When was piccadilly circus built

Many a tourist has, no doubt, been disappointed to arrive at the world-famous Piccadilly Circus and not find a single circus act.

In this context, Circus refers to the fact that it used to be a complete roundabout, or circle. When Shaftesbury Avenue was built in , the junction ceased to be a complete circle, but the name stuck.

That said, during the London Games, a circus festival did take place in the area and no, we're not talking about Boris Johnson's zip-wire antics. That in turn was named after Piccadilly Hall, a house belonging to a tailor who specialised in a type of collar known as a piccadill.

Probably the most famous feature of Piccadilly Circus is its light-up advertising boards. In , we went behind the scenes of the lights to get an insight into how they work. The first sign to be illuminated was a Perrier advertisement in , which used incandescent lightbulbs. Neon was first used for a Bovril sign in the s. Every building in Piccadilly Circus used to have advertising signs, but now, those leased from the Crown Estate are forbidden to advertise.

The lights were switched off for the duration of the second world war, only being relit in The Criterion Theatre, on the south side of Piccadilly Circus, is entirely underground except for the box office. It is one of the few stations which have no associated buildings above ground and is fully underground.

The below ground concourse and subway entrances are Grade II listed. The Circus' status as a high-profile public space has made it the destination for numerous political demonstrations, including the February 15, anti-war protest and the "Carnival Against Capitalism" protest against the 39th G8 summit in The phrase it's like Piccadilly Circus is commonly used in the UK to refer to a place or situation which is extremely busy with people.

It has been said that a person who stays long enough at Piccadilly Circus will eventually bump into everyone they know. Piccadilly Circus has inspired artists and musicians. Piccadilly Circus is the name and subject of a painting by British artist Charles Ginner, part of the Tate Britain collection.

Sculptor Paul McCarthy also has a page two-volume edition of video stills by the name of Piccadilly Circus. Lowry R. Piccadilly Circus facts for kids Kids Encyclopedia Facts. For the song, see Piccadilly Circus song. Main page: Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. Main page: London Pavilion. All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles including the article images and facts can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise.

Cite this article:. This page was last modified on 16 July , at Suggest an edit. Piccadilly Circus in Your special offer X. Subscribe now. Piccadilly Circus. Do you love Britain? Let others know! Twitter 0. Facebook 0. Terms and Conditions apply. Piccadilly Circus has never been perceived as a tourist hotspot; in fact, quite the opposite. It is crowded with commuters and visitors looking to make their way elsewhere, and is more of a stop-gap between destinations, rather than a place to sit back and watch the world go by.

Yet there is so much more than meets the eye, as the place has a great deal of history behind it, and there are so many fascinating facts which may make you change your mind and observe the surroundings before boarding the next tram to Camden Town or Leicester Square. Of course, it is located right by the notorious West End, and there are numerous places of interest situated nearby such as museums, markets and high end eateries, but give it a chance!

If you are heading to work and need to be at the office within half an hour then it is likely that you will pass through Piccadilly Circus many times. It is one of the main changing points in London for those who prefer to use public transport as opposed to a car; therefore residents do not get the time to see what they could be missing out on.