Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PICCADILLY CIRCUS
Piccadilly Circus.
MAP
Characterless and congested it may be, but for many Londoners, Piccadilly Circus is the
nearest their city comes to having a centre.
Originally laid out in 1812 and now a major traffic bottleneck, it's by no means a pictur-
esque place, and is probably best seen at night when the spread of vast illuminated signs (a
feature since the Edwardian era) provide a touch of Las Vegas dazzle, and when the human
traffic is at its most frenetic. Somewhat inexplicably, Piccadilly Circus attracts a steady flow
of tourists, who come here to sit on the steps of the central fountain, which is topped by an
aluminium statue popularly known as
Eros
, designed by Alfred Gilbert and first unveiled in
1893. Despite the bow and arrow, it depicts not the god of love but Anteros, the lesser-
known god of requited love, and was erected to commemorate the Earl of Shaftesbury, a
Bible-thumping social reformer who campaigned against child labour.
