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Burlington House

St. James's · 0.1 miles

A prominent landmark on Piccadilly in Mayfair, Burlington House stands close to the St James’s district and exemplifies the transition from 17th-century private mansion to a centre for national learned societies. The original red-brick, double-pile house was begun around 1664 by Sir John Denham and completed after its 1667 sale to Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington. Subsequent generations of the Burlington family reshaped the building: a quadrant Doric colonnade and a re-configured staircase were added under James Gibbs, while Colen Campbell and William Kent introduced Palladian façades, Venetian windows and richly coved ceilings that remain among London’s most elaborate interiors. The government acquired the property in 1854, averting demolition plans for a new university campus, and by 1857 the Royal Society, the Linnean Society and the Chemical Society had taken occupancy. In 1867 the Royal Academy of Arts secured a 999-year lease for the main block, adding top-lit galleries and a third storey under Sidney Smirke’s design. Today the Royal Academy and five further learned societies continue to use the building, preserving its historic rooms such as the Saloon, the staircase by Sebastiano Ricci and Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, and the “Fine Rooms” en filade created by Samuel Ware. The site therefore offers a tangible record of English Baroque and Neo-Palladian architecture alongside ongoing scholarly activity.

Burlington Arcade

St. James's · 0.1 miles

A covered shopping arcade stretches for 196 yards between Piccadilly and Burlington Gardens, running parallel to Bond Street in the City of Westminster. Commissioned by George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington, and designed by Samuel Ware, the passage opened on 20 March 1819 on the former side garden of Burlington House. Its original layout comprised a single, top-lit corridor lined with 72 two-storey units, a format that anticipated later European galleries and is recognised as an early example of a modern shopping mall. The arcade lies within the St James’s area and can be reached from either Piccadilly or Bond Street, with the nearby Piccadilly Arcade offering a comparable experience. Since its inception the arcade has maintained a reputation for upscale retail, now hosting around 40 shops that include clothing, footwear, accessories, art and antique dealers, and specialist jewellers in antique silver. Traditional beadles in top hats and frock coats patrol the promenade, enforcing a long-standing ban on singing, humming, whistling and other noisy conduct that dates back to its early days. The Piccadilly façade, enhanced with sculptures by Benjamin Clemens in 1911, adds a decorative touch to the historic interior. Although the arcade has survived fires, wartime damage and a 1964 robbery, it remains a protected landmark where visitors can stroll beneath its glazed roof without an admission charge.

Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain

St. James's · 0.1 miles

A striking water feature and memorial occupies the south-eastern edge of Piccadilly Circus, overlooking the south-west end of Shaftesbury Avenue. The bronze fountain supports a winged aluminium figure representing Anteros, the Greek god of selfless love, although it is commonly, though incorrectly, referred to as Eros. Erected between 1892 and 1893, the monument commemorates the philanthropic work of Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, whose campaigns replaced child labour with schooling. The statue was the first in the world cast in aluminium and was designed by Alfred Gilbert, who chose the subject to symbolise the Earl’s charitable legacy. The memorial has been relocated twice: first in 1925 to Embankment Gardens during construction of a tube station, then again in 1939 when the statue was stored for safety during the Second World War, before returning to its present position on 29 June 1947. The fountain’s bronze basin and marine-inspired motifs were moulded by Fernando Meacci and likely cast by George Broad & Son. Visitors can view the monument at no charge; it forms part of a heavily trafficked public thoroughfare and is reachable on foot from nearby transport links. Wheelchair access is limited, reflecting the site’s historic layout. The surrounding area falls within the St. James’s district and the fountain is listed as a historic memorial under heritage protection.

Piccadilly Circus

St. James's · 0.1 miles

A busy traffic junction and public space in London’s West End, Piccadilly Circus links Piccadilly with Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, the Haymarket, Coventry Street and Glasshouse Street. Situated in the St James’s area of the City of Westminster, the site sits close to the main shopping and entertainment districts that define the West End, making it a frequent meeting point for both locals and visitors. The northern corner is recognisable for its illuminated video displays and neon signage, while the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain and the statue of Anteros stand at the southwestern edge of the roundabout. The layout dates back to 1819 when it was created to join Regent Street with Piccadilly, originally known as Regent Circus South. Over the years the circular form disappeared and the junction became a one-way roundabout in 1926, with traffic lights added the same year. Beneath the plaza lies Piccadilly Circus underground station, served by the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines since 1906. Surrounding the space are notable buildings such as the London Pavilion and the Criterion Theatre, and the area hosts a variety of retail outlets, restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Access is via the underground station and the surrounding road network; entry to the public space is free and there are no admission charges.

Soho Square Gardens

Soho · 0.6 miles

A garden square in Soho, central London, has functioned as a de facto public park since 1954 when the Soho Square Garden Committee let the space to Westminster City Council. The square, originally named King Square after Charles II, retains a weathered statue of the monarch that has occupied the site intermittently since 1661. At its heart stands a listed, octagonal mock “market cross” erected in 1926 to conceal an electricity sub-station; the timber-framed structure is a distinctive visual feature. Surrounding the garden are thirty buildings, sixteen of which are listed, reflecting the square’s long association with notable residents, from 18th-century merchants and artists to contemporary creative and charitable organisations such as the British Board of Film Classification and Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church. During the summer months the garden hosts open-air concerts that are free to the public, providing a cultural use of the green space. Access is unrestricted for pedestrians, and as a public park there is no admission charge. The City of Westminster is responsible for its upkeep, and dogs are not permitted within the gardens. The location is readily reachable on foot from the surrounding Soho streets, and the surrounding listed façades contribute to the historic ambience for visitors.

William III

St. James's · 0.6 miles

The bronze equestrian monument of William III dominates St James’s Square in central London, presenting the former king as a Roman-style commander astride a spirited horse. The figure, rendered in the classical dress of a general yet retaining the late-17th-century hairstyle of the monarch, stands on a plinth that bears two bronze-lettered panels: one inscribed “GVLIELMVS III” and the other “I. BACON, IVNR. SCVLPTR. 1807”. According to scholarly interpretation, the base also incorporates a reference to the molehill at Hampton Court over which William’s horse Sorrel stumbled, an incident linked to the king’s fatal illness. The work is recognised as a Grade I listed structure, the highest protection for buildings and monuments of exceptional interest, and is recorded in OpenStreetMap as a memorial-type monument. The idea of honouring William III in St James’s Square originated in 1697, when supporters first proposed a statue, but the scheme failed to progress despite further attempts in 1710 and 1721. A bequest in the 1724 will of MP Samuel Travers earmarked funds for an equestrian brass statue, yet no action followed for another seventy years. In 1794 the commission was awarded to John Bacon Senior, England’s leading sculptor at the time, but his death passed the project to his son, John Bacon Junior, who completed and erected the statue in 1808. Initially set within an octagonal pool, the water feature was drained during the 19th century, leaving the monument exposed on the square’s pavement for public viewing.