General Information

Piccadilly Circus, with its major shopping and entertainment areas, as well as some listed buildings (including the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre), is a tourist attraction in its own. This road junction and a public space is also known for its vivid video displays and neon signs.

Additional Information

The phrase it’s like Piccadilly Circus is commonly used in the UK to refer to a place or situation which is extremely busy with people. It has been said that a person who stays long enough at Piccadilly Circus will eventually bump into everyone they know. Crucial buildings occupying the site include London Pavilion, Criterion Theatre, and Shaftesbury Monument Memorial Fountain, erected in 1892-1893 to commemorate the charity work of Lord Shaftesbury, who was a famous Victorian politician and philanthropist. As of 2012, the site has six illuminated advertising screens above three large retail units facing Piccadilly Circus on the northern side. Additionally, there are numerous nightclubs and bars in the area of Piccadilly and neighbouring Soho, including the former Chinawhite club.

History: Highlights

Piccadilly Circus was created in 1819, at the junction with Regent Street. Starting in the early 1900s, Piccadilly Circus used to be surrounded by illuminated advertising hoardings on buildings. In 1906 the Piccadilly Circus tube station was opened and in 1928 it was extensively rebuilt to handle an increase in traffic.

History: Explained

The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in Piccadilly Circus was erected in 1893 to commemorate the philanthropic works of Anthony Ashley Cooper. During World War II, the statue atop the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain was removed and replaced by advertising hoardings. It was returned in 1948. When Piccadilly Circus underwent reconstruction work in the late 1980s, the entire fountain was moved from the centre of the junction at the beginning of Shaftesbury Avenue to its present position at the southwestern corner.