Piccadilly Circus, London Area Guide

Home to London’s thriving theatre district, twinkling lights, excited crowds and the god of requited love statue, Anteros.

A brief history

The name ‘Piccadilly’ dates back to the late 1700’s when a London Tailor named Robert Baker made his living from selling picardilis/ stiff collars. He then bought the piece of land we now call Piccadilly and built a house which was originally named Piccadilly Mansion.

Piccadilly Circus was also the site of a grand house and garden belonging to a Lady Hutton until British architect, John Nash transformed the area in the 1820’s into the thriving Piccadilly Circus we know today.

The first electric adverts appeared in Piccadilly 1910 and from the early 1920’s onwards, billboards were installed on the façade of the London Pavilion and other properties surrounding the area. Only 1 wall of illuminated ads now remains and although unnamed, it is often referred to as ‘Monico’.

Location

Piccadilly Circus is an intersection where 5 major roads meet and in the center space, lies the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain and the Statue of Eros. The area is surrounded by beautiful architecture and theatres such as the Criterion Theatre, major retailers and world renowned museums, such as the National Portrait Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts.

Leicester Square, Green Park, Soho and the West End are also only a short walk away. Starting from the heart of Piccadilly and walking down the A4/ Piccadilly Place leads to Green Park after about 10 minutes- a beautiful area of wooded meadows, mature trees and different species of bird.

Piccadilly Circus tube station, now connected to the London Pavilion lies at the heart of Piccadilly. Other nearby tube stations include: Green Park (Piccadilly, Victoria, Jubilee lines), Oxford Circus (Central, Bakerloo, Victoria lines), Leicester Square (Piccadilly, Northern lines) and Tottenham Court Road (Central, Northern lines).

Piccadilly Circus Business Centres

Along with the West End, SOS> Search Office Space has found that Piccadilly Circus has always been a popular spot to rent serviced office space. Click here to view our extensive list of business centres in Piccadilly- from beautiful listed buildings to properties overlooking the landscaped gardens of the Royal Academy of Arts

One of my favourites is the environmentally focussed and sustainable business centre on Broadwick Street between Piccadilly Circus and Soho. The interior has been artistically designed to create a fun and vibrant atmosphere housing state-of-the-art equipment and a fantastic range of services. The property was also one of the first carbon neutral business centres in Britain!