Leicester Square
The Leicester Square [ lɛstə skwɛə ] is one of the most famous places in London . It is located east of Piccadilly Circus and north of Trafalgar Square and forms a busy pedestrian zone .
The name comes from the Leicester Fields next to the residence of the Earl of Leicester , Leicester House . The area was built after 1670.
In the small park in the middle of the square are the statues of William Shakespeare , Charlie Chaplin , William Hogarth , John Hunter and Isaac Newton .
The square is considered to be the center of London cinematography , there are several large cinemas (including Empire , Odeon and Vue ) and numerous premieres take place there. These include the Odeon Leicester Square with around 1,700 seats and the Empire with 1,330 seats. The handprints of numerous film stars are embedded in the pavement around the square . Traditionally, all world premieres of Harry Potter films take place in Leicester Square.
The Capital Radio Group , which owns over 80 radio stations , has been based in Leicester Square since 1997 . MTV UK also produces the English version of the TRL chart show here .
About 100 meters east of the square, on Charing Cross Road, is the Leicester Square station of London Underground .
Web links
- Victorian London: Leicester Square (English)
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 37 " N , 0 ° 7 ′ 49" W.