The West End

To the west and north of Trafalgar Square is the West End, which is usually regarded as the center of town because it is London’s shopping and entertainment hub.

The busiest shopping area is Oxford Street, where such large department stores as Selfridges, John Lewis, and Marks and Spencer are located.

Other well-known shopping areas include Knightsbridge, the location of Harrods department store; and Piccadilly, where Fortnum and Mason specializes in fine food.

The main entertainment attractions are scattered throughout the Soho and Covent Garden sections, northeast of Piccadilly.

Soho and Covent Garden were created as residential areas in the 17th century, but now are home to shops, theaters, and street entertainers.

The Royal Opera House and most of London’s 40 or so major theaters are here, as are the large movie houses, and hundreds of restaurants, cafés, and bars.

Located just west of Soho and Covent Garden in the West End is a more residential area.

Much of the urban design here is based on the residential square, an imitation of European precedents, with uniform houses built around an open space. The houses on these squares were often built for the aristocracy and the upper middle class.

The relatively dense development of this area is broken up by a series of Royal Parks, areas once owned by the Crown, including Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and Regent’s Park.

In the northern part of the West End is Bloomsbury, the city’s traditional intellectual center, with its concentration of bookshops and homes of writers and academics.

In the early 20th century a number of famous writers, critics, and artists who lived here became known as the Bloomsbury Group. Here, too, is the British Museum, one of London’s chief tourist attractions.

Nearby is the giant complex of the University of London, whose various colleges and departments have taken over much of Bloomsbury.