Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus is a busy plaza in the heart of London at the junction of five major streets: Regent street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly and Covent Street. The Circus is close to major shopping and entertainment areas in the West-End. Piccadilly Circus is one of the capital’s most popular meeting places, once it was called ”the hub of the empire”.

The Circus is particularly known for its video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue of an archer popularly known as Eros. Directly underneath the plaza is Piccadilly Circus tube station, which was opened March 10, 1906 on the Bakerloo Line, and on the Piccadilly line on the December of that year.

The Circus was created by John Nash as part of the future King George IV's plan to connect Carlton House - where the Prince Regent resided - with Regent's Park.

Billboards

The creation of the Shaftesbury Avenue in 1885 turned the plaza into a busy traffic junction. This made Piccadilly Circus attractive for advertisers, who installed the first illuminated billboards in London in 1895. For some time the plaza was surrounded by billboards, creating London's version of Times Square, but currently only one building still carries large displays.

Shaftesbury memorial fountain

At the southwestern side of the Circus, moved after World War II from its original position in the centre, stands the Shaftesbury memorial fountain. It was erected in 1892-1893 to commemorate Lord Shaftesbury, a philanthropist known for his support of the poor.

The winged nude statue of an archer on top of the fountain depicts the Angel of Christian Charity but was later renamed Eros after the Greek god of love and beauty. The fountain was made in bronze, but the statue is made of aluminum, at the time a novel and rare material.

The Name - Piccadilly Circus

The name 'Piccadilly' originates from a 17th century frilled collar named piccadil. Roger Baker, a tailor who became rich making piccadils lived in the area. In this context, a circus, from the Latin word meaning ”circle”, is a round open space at a street junction.

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