Square, Plaza sights in London
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Covent Garden Market
London’s first planned square is now the exclusive reserve of tourists who flock here to shop in the quaint old arcades, be entertained by buskers, pay through the nose for refreshments at outdoor cafes and bars, and watch men and women pretend to be statues.
On its western flank is St Paul’s Church. The Earl of Bedford, the man who had commissioned Inigo Jones to design the piazza, asked for the simplest possible church, basically no more than a barn. The architect responded by producing ‘the handsomest barn in England’. It has long been regarded as the actors’ church for its associations with the theatre, and contains memorials to the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Vi…
reviewed
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B
Leicester Square
Enormous cinemas and nightclubs dominate this ‘aesthetically challenged’ square, which could really do with a makeover. It heaves with crowds on weekends and becomes the playground of the inebriated at night. There was a serious pickpocketing problem here some years ago, until a heavy police presence improved matters, but still keep an eye on your bag/wallet, especially when the square is very crowded. Britain’s glitzy film premieres take place here, as well as the majority of London Film Festival screenings. The major Odeon cinema boasts the biggest screen in the country, and definitely the highest ticket prices (a whopping £18!). It’s been on a major comedown since the …
reviewed
