Juerg's London

Charing Cross and about

This is the official geographical centre of London, and according to Dr Johnson "the full tide of human existence is here".

The area known as Charing Cross is the area at the Trafalgar Square end of the Strand.

In about the year 1000 this area used to be a small village, called Cyrringe, outside of London. The name means a bend and is probably derived from the nearby arch in the river. Later the area became the site of the royal Mews.

Centre of London

The cross part of the name comes from the fact that, in 1291, the last resting place for the funeral cortege of Queen Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I, on it's way to Westminster Abbey, was here. The exact site is at the top of Whitehall just by the current horse and rider statue. An octagonal cross, the last of 13, was erected to mark the site. The cross was removed in 1647 by the Puritans. The cross outside the nearby railway station is a poor replica.

The site was later used as a place of punishment, the whipping-post can now be found in the crypt of St. Martin's in the Field.

After the restoration in 1660 several regicides where beheaded here. In 1675 a statue of Charles I, looking towards the place of his execution, outside of the Banqueting House in Whitehall, was placed here. The statue itself was cast in 1633 before the abolition of the monarchy. The pedestal is supposed to have been designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

In 1955 it was decided that the statue would marks the official centre of London, and all distances are measured from here.

St. Martin's in the Field

To the esat of Trafalgar Square on St. Martins Place is the church of St. Martin's in the Field. It is the parish church of the Admiralty and the Sovereign, Buckingham Palace being within the boundaries. George I was a churchwarden and Charles II christened here. Other famous patrons include Francis Bacon and John Hampden who where also christened there, while Thomas Moore and John Constable where married in the church.

The current church was built from 1721-6 by James Gibbs, a follower of Wren. Some of the most noticeable features of the building are the Corinthian Columns of the portico and the spire. The inside features piers of Corinthian capitols, an elliptical ceiling, and a font from 1689. On the north side of the chancel is the Royal Box, while on the south is that of the Admiralty.

In the crypt there is a chest from 1597, and the old whipping-post from Charing Cross, dating from 1752. There has been a church on this site since 1222, the forerunner to the current one was built in 1544 for Henry VIII.

In the yard Nell Gwyn (1687) and Jack Sheppard the highwayman are buried here. In Sheppard's case he was carried here by the crowd after his execution, at Tyburn in 1724, to prevent the surgeons from getting his body. The churchyard was cleared in 1829 to make way for Duncannon St., in 1938 the crypt was cleared and turned into an air raid shelter.

Charing Cross Station Area

When going along the Strand from Trafalgar Square.

At the end of Northumberland Ave. on the Victoria Embankment, is the memorial to Sir Joseph Bazalgette. He probably is responsible for saving more lives in London than any other person, he was the builder of the first of the city sewage systems between 1858-75. Before London was renowned for its stench, and very regular outbreaks of cholera and other water born diseases. Bazalgette was also responsible for the Albert, Victoria and Chelsea Embankments, which reclaimed 32 acres of land at a cost of £1.55 million between 1868 and 1874.

Further along on the south side of the Strand is Northumberland street at the end is the Sherlock Holmes pub, which contains lots of memorabilia. It is portrayed as the place where the famous detective meet his underworld contacts.The street is named after Northumberland House, which used to be the London residence of the Dukes of Northumberland. The house was demolished in 1874

The next street along is Craven St., at 34 Heinrich Heine lived in 1827, and at 36 Benjamin Franklin resided from 1757-62 and 1764-72. Further along is the Playhouse theater, where in 1905 an arch from the railway tracks above collapsed and killed 11 people.

A bit further along the Strand is Charing Cross Station. Each weekday over 110,000 people pass through it. The station was built in 1863. In the forecourt is the so called Eleanor's Cross, it was built in 1865 and is a memorial, not a copy, to the original cross that stood in Charing Cross. The site of the station used to be a market and a blacking factory, in which Charles Dickens worked.

The rail tracks and part of the station are on Hungerford Bridge. The current one was built in 1863 and replaced an earlier suspension built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Parts of this earlier bridge were later used in the Clifton Suspension Bridge near Bristol. In 2002 two new food bridges opened, one on each side of the railway bridge. The bridge is open to pedestrians, and the view is well worth it.

On the north side is Coutts Bank, whose most famous customer is the Queen. The bank was founded in 1692. They moved to their current location in 1904. The building, often called the "pepper pot", is older, it was built in 1830 by John Nash. The interior was rebuilt in 1979 and is ultra modern and well worth seeing.

Behind the bank at the junctions of William IV St., Chandos Place and Bedfordbury there are a series of very good pubs.

The Police station on Agar St is the former Charing Cross Hospital.

On the south side just past the station is Villiers St. Rudyard Kipling used to live at 43. Gordons wine bar is a 47, and has been doing business for 300 years.

Next to Gordons is Watergate Walk. Where it crosses Buckingham St. there is a monument to George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham. Villiers St and Buckingham St are named after him. Villiers was the favourite of James I and Charles I and within 10 years he progressed from being a commoner, to viscount, marquis and then duke. His ruthlessness was his down fall and lead to his assassination in 1628, this in turn lead to the dispute between Charles I and Parliament, the Civil War and the king's own execution.

In 1626 Villiers build a riverside entrance to his house, is know as the York Watergate, it is the only part of York House that remains. It was the gate leading from the house to the river, and marks the point where the bank used to be. The area between Villiers and Buckingham St marks out the bounds of the house. The house was called York House as the land used to belong to the bishop of York and before him the Bishop of Norwich. In 1591 Francis Bacon was born here.

Samuel Pepys lived at 12 from 1679-88 and at 14 Buckingham St until 1701 . Charles Dickens lived at 15, here Miss Betsy Trotwood also had rooms in David Copperfield. Other famous residents include Henry Fielding, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Covent Garden

Covent Garden is the area bounded by Charing Cross Rd to the west, the Strand to the south, Kingways to the east and New Oxford St. to the north.

The southern part of the area was pastureland for St. Peter's Abbey. After the dissolution of the monasteries the land was given to John Russell, the 1st Earl of Bedford. In 1627 the 4th Earl hired Inigo Jones to build square with houses "fit for gentleman". In the 1650's a few market stalls were established in the square, and in 1670 a royal charter was granted. As the market grew the, so the gentry left, and the area become renowned for its "Turkish Baths" and gambling dens. The area became very run down and in 1877 the square was rebuilt. The market developed into the main fruit, veg and flower market for London. In the 1980's the market was relocated, and the old one turned into a tourist site, this revived the entire area.

Charing Cross Road

The Charing Cross Rd runs from St. Martin Place to St. Giles Circus. It was built in 1877 at the same time as Shaftesbury Av. The path of the road went through some of the most squalid slums in London. Nowadays the road is famous for it's book shops, they vary from the very small to the very large.

At number 84 Marks and Co. bookshop used to stand, it was to this shop that Helen Hanff sent her letters, that later became famous in the book "84 Charing Cross Road".

Just to the west along Litchfield St. is St. Martins Theater, the current home of The Mousetrap, the longest running play of all time, it's premiere was in 1952.

Farther along West St., next to the Ambassador Theater is St. Giles Mission Church. The church was originally built in 1700 by Huguenot refugees, it was later bought by the Methodists, and John Wesley preached here.

At the crossing with Shaftesbury Axe is Cambridge Circus. This is the home of the secret service, the Circus, in the George Smiley novels of John Le Carre

St. Giles

Farther north, where the road ends at the crossing with Oxford St. is St. Giles Circus. Legend has it that on this site the last of the Knights Templar were burned at the stakes.

To the west is St. Giles High St. which leads to St. Giles Church. Here in 1101 Matilda, wife of Henry I, founded a leper hospital, and dedicated it to St. Giles the patron saint of outcasts. She also started the custom of the "Cup of Charity", whereby condemned prisoners, who pass by on their way to execution at Tyburn, were given a drink. The hospital was closed in 1539 by Henry VIII. The great plague of 1665 started in this area. At its height 1,395 funerals took place in 1 month. The current church was rebuilt in 1733. The interior is well worth seeing.

Farther along on Endell St. stand the "Swiss Church", it was founded in 1762, the current building stems from 1854.

St. Martins Lane

Running parallel to the Charing Cross Rd is the far older St. Martins Lane. Leading off it are 3 small courts, Goodwins to the west and Cecil and St. Martins to the east, all with interesting little shops. Opposite the Albery Theater is where Chippendale used to live.

Long Acre

From St. Martin's Ln. going north east is Long Acre. The street was once the market garden for the monks of Westminster Abbey. Oliver Cromwell used to have a house here. The street became the centre of the coach making industry in the 17 century, and in the 18 furniture making. Thomas Chippendale used to have his workshop here. At number 12-14 stands Stanford Ltd., the largest map shop in the world. At 132-135 John Logie Baird broadcast the first television pictures in 1929. Along Garrick street stands the Garrick club, farther along is Gambas, makers of ballet shoes.

The Piazza

The original Piazza was built by Inigo Jones in 1627. The current buildings stem from 1833. The building on the north east side closely resemble the originals.

On the west side of the Piazza stands St. Paul's Church. The original church was built by Inigo Jones in 1631. Unfortunately it burned down and was restored in 1871, this is when the entrance was moved from the Piazza side to the Bedford St. end. The church is associated with the theater, and is known as the actors church.

Bow Street

The street gets in name from the fact that it curves like a bow, it was built between 1633 and 1677.

On Bow street stands the Royal Opera House, there has been a theater on this site ever since 1732, the current building dates from 1856.

Opposite the theater stands Bow Street Police Court. The original court house was built in 1748, the building was damaged in 1780 during the Gordon Riots. The second magistrate, Henry Fielding, hired 6 volunteer "thief takers", these became known as the "Bow Street runners", who were the first police force in the world.

Just off Bow St. along Catherine St. stands the Theater Royal Dury Lane, a theater has stood here since 1663. Here in 1665 Nell Gwyn made here debut, in 1716 George II was shot, as was George III in 1800, Mary Robinson, who became Gainsborough's favourite model, was discovered, by the then Prince of Wales, and William IV meet Dorothea Jordan, with whom he had 10 children.