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Leicester Square
back to sights listingLeicester Square, now one of London's favourite tourist meeting places, was once a fashionable place to live. By night Leicester (pronounced Lester, as in the Adams Family) Square is one of the busiest spots in London. Buskers entertain the crowds with anything from an impromptu song to a political rant, tourists pay good money to have their faces ridiculed by cruel cartoonists and suburban kids queue to dance the night away at the Hippodrome, Equinox or Maximus.
Especially on Friday and Saturday nights, the whole pedestrianised area can seem like one big, youthful party. It wasn't always like this.
Before the local council's long-awaited clean-up of Leicester Square in 1993, many locals avoided the area, mainly due to the small patch of grass at the centre of the square which was a haven for junkies. Now that's closed in the evenings and it is safe to wander through without tripping over piles of old, used needles.
It was laid out in 1670 south of Leicester House; a long-gone royal residence. The square's early residents included the scientist Isaac Newton and the painters Joshua Reynolds and Willam Hogarth. From his elegant studio at No.46 Reynolds made his fortune painting high society portraits.
In the mid-19th century Leicester Square was famous for its music halls including the Empire, now a cinema of the same name, and the Alhambra, which was replaced in 1937 by the Art Deco Odeon.
By the late-20th century Leicester Square had become run down and seedy. Fortunately Westminster Council decided to refurbish the area in the 1990's and today is is a pleasant, if rather over-crowded space.
Leicester Square is surrounded by buildings housing some of London's largest cinemas. These include the Empire and the black-clad Odeon, venues for many film premieres.
An important part of Leicester Square is the Society of West End Theatre's 'Half-Price Ticket Booth'. Housed in the Clocktower Building by the south entrance to the gardens, this sells cut-price tickets on the day of the performance for a wide range of mainstream shows.
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