The Convent Garden “Covent Garden” is actually a bastardization of “Convent Garden,” which it was called as early as the 1500s for being the vegetable garden of the monks of Westminster Abbey.
The History of Covent Garden. The first historical record of Covent Garden dates back to 1200, when it consisted of fields. Owned by Westminster Abbey, the land where the Market Building and the Piazza now stand was referred to as 'the garden of the Abbey and Convent', hence its name.
By 1200 part of it had been walled off by the Abbot of Westminster Abbey for use as arable land and orchards, later referred to as "the garden of the Abbey and Convent", and later "the Convent Garden".
1. a district of central London: famous for its former fruit, vegetable, and flower market, now a shopping precinct. 2. the Royal Opera House (built 1858) in Covent Garden. Collins English Dictionary.
Although most of central Covent Garden is currently owned by Capital & Counties, there have been several freeholders in the area's history, including the GLC who restored the buildings and converted them from their former use (the famous fruit and vegetable market) into the lively mixture of shops and restaurants that ...
Covent Garden Juicy Debauched History Romp - London Walk
What was Covent Garden originally used for?
The Covent Garden Theatre, the original theatre on the site, was opened (1732) by John Rich and served for plays, pantomimes, and opera. During the 1730s, when George Frideric Handel was associated with the theatre, opera was emphasized, but later the focus shifted to plays.
Among others also buried at St Paul's, Covent Garden, are the wood-carver Grinling Gibbons, the painters Thomas Murray, Sir Peter Lely, and Thomas Girtin, Thomas Arne (composer of "Rule Britannia"), and Sir Henry Herbert who as Master of the Revels to James I and Charles I was a censor of the theatre.
Live. By having living in Covent Garden, you instantly access an iconic part of London that is not only well connected but filled with the latest restaurants, the hottest brands and the most exclusive events.
Covent Garden is home to the oldest theatre in London. The oldest theatre in London is the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane which dates back to 1663. Rumour has it there is an underground tunnel so the stars of the show could swiftly get to the nearby pub.
What are the differences among these neighborhoods? Covent Garden is popular with tourists and has shopping and restaurants. Soho is a bit grittier with lots of bars and restaurants and quite compact and best explored by foot just wandering from street to street.
It was built so far underground because the station and the majority of the borough is on a steep hill. Due to this, the station's platforms are the deepest on the London Underground network. The station also boasts the deepest lift shaft on the Underground at 55 metres.
According to Ed Glinert's West End Chronicles (2006) the districts falling within the West End are Mayfair, Soho, Covent Garden, Fitzrovia and Marylebone.
Covent Garden was a former market and is now home to lots of little stalls and shops as well as restaurants and pubs. It's a good place to come a see for street entertainers as well. I would suggest coming in the evening for a good vibe.
The garden may have given way to an open air fully pedestrianised Piazza but the roots of Covent Garden remain here to this day. At Covent Garden we believe in protecting the unique character and heritage of the neighbourhood whilst making changes to ensure we are supporting the community.
Covent Garden thrived in Victorian times as the capital's chief fruit and vegetable market, with some one thousand porters working in the wonderful neo-classical 1830s covered market (designed by Charles Fowler, which survives to this day) and surrounding area.
“Covent Garden” is actually a bastardization of “Convent Garden,” which it was called as early as the 1500s for being the vegetable garden of the monks of Westminster Abbey.
Properties in Covent Garden had an overall average price of £1,056,625 over the last year. The majority of sales in Covent Garden during the last year were flats, selling for an average price of £1,010,065. Terraced properties sold for an average of £2,500,000.
In recent years, Central London's Covent Garden has developed a reputation as something of an obvious and, dare one say it, expensive tourist trap. One that's aimed at drawing in newbie visitors who aren't aware of all the other wonders the city offers.
Who is buried under the floor at Westminster Abbey?
In the floor just inside the great west door, in the centre of the nave, is the tomb of The Unknown Warrior, an unidentified British soldier killed on a European battlefield during the First World War. He was buried in the abbey on 11 November 1920.
Over 3,000 people are buried at Westminster Abbey – many forgotten by history – but it remains the final resting place for celebrated Britons. Others who are not buried there are honoured with commemorative plaques.
The original layout of the Seven Dials area was designed by Thomas Neale during the early 1690s. His plan had six roads converging, although this number was later increased to seven. The sundial column was built with only six faces, with the column itself acting as the gnomon of the seventh dial.
The first square to be called by the name, was Bloomsbury Square, laid out in the 1660s by the 4th Earl of Southampton, who leased three sides of the forecourt to his London residence for building, before escaping from the plague.
The Holborn and Covent Garden area covers the ward of the same name. It is the most southerly ward in the Borough of Camden and forms part of London's Central Activities Zone (CAZ). It is a key destination that links the West End to the City of London.
