue to this word.
Taylor's mansion was then located on the outskirts of the city. This today Piccadilly Circus is located in the central area of London. By the way, peccadillo in translation into Russian means "sinner". Nevertheless, the name of the square does not refer to human vices, but to the house in which the skilled tailor worked. But what relation is not exactly known. Taylor was probably very rich and famous. It’s a sin not to name the square in honor of a well-known and wealthy person.
Piccadilly is a major traffic intersection - Serkus. Here is the metro station of the same name, built at the beginning of the 20th century. What happened in Piccadilly Circus 100-200 years ago? What attractions attract tourists here?
History of Piccadilly Circus in London
She appeared in 1819. Designed to connect the street of the same name with Regent Street. Initially, the square was round. But later, in the 80s of the XIX century, a street was attached to it, as a result of which the geometry was disturbed.
The sculpture of Eros on Piccadilly Circus in London (England) appeared in 1893. An angel with a bow was made in honor of Shaftesbari - a philanthropist, a public figure who fought for the rights of children. True, the sculptor Alfred Gilbert did not get Eros, but Anteros, personifying a deliberate, mature love. He is the opposite of the frivolous mythical creature, which the ancient people represented with a magic bow in their hands. In 1928, the metro station in Piccadilly Circus was reconstructed. Huge billboards appeared here at the beginning of the 20th century. By the way, today a giant neon sign is one of the attractions of Piccadilly Circus.
In the 60s of the XX century, they wanted to reconstruct this part of the central district of London. They planned to make the area two-story. The project caused a stir in the English capital, but was never implemented. In the 80s, pedestrian paths were organized here. The famous fountain was moved a few meters to the side. It was not accidentally transferred. Tourists, once in Piccadilly Circus, primarily sought to take a closer look at the famous London landmark, as a result of which they risked falling under the wheels of a car.
sights
In the southern part of the square is the Criterion Theater, built in 1874. It is located underground, designed for six hundred spectators. In the north-eastern part is the London Pavilion. Initially, it was in another building, demolished in the 80s of the XX century. Once in the London Pavilion there was a concert hall, a cinema, a shopping arcade. Now it has a different name - London-Trocadero.
In order to get to the London Pavilion, you need to go to the Piccadilly Circus Station and go through the crosswalk. On the third floor is the world famous Guinness World Records Museum. Near London-Trocadero is the restaurant "Planet Hollywood." The owners of this institution are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis. Piccadilly Circus has several well-known shops.
Huge neon signs were turned off only twice. For the first time - on the day of Winston Churchill's death. The second time - after the disaster in which Princess Diana died. Three more interesting sights located on Piccadilly Circus: the Swan and Edgar buildings and the County Fire Office, as well as the Amurs of London Museum. It is worth telling more about them.
Swan and Edgar
This building is an important part of the architectural ensemble of the square. It was erected by John Nash at the beginning of the 19th century, but during this time, of course, it was restored more than once. Once upon a time, in Swan and Edgar there was a large store of the famous British company Swan & Edgar Limited, which ceased to exist in the late 1970s.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the building was badly damaged. In 1911, a rally of suffragists took place on the square. Four years later, during the First World War, Swan and Edgar suffered from a raid by an enemy airship. Later the building was rebuilt, the architect R. Blomfield gave it the characteristic features of the Baroque, as a result of which Swan and Edgar almost completely lost its original appearance. Today the building is owned by Virgin Megastores.
County Fire Office
The building was built at the beginning of the XIX century according to the design of Robert Abraham. For some time, the County Fire Office was used by one of the British insurance companies as its headquarters. The southeast side of the building looks at the legendary Pall Mall. Its first floor is an open arcade of five arches. From here you can go down to the Piccadilly metro station. Initially, the facade of the building was decorated with columns of the Corinthian order. Today he is crowned with a clock, a dome, two chimneys. The County Fire Office is decorated with a sculpture "Britain", depicting a woman sitting on a lion, in a helmet, with a trident and a shield.
Cupids of London
Piccadilly Circus is often visited by lovers, and not only because of the fountain decorated with the Eros sculpture. In 2007, a rather unusual museum was opened here. Exhibitions presented in ten rooms are devoted to the theme of love, flirting, sensual pleasures. Over the creation of the museum, located in Piccadilly Circus, historians, researchers, artists, sexologists have worked for several years.
The interior here is designed in red and pink colors. The halls are equipped with the latest technologies: interactive sculptures, touch screens, multimedia and more. Everything corresponds to the subject. One of the collections is called the Encyclopedia of Love.
It is worth saying that the opening of the museum caused a resonance in society. There were no such original displays in any of these institutions in London. The demonstration of the intimate aspects of the relationship between a man and a woman can first be stupid.
The museum has a small bar, the menu of which contains unusual drinks. For example, cocktails made from aphrodisiacs that stimulate sex drive. According to psychologists, a person should be free from time to time. This is the only way to keep calm and self-confidence. Therefore, once in London, you definitely need to visit the museum located on Piccadilly Circus.