West End of London
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|---|---|
| Entertainment district,central business district | |
  West End of London Location withinGreater London | |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | W1 |
| Postcode district | WC2 |
| Postcode district | EC1, EC2 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°30′47″N0°07′30″W / 51.51306°N 0.12500°W /51.51306; -0.12500 | |
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TheWest End of London (commonly referred to asthe West End) is a district ofCentralLondon, England in theLondon Boroughs of Camden and theCity of Westminster. It is west of theCity of London and north of theRiver Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings and entertainment venues, includingWest End theatres, are concentrated - and as such the term "West End" is used internationally as ametonym for London's theatre district and associated performing arts scene - just as "Broadway" is used to describe that ofNew York City.
The term was first used in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west ofCharing Cross.[1]
While theCity of London is the main financial district in London, the West End is the main commercial and entertainment centre of the city. It is the largestcentral business district in the United Kingdom. It is one of the most expensive locations in the world in which to rent commercial and office space.
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MedievalLondon comprised two adjacent cities – theCity of London in the east, and theCity of Westminster in the west.
Over time they came to form the centre of modern London, although each kept its own distinct character and its separate legal identity (for example, the City of London has its own police force and is a distinctcounty). The City of London became a centre for the banking, financial, legal and professional sectors, while Westminster became associated with the leisure, shopping, commerce, and entertainment sectors, the government, and home touniversities andembassies. The modern West End is closely associated with this area of central London.
Lying to the west of the historicRoman and medieval City of London, the West End was long favoured by the rich elite as a place of residence because it was usually upwind of the smoke drifting from the crowded City.[2] It was close to the royal seat of power at thePalace of Westminster (now home toparliament), and is largely contained within the City of Westminster (one of the 32London boroughs).
TheGreat Fire of London did not directly affect the West End a great deal, but the huge loss of housing in the City of London, led to a building boom in the west.[3] This began with an initial development byHenry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans in the 1660s. Then during the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, it was built as a series of palaces, expensive town houses, fashionable shops and places of entertainment. The areas closest to the City aroundHolborn,Seven Dials, andCovent Garden contained poorer communities that were cleared and redeveloped in the 19th century.
As the West End is a term used colloquially by Londoners and is not an official geographical or municipal definition, its exact constituent parts are up for debate.Westminster City Council's 2005 reportVision for the West End included the following areas in its definition:Covent Garden,Soho,Chinatown,Leicester Square, the shopping streets ofOxford Street,Regent Street andBond Street, the area encompassingTrafalgar Square, theStrand andAldwych, and the district known asTheatreland. TheEdgware Road to the north-west and theVictoria Embankment to the south-east were also covered by the document but were treated as "adjacent areas" to the West End.[4]
According to Ed Glinert'sWest End Chronicles (2006) the districts falling within the West End areMayfair,Soho,Covent Garden,Fitzrovia andMarylebone.[5] By this definition, the West End bordersTemple,Holborn andBloomsbury to the east,Regent's Park to the north,Paddington,Hyde Park andKnightsbridge to the west, andVictoria andWestminster to the south. Other definitions include Bloomsbury within the West End.[6]
One of theCity of Westminsterwards is called "West End". This electoral unit includes some of the most prosperous areas of the borough, includingSoho,Mayfair and parts of southernMarylebone.[7] The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 10,575.[8]
As part of theLondon Government Act 1963, the West End covers parts of the boroughs ofWestminster andCamden.[9]
The West End is laid out with many notablepublic squares and circuses.
London Underground stations in the West End include:
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