Overview

Located east of the West End between St Martins Lane and Drury Lane lies Covent Garden. A once popular fruit and vegetable market it is awash with popular boutique shops, attractions, street performers, tourists and the odd market stall. The thoroughfare of Long Acre divides Covent Garden in two, north of this divide you will find independent Shops centred around the area of Seven Dialls, while south of the divide you will find street performers, elegant building, theatre and entertainment facilities, including the Royal theatre and the London transport Museum.

Brief History

Mainly a field until around 1200, when Saxons briefly settled and it became a trading post, later part of the area was walled off by Westminster so that it could be used to farm and hold orchard and was referred to as the garden of Abbey and Covent. The Fruit and vegetable market began trading around 1654 but over time this once reputable area began to loss it status as taverns, theatres and  a red light emerged. It wasn't until 1830 that parliament saw fit to try and improve the area at the time this involved erecting a building that would house that market. As the area become more popular extensions were added to the building  but  the increasing traffic congestion and increasing population caused the building to moved to where it stands now as a shopping centre and has done so since the 1980's.

Attractions

Some the attractions in Covent Garden include Seven Dials, Theatre Museum, Covent Garden Piazza. Below is a short description of each attraction

Seven Dials

Seven Dials is close to Covent Garden yet it seems far removed from the crowds of tourists. This funky, laid-back neighbourhood has unique shops and vintage clothing stores that offer something different from the usual high street. You’ll also find plenty of charming cafes, pubs and restaurants to arouse your appetite.

Theatre Museum

A branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, this is the national museum for the performing arts. It is host to exhibits charting the history of performance from Shakespearean times to the present day. The origins of the museum began in 1911, but the museum as it is today was founded in 1974. Along with the Victoria and Albert collection, the museum has acquired artefacts from the Royal Court Theatre and the Design Council and many more sources. 

Covent Garden Piazza

Convent Garden Piazza is the location of the world famous Covent Garden Market. In the early seventeenth century Inigo Jones was responsible for designing the square, his love of Italian neo-classicism architecture is obvious in the design of the piazza.

The market held here consists of over forty stalls selling a variety of quality goods including antiques, clothing and craft items. The piazza is a favourite location for street performers , where Peruvian and classical musicians can regularly be found in the courtyards amidst the stalls. The area is one of the few remaining large pedestrianised areas left in London and as such also attracts large numbers of pedestrians! Many shops and restaurants now cater for the new brand of visitor. Because of the number of visitors that the market attracts, Covent Garden Piazza has its own underground station to ferry these visitors to and from the markets.