Flickr, IMAGYKA PHOTO

Sometimes the word circus is incorrectly translated as “circus.” In fact, this word, meaning “circle,” refers to the very popular practice in England of organizing traffic by creating roundabouts (though some “circuses” in London are ordinary intersections, for example, Oxford Circus). Since 1906, the eponymous station of two Underground lines has been located beneath it. The main attractions of Piccadilly Circus are the huge neon advertisements and the statue installed in 1892 in memory of the charitable work of Lord Shaftesbury, a well-known philanthropist of the Victorian era. Created by the sculptor Sir Alfred Gilbert, the statue depicts Anteros and personifies “mature and thoughtful love, as opposed to Eros—the frivolous and fickle tyrant.” Anteros was the younger twin brother of Eros. On the corner of Regent Street stand the County Fire Office and Swan and Edgar buildings. However, this elaborate explanation never really won popularity with the masses.

Flickr, Jorge Gaviria

Leicester Square is one of the liveliest squares in London. As a rule, people come here not only because of its central location, but also because you can find entertainment here for almost every taste.

Above all, Leicester Square is famous for its nightclubs. For lively dancing, London's young people most often choose the dance floor of the Hippodrome.

Those who prefer a quieter break can read a book on a bench among the flowerbeds and admire how the emerald-green lawn glistens in the sun.

Leicester Square is surrounded by several multiplex cinemas. In the largest of them—the Empire—you can often encounter celebrities and even the royal family at premieres. By the way, they say that spotting a VIP here is an everyday occurrence. But if you still don't manage to meet Rowan Atkinson or Robert Pattinson, take a walk around the square—you can at least study the slabs with movie actors' handprints.

But what we can definitely guarantee you is a meeting with William Shakespeare, Charlie Chaplin, Isaac Newton, and a couple of other interesting figures. The sculptures of these geniuses installed in Leicester Square give the square a special charm.

Flickr, almonkey

The National Gallery is a museum in London containing more than 2000 examples of Western European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century. It is the fifth most visited museum in the world. The National Gallery is located on Trafalgar Square. The paintings in the gallery are exhibited in chronological order. The gallery opened on April 9, 1839. Sometimes May 1824 is considered the founding date, when the Angerstein collection of 38 paintings was acquired and became the core of the future gallery. In 1824 the government decided to acquire the collection of the banker Angerstein: five landscapes by Claude Lorrain, Sebastiano del Piombo’s canvas “The Raising of Lazarus,” Titian’s “Venus and Adonis,” Rubens’s “The Rape of the Sabine Women,” Hogarth’s series “Marriage A-la-Mode,” Reynolds’s portrait of Admiral Heathfield, and Wilkie’s “The Village Festival.” The paintings were exhibited at No. 100 Pall Mall. On April 2, 1824, Parliament decreed that 57 thousand pounds sterling be allocated for this purpose together with 3 thousand pounds for the gallery’s initial needs.

Flickr, almonkey

Trafalgar Square (English: Trafalgar Square) is a square in the center of London where three major Westminster streets—Strand, Whitehall, and the Mall—meet on the site of Charing Cross. It was originally called King William IV Square, but received its final name in honor of England’s victory at Trafalgar in 1805. The square is an important transport hub. Charing Cross station of the Bakerloo and Northern lines also opens onto it. In the center of the square stands Nelson’s Column of dark-gray granite, 44 m high and crowned with a statue of Admiral Nelson. The four sides of the column are decorated with reliefs made from captured and recast Napoleonic cannons. It was built in 1840–1843, and is surrounded by lion sculptures and fountains. At the corners of the square are four sculptures. Around the square are the National Gallery, the Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields (arch. J. Gibbs, 1721), Admiralty Arch, and several embassies.

Flickr, almonkey

Nelson’s Column (English: Nelson's Column) is a monument located in the center of Trafalgar Square in London (England). The column was built between 1840 and 1843 in memory of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The 5.5-meter statue of Nelson stands on top of the 46-meter granite column. The statue faces south, toward the Admiralty and Portsmouth—the place where Nelson’s flagship, the Royal Navy ship “HMS Victory,” is berthed. The top of the Corinthian column is decorated with a bronze leaf-shaped ornament cast from English cannons. The square pedestal is decorated with four bronze panels cast from captured French cannons, depicting 4 famous victories of Nelson. Part of the inner base is made from 29 artillery guns brought from “HMS Royal George,” a ship of the same class as “HMS Victory.”

Flickr, ShaneMcDonald

The Westminster church dedicated to St Martin of Tours is first mentioned in 1222. The current church building was erected in the 1720s according to the classical design of James Gibbs, which in its time was received ambiguously, but later became a revered example of English church architecture, especially in New England, where many old churches repeat the appearance of the church on Trafalgar Square. The building is a classical temple of the Corinthian order, above which rises a slender bell tower, and its spire is crowned with a golden crown. The interior recalls the churches of Christopher Wren. A cafe for the homeless is arranged in the crypt.

Flickr, almonkey

Covent Garden (English: Covent Garden) is a district in central London, in the eastern part of the West End between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane[1]. The district is associated with the fruit and vegetable market that once occupied the central square here, and is now a popular shopping destination and tourist attraction together with the Royal Opera House located here, also known as “Covent Garden.” The district is divided by its main artery, Long Acre (English: Long Acre (street)), north of which are small independent shops, mainly located in Neal's Yard (English: Neal's Yard) and Seven Dials (English: Seven Dials), while to the south lies the central square with street performers and most of the beautiful buildings, theaters, and entertainment venues, including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the London Transport Museum. Although until the 16th century these were mostly fields, the area was briefly settled when it became the heart of the Anglo-Saxon town of Lundenwic[2].