London Walks

Question of the week: London Walk's Winter Wanders 2010 are coming up this weekend, so do you have a favourite walking route around London?

"Peter Ackroyd, the prize-winning author and historian, has put together a walk around Covent Garden. I will attempt to give a brief description of each bit, in the hope that you'll download a copy for yourself and try it out!

The walk starts at the corner of the Strand and Wellington Street, with the Lyceum Theatre (where the Lion King is now playing), and leads you up Wellington Street, past the Charles Dickens Coffee House (which used to be the offices of Dickens' magazine), near the Theatre Royal and the Theatre Museum.

Continue straight along the street (whose name now changes to Bow Street) where you'll find the Royal Opera House and the Bow Street Magistrates' Court. The Court is gone now, but the building remains - it was nearby in the 18th century that the Bow Street Runners, the forerunners of the Metropolitan Police, were formed.

Then look left down Floral Street,connecting buildings from one side of the street to the other you'll see a bridge - it runs from the Royal Ballet School to the Opera House itself, and is one way performers get between the buildings. Continue up Bow Street and turn left onto Long Acre - this has been an area of trade and settlement since Anglo-Saxon times.

Turn left again at the Covent Garden Tube Station, built in 1907; the journey from Leicester Square to Covent Garden is the most expensive in the world (for the distance) - it's only 0.161 miles! At the end of James Street you will see the famous Market Building, and the two pubs that you will pass (one on either side of the street) were originally there for the early-morning market workers, when Covent Garden was the hub of the fruit and vegetable trade in London.

Turn right before you go into the market proper and head towards St. Paul's Church. This is known as the 'Actors' Church' and the ashes of many famous British stage actors are interred here.

Make a slight diversion to your left, and walk down Southampton Street and then turn right down Maiden Lane. This street is home to two places of interest, Rules, possibly the oldest restaurant in London and frequent haunt of the Prince Regent, and the building that now houses the Porterhouse pub, which was the birthplace of the artist Turner. Turn right up Bedford Street and Right again on Henrietta Street, making a special note of Number 10, where Jane Austin stayed when she visited London.

Now walk along the South Piazza towards the Transport Museum (which was once the flower market), and go down Russell Street to number eight. This is the site of the bookshop where Samuel Johnson (of dictionary fame) first met his great friend and biographer James Boswell.

Make your way back to the Market Building and enjoy the architecture and shops inside. The building as it stands was erected in the 1830s, but the area has been used for trade for more than 1000 years.

Take a look around, enjoy the atmosphere, and know that now you can say that you have really seen Covent Garden!"
- Kris

(PS - click for a list of Peter Ackroyd books in the LUP Library. Miss Alice)

* Photo by Nicoze, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.