Piccadilly Circus
is a famous traffic
intersection and public space of London's
West
End in the City of Westminster. Built in 1819 to connect
Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly The
Latin word circus (meaning circle) refers to a "circular open
space at a street junction"), it now links directly to the
theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue as
well as Haymarket, Coventry Street (onwards to
Leicester Square) and
Glasshouse Street. The Circus is close to major shopping and
entertainment areas in a central location at the heart of the
West End Its status as a major traffic intersection has
made Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting point and a tourist
attraction in its own right.
The Circus is particularly known for its video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building on the northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue known as 'Eros' (sometimes called 'The Angel of Christian Charity', which would be better translated as 'Agape', but formally 'Anteros' - see below). It is surrounded by several noted buildings, including the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre. Directly underneath the plaza is the London Underground station Piccadilly Circus.