What was originally sold in Covent Garden?

After the Great Fire of London in 1666, the entire square was devoted to the selling of fresh fruit and vegetables and Covent Garden became London's largest market.

What was Covent Garden famous for?

Covent Garden is a world-class shopping and dining destination attracting food-lovers and fashionistas alike. Buzzing with the excitement of the opera and theatreland, the area boasts some of the best shopping and dining destinations in London's West End, from Mulberry to Petersham Nurseries and Balthazar to Frenchie.

What was the old flower market in London called?

Columbia Road Flower Market… Originally founded in the early 1800s, the Columbia Road market in East London has since evolved into a specialist flower market on Sundays.

What is Covent Garden oldest building?

43 King Street | Oldest Surviving Building In Covent Garden - DD Architects.

Why is seven dials famous for?

Seven Dials Covent Garden is a unique quarter of London whose star-shaped layout remains as constructed in the early 1690s. It was brought back to life largely through the dedication of the Seven Dials Trust, working in partnership with the local authorities and landowners for nearly forty years.

Covent Garden Juicy Debauched History Romp - London Walk

Does Seven Dials still exist?

Seven Dials Covent Garden is a unique quarter of London whose star-shaped layout remains as constructed in the early 1690s. It was brought back to life largely through the dedication of the Seven Dials Trust, working in partnership with the local authorities and landowners for nearly forty years.

Is Seven Dials a rundown area?

Seven Dials was first developed by entrepreneur Thomas Neale way back in 1693 and has since gone from a rundown slum to a listed conservation area, creating over 300 years worth of stories to uncover.

Who owns the Covent Garden?

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 ...

What is Covent Garden named after?

“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.

When did Covent Garden stop being a flower market?

The market officially stopped trading on Friday 8th of November, 1974 – the entire enterprise relocated to Nine Elms in Vauxhall. Boursnell, of course, was there, recording the end of a very particular era of London history.

What is the oldest food market in London?

London's Oldest Food Market

Borough Market is one of London's most famous food markets. At the Southwark market you'll find British and international foods. Celebrities, chefs, locals and tourists alike visit the Borough Market for its high-quality foods and cheap take-away restaurants.

What did Spitalfields sell?

For the next 200 years, the market traded from a collection of sheds and stalls, doing its best to cope with London's growing appetite for fresh fruit and vegetables. As time went by, it became a centre for the sale of home-grown produce, which was being traded there six days a week.

What is the oldest retail store in London?

Fortnum & Mason is an upmarket department store dating back to 1707. With over 300 years of history, it was originally a grocery store before they ventured further into the retail business.

What is a fact about the Covent Garden?

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.

Where did Old Covent Garden move to?

As a result, in the 1960s the Covent Garden Market Authority decided to move to Nine Elms in Battersea and the Greater London Council (GLC) bought all the land they owned. Later on, plans were drawn up to redevelop the area.

Is Covent Garden expensive?

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.

What is the name of the church in the Covent Garden?

Welcome to St. Paul's Church, affectionately known as The Actor's Church. Located in the heart of Covent Garden, this beautiful church has been a cherished landmark for Londoners for over 300 years.

What is the difference between Soho and the Covent Garden?

Soho is the centre of London's thriving gay and lesbian scene, as well as its sex and film industries, while Covent Garden, previously London's fruit and vegetable market, has reincarnated itself as a shopping mecca and remains the heart of 'Theatreland'.

What is Fleet Street famous for?

The street became known for printing and publishing at the start of the 16th century, and that became its most dominant trade. By the 20th century most British national newspapers operated from here. The term “Fleet Street” has become synonymous with the term British National Press.

Does anyone live in Covent Garden?

More than 6,000 people live in Covent Garden as their primary home, including many families and children.

How old is the Covent Garden?

Dating back to 1200, Covent Garden's first historical record describes it as fields owned by Westminster Abbey. Referred to as 'the garden of the Abbey and Convent', this land now accommodates the Market Building and the Piazza, from where Covent Garden derived its name.

What is the meaning of Covent Garden?

British Dictionary definitions for Covent Garden

Covent Garden. / (ˈkʌvənt, ˈkɒv-) / noun. a district of central London: famous for its former fruit, vegetable, and flower market, now a shopping precinct.

What did Charles Dickens say about London?

Dickens described London as a magic lantern, a popular entertainment of the Victorian era, which projected images from slides. Of all Dickens's characters, "none played as important a role in his work as that of London itself"; it fired his imagination and made him write.

Who is famous for the Seven Dials?

Seven Dials is the only quarter of London remaining largely intact from late Stuart England – the late 17^th century. It was the creation of two of the century's most extraordinary figures, Thomas Neale MP (1641-1699) and Edward Pierce (1630-1695).

What are the 7 roads in London?

The seven streets at Seven Dials originally had quite different names from what they have now. They were Great Earl Street, Little Earl Street, Great White Lion Street, Little White Lion Street, Great St Andrew's Street, Little St Andrew's Street and Queen Street.