Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus is a junction in London’s West End. It connects Regent Street with the major shopping street Piccadilly. Despite its name, there are no elephants or clowns at the junction. The word ‘circus’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘circle’, which describes the round open space at the junction.

The Piccadilly Circus Tube station is located directly beneath Piccadilly Circus. There are entrances at every corner of the junction. The Tube station is completely underground, so there is no station building on the street.

 

Why is Piccadilly Circus so popular?

London’s ‘West End’ is where most of the famous theatres are located. Piccadilly Circus is the link to the theatres on Shaftsbury Avenue, Haymarket and Coventry Street. The location makes it a popular meeting place and this is one reason why it’s usually extremely busy.

‘It’s like Piccadilly Circus’ means very busy; chaotic; noisy

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Ex 1 – John: Did you go to the Summer Sale at the department store yesterday?

Sarah: Yes I did. It was like Piccadilly Circus everywhere.

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Ex 2 – Teacher: Be quiet please! It’s like Piccadilly Circus in here!

Another reason for its busyness is because Piccadilly Circus is a popular tourist attraction. The advertising billboards on the north corner of the junction, which are now video as well as neon, have been there since the early 1900s. The Memorial Fountain with the Statue of Eros, which was built in 1892, used to be in the centre of the junction meaning that cars used to have to drive around it. In the late 1940s it was decided to move the fountain to the side of the road, so the traffic could move more quickly. Friday and Saturday nights are very busy times at Piccadilly Circus. If you visit during these times you might say ‘it’s like Piccadilly Circus’!

 Access

Piccadilly Circus is on two Tube lines:

The Piccadilly Line – between Green Park and Leicester Square.

The Bakerloo Line – between Charing Cross and Oxford Circus.

 

Here’s a cool video showing how Piccadilly Circus has changed through the years.