Covent Garden Hotels

Covent Garden, London - Guide

Covent Garden - General Information

Few areas of London blend gentility and raffishness, ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture in quite the same way as Covent Garden. The location of posh emporia, cheap tourist shops, the Royal Opera House and numerous street performers of varying ability, it has fascinated generations of visitors.

Covent Garden - A brief history

Covent Garden was originally designed in the mid-17th century by architect Inigo Jones, in the style of an Italian piazza. At first it was home to some of London’s wealthiest residents, but the boisterous, rapidly expanding fruit and vegetable market in the centre of the square drove them out. For a long time thereafter, Covent Garden was a stew of pubs, gambling dens and bawdy houses – though its numerous theatres, as well as the Opera House, meant that the well heeled continued to patronise it (as demonstrated in the opening scene of the musical My Fair Lady.) In the mid-1970s the fruit and vegetable market was moved south to Nine Elms and the area became gentrified once more, with the central building redeveloped as a shopping centre with attractive terraced bars from which you can look down on the square’s ceaseless activity.

The Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Though there has been an Opera House at Covent Garden since the mid-19th century, only the façade, foyer and auditorium remain from the original building. The rest is the result of an extensive modernisation, refurbishment and expansion that took place towards the end of the 1990s. Home to the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet, the venue today seats 2268 people in four tiers of boxes and balconies – as well as the Amphitheatre gallery – and is reputedly the most modern theatre facility in Europe. Even if you don’t plan to attend an opera or ballet, it’s well worth looking around. As part of the redevelopment, the dilapidated Floral Hall, long a part of the old Covent Garden Market, was spruced up and made part of the Opera House complex itself, creating a new and extensive public gathering place. There’s also the Amphitheatre Bar, where you can enjoy a (pricey) meal or drink while taking in spectacular views across Covent Garden.

Theatreland

“Theatreland” is the term commonly given to London’s main theatre district, traditionally defined by The Strand to the south, Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west, and Kingsway to the east. The main artery of Theatreland is Shaftesbury Avenue, which plays host to such world famous theatres as the Lyric, the Apollo, the Gielgud, the Queen’s and the Palace. However, the area also comprises equally celebrated theatres, such as the Adelphi, the Prince of Wales, the Prince Edward, the Criterion, Her Majesty’s and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Many of these theatres are notable landmarks in themselves, with imposing Romanesque and Neoclassical façades and opulent interiors – if sometimes dated facilities. In spite of this, the term “West End Theatre” can be used to encompass not only Theatreland, but also venues on the South Bank of the Thames, such as the Globe Theatre and the National Theatre.

Perennially popular musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables aside, West End theatre has been given a significant boost in recent years by the presence on the London stage of such Hollywood stars as Brooke Shields, Val Kilmer, Rob Lowe, David Schwimmer and Kevin Spacey (the last demonstrating an ongoing commitment by taking over as Artistic Director of the Old Vic in 2004.) Add to this development, the opening of several popular new musicals like Billy Elliot and The Producers and Theatreland is in as healthy a state as it has been for many years.