Leicester Square station opened in1906 as part of the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (now the Piccadilly Line). Like other deep tube stations of that era it was designed by Leslie Green and features the oxblood terracotta tiles on the exterior. Not that you can see them on any of the photos I took!
The station was rebuilt in the 1930s to designs by Willliam Holden and then renovated in the 1980s.
During the last renovations, both sets of platforms had geometric patterns added to the tops and bottoms of the platform walls.
The station services both the Northern and Piccadilly lines. It is a large station with four exits.
The Hippodrome theatre opened its doors in January 1900 with a circus and a variety show. When it opened it boasted that it could produce everything from singers, orchestras to aquatic performances with seafaring craft floating in a 100,000 gallon tank. In the 1950s it was completely refurbished to become the 'Talk of the Town', a nightclub with acts such as Tom Jones, Cilla black and Cliff Richard. Its next reincarnation was as a casino with four levels of gaming space which is its current function.
Easier to spot are the Lion and the Unicorn at the top of the facade.
Leicester Square is named after the 2nd Earl of Leicester who constructed a large residence here in 1631, which included a large square open to the public. The house was demolished in 1792. In the 19th century theatres as well as hotels moved into the area. Then in the 20th century the area became known for its entertainment venues such as cinemas, theatres and casinos. The square was renovated in time for the London Olympics in 2012 and is a popular tourist attraction.
The Odeon Leicester Square was constructed on the site of the Alhambra theatre in 1937. The first film shown there was 'The Prisoner of Zenda' starring Ronald Colman. It could seat 2116 and the seats were covered in mock leopard skin. Today it is Britain's largest single screen cinema. The Odeon still contains the original Compton Rank organ which was used to accompany silent films. It is still played on special occasions including some film premieres. I hadn't realised, until I had a close look at this photo but Batman, the caped crusader is standing on top of the Odeon, in sculpture form, obviously.
At the other side of the square is another Odeon which is a multiplex cinema with five smaller screens.
Also on the Square is the Empire which started life in 1884 as a Music Hall. When converted into a cinema it had 4000 seats but was split up in 1967 into a smaller seat theatre with the rest of the building becoming the Empire Ballroom. That ballroom has now been transformed into a casino and entertainment venue.
There is always a queue to get into the Leicester Square M & M's store. Advertised as the world's largest candy store, it is spread over four floors. The most impressive part is a wall of different coloured M &M's with over one hundred from which to choose. On the opposite corner is the Lego store another popular destination for families.
This part of the Square is called Swiss Court as a token of the friendship between Switzerland and the UK. Where M & M now stands there used to be The Swiss Centre, built to promote Switzerland as a tourist destination. . Its main attraction however was the Swiss Glockenspiel which chimed every hour and had 11 figures, dressed in Swiss national costume rotating around the clock. The building was demolished in 2008 to make way for a new hotel and the M &M store.
In 2011 the Swiss Glockenspiel was returned to Swiss Court, now a free standing version that still plays the 27 bells .
A few metres away from the clock is the Cantonal Tree which displays the coats of arms of the 26 Swiss cantons. It was a gift from Switzerland to the UK on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of H.M Queen Elizabeth II.
There are many more sculptures in the square depicting characters from the last 100 years of cinema. Above is Gene Kelly from Singing in the Rain.
Laurel and Hardy are perched on top of the Ticket Booth representing a scene from the 1929 film Liberty where the two of them balanced on the top of a skyscraper.
The 1964 film Mary Poppins.
Leaving the Square from the north-east corner takes you past the Notre Dame de France Roman Catholic church. The building known as the 'Panorama' was used to exhibit Burford's panoramas.
Burford's Panorama - Among the various attractive exhibitions of London, is that belonging to Mr. Burford, situated at the Eastern corner of Leicester Square, where a series of unrivalled productions, from the pencil of that distinguished painter, afford a truly gratifying treat to the curious in topographical delineation. There are, generally, two views of celebrated places; admission to each view, 1s., and catalogues 6d.
New Picture of London and Visitor's Guide to it Sights, 1844
(I found this description at the following website:
https://www.victorianlondon.org/entertainment/panoramals.htm)
A mission was established here by the Marist fathers in conjunction with the French Sisters of Charity. The sisters were also responsible for the establishment of a hospital, dispensary, girls' school and creche.
Continuing past the church the passageway brings you out in Chinatown. Here in the West End of London, Chinatown is comparatively new, developing in the 1960s onwards. The Chinese gates were erected in the 1980s. The original Chinatown was over on the other side of London in the East End. From the late 1700s, Chinese seamen were brought to London to load and unload ships. They were mainly recruited by the exploitative East India Company. Chinese sailors were paid less than half that of the British sailors. A number of them decided to stay on and live in the East End. By 1914 there was a Chinese community with new restaurants and shops catering for sailors. Limehouse where many of the Chinese had settled had a lot of poverty and overcrowding. With the severe economic depression of the 1930s and the bombing of the area in the 1940s many of the Chinese community moved to the more affluent West end of London. Soldiers returning from the Far East had developed a taste for Far Eastern food and so there was a call for Chinese restaurants and supermarkets. Nowadays it has everything from Chinese barbers to travel agents.
The building to the left of the Chinese gates has a blue plaque referring to the Magic Circle. The Headquarters of the Magic Circle is not too far away near Euston. It is apparently open to the public so I must search it out when I am visiting Euston station which is just 3 stops from here. To gain entry to the Circle, magicians have to prove their skill and give their word to abide by their Latin motto Indocilis private loqui: not apt to disclose secrets.
Most of the restaurants and shops are on Gerrard Street and surrounding streets.
Walking back towards Leicester Square I came across this 18th century building in Wardour Street.
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The Exchange and Bullion Office 1798. These were the premises of goldsmith and bullion dealer Benjamin Smart who , along with future members of his family, traded here in the 18th and 19th century. During the 17th and 18th centuries, gold replaced silver coinage and England became the centre of the world gold exchange.
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Walking back to the station, I noticed this frieze going around the LSQ building in the Square. The 1920s building has been recently refurbished on the inside bringing it up to modern standards but the facade remains unchanged apart from these blackbirds which have been fixed to covered windows. The frieze has been influenced by the early development of motion pictures in particular by the photographic studies of motion by Edward Muybridge.
Probably unnoticed by most passers-by but definitely worth a second look.
I have kept this visit just to the square and adjoining streets as there are a few other tube stations close by which I have already written about such as Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross.
