Although you can go shopping in a variety of places in Europe and the UK, the most famous UK shopping destination is Oxford Street in the West End of London, which is supposedly the longest shopping street in Europe, as the street stretches to an impressive mile and a half long.
Originally, Oxford Street was called Tyburn Road, and it had this name because the river Tyburn ran underneath it. It first began to develop as a major thoroughfare when prisoners began to be transported from Newgate Prison so that they could be hanged at Tybrun Tree, which now goes by the name of Marble Arch.
It was the Earl of Oxford who changed the street's name in the eighteenth century, and it was also the Earl who changed the street into an area for shopping. Oxford Street was bombed during the Second World War, but this didn't impede the Street's recovery for too long. Now, you can see Christmas lights on the streets every year, and congestion at Oxford Circus has been eased due to a redesign of the pedestrian crossings in 2009.
In the eighteenth century, there was also a lively market at Covent Garden's famous Piazza. The design of the Piazza was altered in the nineteenth century by Charles Fowler so that it became a Market Building. The change meant that the Piazza lost its open plan layout, and instead became home to a complex of buildings.
In the nineteenth century you could find a series of residential arcades by Inigo Jones, although none now survive. Henry Clutton did try to recreate them when he designed buildings for the ninth Duke of Bedford in the 1870s, but to no avail. The Piazza underwent many rebuilds and redesigns over the years, and the main focal point of the site is now the Market Building, where you can find an array of shops and restaurants.
The Market Building was designed by the GLC architectural department, and they found that they had to excavate the southern hall to meet fire safety standards, and so now you can find a floor of shops at basement level. The architects also added large lanterns to the building, which have pineapples on top of them, and this is a homage to the previous use of the building.
Any keen shoppers would also do well to go to the Seven Dials, which is in fact a collection of streets. These were originally named Little and Great Earl Street, Little and Great White Lyon Street, Queen Street, and Little and Great St. Andrew's Street, although they now go by the names of Earlham Street, Mercer Street, Shorts Gardens, and Monmouth Street respectively.
The Seven Dials also had a centrepiece known as the Sundial Pillar, which was created between 1693 and 1694 by Edward Pierce, a prominent stonemason. It was a very popular centrepiece and was composed of six sundials and a column. Together, these seven elements were a nod to the name of the area.
Originally, Oxford Street was called Tyburn Road, and it had this name because the river Tyburn ran underneath it. It first began to develop as a major thoroughfare when prisoners began to be transported from Newgate Prison so that they could be hanged at Tybrun Tree, which now goes by the name of Marble Arch.
It was the Earl of Oxford who changed the street's name in the eighteenth century, and it was also the Earl who changed the street into an area for shopping. Oxford Street was bombed during the Second World War, but this didn't impede the Street's recovery for too long. Now, you can see Christmas lights on the streets every year, and congestion at Oxford Circus has been eased due to a redesign of the pedestrian crossings in 2009.
In the eighteenth century, there was also a lively market at Covent Garden's famous Piazza. The design of the Piazza was altered in the nineteenth century by Charles Fowler so that it became a Market Building. The change meant that the Piazza lost its open plan layout, and instead became home to a complex of buildings.
In the nineteenth century you could find a series of residential arcades by Inigo Jones, although none now survive. Henry Clutton did try to recreate them when he designed buildings for the ninth Duke of Bedford in the 1870s, but to no avail. The Piazza underwent many rebuilds and redesigns over the years, and the main focal point of the site is now the Market Building, where you can find an array of shops and restaurants.
The Market Building was designed by the GLC architectural department, and they found that they had to excavate the southern hall to meet fire safety standards, and so now you can find a floor of shops at basement level. The architects also added large lanterns to the building, which have pineapples on top of them, and this is a homage to the previous use of the building.
Any keen shoppers would also do well to go to the Seven Dials, which is in fact a collection of streets. These were originally named Little and Great Earl Street, Little and Great White Lyon Street, Queen Street, and Little and Great St. Andrew's Street, although they now go by the names of Earlham Street, Mercer Street, Shorts Gardens, and Monmouth Street respectively.
The Seven Dials also had a centrepiece known as the Sundial Pillar, which was created between 1693 and 1694 by Edward Pierce, a prominent stonemason. It was a very popular centrepiece and was composed of six sundials and a column. Together, these seven elements were a nod to the name of the area.
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