|
|
Central London's West End.
Major tourist attractions of London, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament. the British Museum, Piccadilly Circus and many others are all situated in the West End. Hotels in that area are, therefore, very much favored by visitors. The boundaries of the districts of this part of Central London are shown on the West End Districts Map.
The West End Hotel Directory is arranged by district, permitting easy selection of a hotel in a district whose attractions are particularly appealing.
Bloomsbury
Its heart is Russell Square, surrounded by moderately priced hotels. Close by is the British Museum, home of the famous Elgin Marbles. The district is a center of arts and education thanks to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and several colleges and universities.
Covent Garden
Renowned theaters and places of entertainment such as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, many of the famous Broadway musicals had their London openings.
Holborn
The bastion of the law profession. The Old Bailey Courthouse is located there, steeped in British history and tradition.
Fitzrovia
A mixed residential-business area. Once the center of the furniture trade, it is now the home of many film and media companies. The close to 600ft tall British Telecom Tower on Cleveland Street, built in the 1960s, dominates the landscape.
Pollock's Toy Museum occupies two joined together houses from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Marylebone
A London bedroom community with an abundance of moderately priced hotels.The northern end of Maylebone is a neighborhood called Lisson Grove. At one time it was London's worst crime-ridden slum, the supposed home of Eliza, the heroine of My Fair Lady. Of course, by now, things have much improved. In that area, right next to Regent's Park is London's Central Mosque. Near there, on Baker Street. is the Sherlock Holmes Museum, and, on Marylebone Rd. Madame Tussauds, the wax museum and the Royal Academy of Music.
Mayfair
The most fashionable district of London. It has many posh hotels and homes and upscale shops. It is also close to London landmarks and entertainment centers. Grosvenor Square is the site of the American Embassy and memorials to President Roosevelt and the victims of 9/11
Soho
It had to live down a seedy reputation to become a tourism center for dining and entertainment.
Chinatown is at its southern end, centered about Gerrard Street near Leicester Square. The latter is a pedestrians area, where half price theater tickets are for sale. Nearby is Piccadilly Circus, which is the very busy intersection of several major thoroughfares and the hub of London activity
St. James’s
Famous mansions and offices of large corporations. You will also find here the traditional British Gentlemen’s Clubs and Christie’s, the renowned auction house.
Westminster
This district is not to be confused with the much larger City of Westminster of which it is part. It contains important landmarks such as Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster and Whitehall, the seat of British government. Trafalgar Square is a central location with Nelson's Column commemorating the British naval victory in the Battle of Trafalgar. On the Square are also the National Gallery and the famous church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. .
The Temple
A small area straddling the Cities of London and Westminster. It is another bastion of English law, housing two Inns of Court which are lawyers’ organizations with extensive professional responsibilities.
|
|
|
