LONDON EVENTS

Seven Dials

Seven Dials is one of London's most fashionable areas located in Covent Garden and Theatreland.

It has a warren of streets which Dickens immortalized in one of his famous quotes in 'Sketches by Boz' and although a trendy area to visit, this was once a slum-area notorious for it's gin houses and bawdy taverns.

It was Thomas Neale MP (1641 - 1699) who visualized and helped make the area what it is today. Neale was responsible for the construction of the famous Sundial Pillar (see in picture above), which was topped by six sundial faces with the seventh being the column itself.

The area includes streets such Monmouth Street, Shorts Gardens and Neal Street (named after the great man himself). Also in the area is Earlham Street which is famous for it's flower market and the Bodley Head publishers who amongst many things published Charlie Chaplin’s autobiography.

Neal's Centre (an old banana warehouse) is now the popular and trendy area known as Neal's Yard which is just off Monmouth Street and Shorts Gardens.

Since the seventeenth century this area has been home to homeopaths and astrologers and the cobbled streets now include shops for alternative medicine, new-age shops like Mysteries and vegetarian cafes such as Neal's Yard Salad Bar.

Places to Eat in Covent Garden

Covent Garden Shops

London Restaurants

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