West End of London

The term West End is most commonly used to refer to the West End of London, England. The West End contains most of London's major theatres, and is therefore synonymous with London theatre, hence a major tourist attraction.

Located to the west of the historic Roman and Mediaeval City of London, the West End was long favoured by the rich elite as a place of residence because it was more often upwind of the smoke drifting from the crowded city. It was also located close to the royal seat of power at Westminster. Developed in the Seventeenth , Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries it was originally built as a series of palaces, expensive town houses , fashionable shops and places of entertainment. The areas closest to the City around Holborn Seven Dials and Covent garden historically contained poorer communities that were cleared and redeveloped in the nineteenth century.

West End

Districts in London's West End:

• Euston
• Bloomsbury
• Holborn
• Covent Garden
• Seven Dials
• Soho
• Fitzrovia
• Westminster
• Marylebone
• Pimlico
• Mayfair
• St James's
• Victoria
• please add to this list

Famous streets in the West End:

• Charing Cross Road
• Oxford Street
• Regent Street
• Bond Street
• Shaftesbury Avenue
• Tottenham Court Road
• The Strand
• Piccadilly
• Kingsway
• Wardour Street

• please add to this list

Famous squares and circuses in the West End:

• Leicester Square
• Trafalgar Square
• Berkley Square
• Piccadilly Circus
• Oxford Circus
• Hyde Park Corner
• Marble Arch
• Soho Square

Compare with:

• East End of London

See also: North London, South London