free things to see and do in London
Visit areas of London that are renowned for their nightlife and theatres, including Soho, Covent Garden and Leicester Square.
See popular London tourist attractions such as the Theatre Royal, the Royal Opera House and Chinatown.
The Walk
This is a circular walk, starting and ending at Leicester Square tube station
On arrival at Leicester Square tube station, take the exit marked Charing Cross Road (South).
Turn left down Charing Cross Road until you reach Cecil Court. Go down Cecil Court to St Martin's Lane and turn right. Continue along St Martin's Lane until you reach Brydges Place, a small alleyway on your left, almost at the end of St Martin's Lane.
St Martin's Lane and the Coliseum Theatre
For centuries St Martin's Lane was
the only road north from Whitehall. The original road was built in 1610
and for many years it was a fashionable area to live in. Thomas Chippendale,
the famous cabinet maker, had a home here and Mozart stayed in nearby
Cecil Court as a child.
Cecil Court is now home to a number of antiquarian bookshops.
The Coliseum theatre is London's largest. It is home to
the English
National Opera. The theatre was built in 1904 and was the first in
London to have a revolving stage.
The globe on top of the theatre used
to revolve but this practice was stopped by Westminster City Council.
Famous actors who have performed at the theatre include Lillie Langtry,
Ellen Terry and Sarah Bernhardt.
Brydges Place is the narrowest alley
in London. Only one person can walk down it at a time.
The Marquis of
Granby pub backs onto the alley. This pub was a haunt of Dickens when
he worked at a blacking factory nearby, and was originally known as the
Hole in the Wall. It has been here since the 1600's, when it was notorious
for its criminal regulars. In 1669, the original romantic highwayman,
Claude Duval, was captured here. (He was later hanged at Tyburn and is
buried in the grounds of nearby St Paul's church in Covent Garden.)
Did You Know?
In 1642, the Puritans closed down all London's theatres, many of which were located on the south bank, as they feared that plays were corrupting morals.
Two were subsequently re-opened by Charles II, who granted Royal patents for presenting spoken drama to playhouses in Drury Lane and Covent Garden. These could not cope with the demand from Londoners for theatre and as a result, minor theatres operated outside the law until 1843, when the law was abolished.
By 1850, London had around 20 theatres, mainly located around Covent Garden, Drury Lane and the Strand. Many of these still exist today.
go down Brydges Place and, at the end, straight ahead along Chandos Place. Follow it until you reach the junction with Southampton Street. Turn left, then stop at the edge of Covent Garden market.
Covent Garden
Covent
Garden was originally called Convent Garden, as it was where the fruit
and vegetables for the Monks of Westminster were grown.
London's first
square surrounded by houses was built here in 1631 by Inigo Jones, one
of London's most famous architects. The houses were intended for "gentlemen
and men of ability" and up until the Great Fire of London in 1666,
Covent Garden was the most fashionable London address to live at.
The original market started in 1670 and by the 1700's the area was famous
for its coffee houses, where literary men met and discussed events of
the day. The area was also popular with artists and actors, and by 1722
was home to 22 gambling dens.
The only remaining building from the original Covent Garden is St Paul's church, known as the actor's church. It was the first Protestant church in London and, mainly due to its proximity to the Theatre Royal (in Drury Lane), every wall in the church is covered with memorials to actors. Ellen Terry's ashes are here. There is also an "avenue of the stars", opened in 2005 in the grounds of the church.
The Central Market building was built around 1830 and the original market operated until 1974.
Maiden Lane was originally a country lane, and provides access to the back doors of various theatres in the Strand, including the Adelphi. Queen Victoria used this entrance in order to avoid the crowds at the front entrance, an event which is commemorated by the royal coat of arms displayed on the door. The pub at no 13 has been here since 1692.
Did You Know?
London's
oldest restaurant, Rules (in Maiden Lane), has been trading since 1798.
Many famous people of the nineteenth century have dined here, including
Charles Dickens. To the right of the main entrance is a side door built
for Edward VII so that he could entertain his lady friends in private.
turn right and walk around the outside of the market, passing the London Transport Museum. At the front of the museum
turn right along Russell Street. Continue along Russell
Street to the corner
with Catherine Street.
Theatre Royal
The Theatre Royal,
in Drury Lane, is London's oldest theatre. It has been on
this site since 1663, though the present building dates from 1811 - all
previous buildings having been destroyed by fire. Samuel Pepys attended
the first play here. The theatre has its own ghost - The Man in the Grey
Suit- who is known as Arnold.
Russell Street was in the heart of London's clubland for a hundred years
until around 1815. The whole of London Society used to come here to exchange
news and gossip at three coffee-houses: Tom's, Button's and Will's.
Henrietta Street was first built in 1631 and is named after Charles I's
queen. Jane Austen used to stay with her brother in No 10, and St Peters
Hospital for Stone has been at no 27 for over a century. It is a relic
of the days when hospitals specialised in certain diseases, and still
specialises in urinary problems.
Did You Know?
By 1861, there were 80 hospitals
in London, including specialist hospitals dealing either with particular
ailments (such as eyes) or certain types of patients (such as women or children).
However, these tended to treat wealthier patients and the poor were not
helped until 1867, when the public hospital system was introduced.
The first hospital for the poor was opened in 1870 to treat paupers suffering
from scarlet fever and smallpox, and by 1890, there were several more "Poor
Law" hospitals across London.
return to Bow Street and turn right.
The Royal Opera House is home to the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet. The first theatre on the site was built in 1732 and the current building is the third. Its facade dates from 1858.
Opposite the Opera House, stood the site of the first police office in London, Bow Street, which was established in 1829. Beside it stood Bow Street Magistrates Court, where famous people such as Oscar Wilde, Dr Crippen, the Kray Twins and Jeffrey Archer were tried.
Did You Know?
In 1801, the
population of London was just over one million people, but by 1911 it had
increased to over seven million. To support this growth, new forms of public
transport emerged: horse-driven buses after 1829, railways in the 1830's,
the underground from 1860 and trams in the 1870's.
Access to public transport was linked to the ability to pay and as a result,
the working classes tended to live in the innner city areas of London (so
they could walk to work) and the more wealthy moved out to leafier, suburban
areas as they could afford to pay to commute back into London to work.
continue to the corner with Floral Street, and turn left. At the end, turn right along Garrick St
then left to Charing Cross Road. At Charing Cross Road, turn right.
Follow it to Litchfield Street and turn right. Turn left in front
of St Martins Theatre then follow it around
to rejoin Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus.
Charing Cross Road was built in 1877 to relieve traffic congestion on
St Martin's Lane (which runs parallel to it). It is probably best known for its many bookshops and for the novel and film called 84 Charing Cross Road, which was based on a series of letters written by the author to the bookshop at that address in 1945. The bookshop, Marks and Co's, no longer exists.
St Martins Theatre is home to the world's longest running play. The Mousetrap has been running here for 53 years.
Did You Know?
London
suffered four major epidemics of cholera between 1832 and 1866. People
washed down roads in an attempt to clear away rotting garbage and excrement,
which they believed spread the disease. In fact, cholera is mainly water-borne
and attempts at cleaning away waste only made subsequent epidemics worse
than previous ones.
In 1854, a cholera outbreak in soho resulted in the deaths of over 10,000
people. The local doctor, John Snow, realised that all the victims of
one particular street had been drinking from the same street water pump.
When the handle was removed, the death rate quickly fell. This led him
to the discovery that cholera was a water-borne disease.
Turn left along Romilly Street and continue to the junction with Dean Street.
Turn right, and cross Old Compton Street.
Old Compton Street runs through the heart of central London's gay area.
There are a number of bars, restaurants, shops and pubs in this street
including the Admiral Duncan, which was bombed in 1999. There is also a popular theatre.At the junction of Romilly and Frith Streets there is a restaurant called Kettner's, which opened in 1867. In 1892, Oscar Wilde hosted a dinner party here.
Bar
Italia, in Frith Street, is a famous Italian coffee shop and reputed to be a favourite of
Robert De Niro's when he is in London.
Ronnie Scott's world famous jazz club opened in nearby Gerrard Street
in 1959, and moved to its location in Frith Street in 1965.
Opposite Ronnie Scott's is the site of a house where Mozart lived between
1756 and 1791.
Did You Know?
At the end of
Romilly Street, just before the corner with Dean Street, is a pub called
the Golden Lion. This is where the serial killer Dennis Nilson met
several of his rent boy victims. He was found guilty of murder in 1983.
continue along
Frith Street and turn left at Bateman Street then
left again down Dean Street. Turn right at the junction with Old Compton
Street. At the end of Old Compton Street, turn right on Wardour Street
then almost immediately left along Brewer Street. Turn left again at Rupert Street.
Soho was originally farmland and hunting fields,
and the name comes from an old hunting cry, “So Ho”, which
was also used as a password to rally troops during the English Civil War. By 1851, Soho was one of the most crowded areas in London and during the late 1800's, it gained its reputation as a place for entertainment. With its many clubs, bars and theatres it is still a popular entertainment area today.
These days, only 3,000 people live in the area, but 70,000 visit it daily.
Did You Know?
In the late 17th century, the area of Soho was settled by foreign immigrants including
many from France, and the area continues to have a distinctly foreign
feel with many European cafes, businesses and place names scattered throughout.
continue along Rupert Street to Shaftesbury Avenue.
Shaftesbury Avenue was built in the late 1800's
and is today home to many of London's famous theatres, including five
that were built between 1888 and 1907: the Lyric, the Apollo, the Globe,
the Queen's and the Palace. They all survived
the bombing of London during the Blitz in 1940 and are what give Shaftesbury
Avenue its name, "the heart of theatreland".The Apollo theatre was designed for musicals and from 1908 to 1912 was the home of the Follies.
The Queen's theatre was where "tea dances" were first introduced, in 1913. Known as "Tango Teas", the admission fee covered dancing, a dress parade and tea in the stalls.
Did You Know?
Many people
are probably aware that London was bombed during the Blitz of the second
world war, but fewer may know that it was also bombed
in world war one.
In world war two, the first bombs of the Blitz were dropped in September,
1940 and over the next 6 months, 71 raids were made by German bombers,
who dropped 18,000 tons of bombs, killing 20,000 Londoners. Bombing ceased
on May 10th, 1941, but then re-commenced in June, 1944 and continued almost
until the end of the war in 1945. Though less damaging than during the
Blitz, 9,200 people were killed.
In world war one, on June, 1917, 14
German bombers dropped four tons of bombs, most falling near
Liverpool Street Station. Bombing continued until the following May.
turn left along Shaftesbury Avenue then right along Wardour Street, to the junction with Gerrard Street
Gerrard Street marks the centre of London's Chinatown. The area was originally established in 1677 as a military training ground. By the mid eighteenth century, Gerrard Street had become more famous for its coffee houses and taverns, being on the edge of Soho. And by the 1920's, it was renowned for its nightclubs.
The area is now distinctly Chinese, with street signs in Chinese and English, telephone boxes in the shape of pagodas and lots of bright red paint (which the Chinese believe to be the colour of good luck).
Did You Know?
London has
been a place of opportunity and refuge for many people from other countries
since medieval times, firstly for people from mainland Europe and later
for those from Commonwealth countries.
Jewish traders came to London with
the Normans (only to be expelled in 1290), and were later followed by
merchants from northern Germany and Flemings, Dutch and French.
In the 1650's, Oliver Cromwell allowed persecuted Jews in Europe to come
to England again. Huguenots (Protestants) also fled to London from France
in 1685, settling in Spitalfields and Soho.
As the British Empire rapidly grew in the late eighteenth century, people
from the colonised countries began flocking to London. This included Chinese,
Indians and Afro-Caribbeans.
Immigration in the nineteenth century, however, was due to new factors
including poverty and political unrest in homelands. The Great Irish Famine
of the 1840s led to many Irish people coming to London. And the assassination
of Tsar Alexander II in 1881 led to many Jews fleeing Russia and Poland,
settling in the East End of London.
continue along Gerrard Street, then turn right along Newport Place to Leicester Square
Leicester Square
First laid out as a square in the 1670's, Leicester Square is synonymous with London's nightlife. Originally
a fashionable residential area, by the mid 19th century it had started
to become a commercial district.
The square enjoyed its most popular days between 1860 and 1914 when various
theatres, including the Empire, attracted audiences from across London.
These days, many of the theatres have been replaced with cinemas.
The Empire stands on the site of the old Empire theatre, which closed
in 1927. Its final performance featured Fred Astaire.
The Odeon cinema is on the site of the Alhambra theatre, famous for a man named Mr Leotard
who amazed audiences with his flying trapeze skills and gave his name
to the costume. He was the original "Daring young man on the flying
trapeze".
Did You Know?
Many women worked
in London's theatres as fruit-sellers, the equivalent to modern day ice
cream and drinks vendors.
As fruit was often thrown at the actors on stage,
sales were eventually restricted to people seated in lower tiers only.
you have now completed this walk ...... I hope you enjoyed it
Continue through Leicester Square towards Charing Cross Road and Leicester Square tube station
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