Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a lively district in London, close to the West End. It is best known for its historic central square, which was once a busy fruit-and-vegetable market. Today, the square is a popular spot for tourists, filled with shops, cafes, and street performers. The area is also home to the famous Royal Opera House, often simply called "Covent Garden."

Long ago, the area was fields before becoming part of an old trading town. Over time, it was used for growing food and later became a fashionable place with grand houses designed by the architect Inigo Jones. By the 1600s, a market had formed, and the area grew busy with theatres and other lively activities.

In the 1800s, a large building was constructed to organize the market better. Later, the market moved to a new location, and the old market building became a shopping center. Today, Covent Garden is enjoyed by visitors for its history, entertainment, and beautiful architecture. It is served by the Piccadilly line at Covent Garden tube station, making it easy to reach from other parts of London.

History

During the time of the Romans, the area now known as Covent Garden was part of a route leading to a place called Silchester. Later, around the year 600 AD, a trading town named Lundenwic grew in the area, with Covent Garden at its center. Eventually, the settlement moved to the old Roman town of Londinium.

The first record of a garden in this area comes from around the year 1200 AD, when it belonged to monks from Westminster Abbey. By the 13th century, this garden had grown to cover a large area between modern streets. In 1552, King Edward VI gave this land to the Russell family, who began building houses and a church there. Over time, Covent Garden became a busy place with shops, markets, and entertainment.

In the 18th century, the area became well-known for its market and lively atmosphere. By the 1960s, traffic made it hard to use the square for markets anymore, but people worked together to protect the historic buildings. Today, Covent Garden is a popular shopping and tourist spot, keeping its historic charm while changing to meet modern needs.

Geography

Covent Garden is an area in London that used to be defined by the Bedford Estate, with Drury Lane to the east, the Strand to the south, St Martin's Lane to the west, and Long Acre to the north. Over time, the area known as Covent Garden has grown north past Long Acre to High Holborn. Since 1971, Charing Cross Road is sometimes seen as the western edge because of the Covent Garden Conservation Area.

Long Acre is the main road, going northeast from St Martin's Lane to Drury Lane. To the south of Long Acre are important places like the Royal Opera House, the market, and central square, along with many beautiful buildings, theatres, and fun spots such as the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the London Transport Museum. North of Long Acre, you'll find lots of shops around Neal Street, Neal's Yard, and Seven Dials, plus some homes like Odhams Walk, built in 1981 where the Odhams print works used to be, home to about 7,000 people.

For a list of street name origins in Covent Garden, see: Street names of Covent Garden.

Governance

The Covent Garden area used to be managed by Westminster Abbey and was part of the parish of St Margaret. Later, it was moved to St Martin in the Fields, and then split between St Paul Covent Garden and St Martin. In time, it became part of different boroughs, first the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster and then the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn.

Today, Covent Garden is in the London boroughs of Westminster and Camden. It is part of the Cities of London and Westminster and Holborn and St Pancras areas for elections.

Economy

Covent Garden Market reopened in 1980 as a shopping place with restaurants and a pub. The main hall has shops, cafes, and bars, along with stalls selling antiques, jewelry, clothing, and gifts. There are also casual stalls in the Jubilee Hall Market on the south side of the square. In 2010, the world’s largest Apple Store opened in The Piazza. Long Acre has clothes shops and boutiques, and Neal Street is famous for its many shoe shops. You can also find the London Transport Museum and the side entrance to the Royal Opera House here. In the late 1970s and 1980s, the Rock Garden music venue was popular with new punk rock and new wave artists.

The market buildings and other structures in Covent Garden were bought by Capital & Counties Properties (now Shaftesbury Capital) together with GE Real Estate in August 2006 for £421 million. The buildings are rented to the Covent Garden Area Trust, who pay a small yearly rent of one red apple and a bunch of flowers for each lease, and the Trust makes sure the buildings are protected from major changes. In March 2007 CapCo also bought the shops under the Royal Opera House. The whole Covent Garden Estate owned by CapCo covers 550,000 sq ft (51,000 m²), and as of 2025, its value is £2.7 billion.

Landmarks

Royal Opera House

Main article: Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House, also called "Covent Garden", was built as the "Theatre Royal" in 1732. For many years, it was mainly used for plays. In 1734, the first ballet was performed there, and soon after, famous composer Handel began his first season of operas. Many of his works were written especially for this place and had their first performances here. Since 1945, it has been home to The Royal Opera, and since 1946, to the Royal Ballet.

The current building is the third one on the same site, after two earlier buildings were destroyed by fires in 1808 and 1857. The outside design and main hall come from 1858, but most of the building was updated in the 1990s at a cost of £178 million. The main hall is very important and protected. An old hall next door was added, creating a big new public space.

Covent Garden Piazza

The central square in Covent Garden is called "Covent Garden" or "Covent Garden Piazza". It was designed and built in 1630 and was London's first modern square. It started as an open space with low fences. From around 1635, important people lived around the square. A market began on the south side, and by 1830, the current market building was constructed. The square is popular with street performers who perform there after getting permission. The square was built when the Earl of Bedford asked Inigo Jones to design houses and a church around a former garden. Jones used ideas from modern towns in Europe. The square became a model for new housing developments in London.

Covent Garden market

The first mention of a market in Covent Garden was in 1654. In 1670, the Earl of Bedford got permission from Charles II to create a fruit and vegetable market. The original market had wooden stalls and sheds, which became messy. In 1813, an act of Parliament was passed to organize the market better, and in 1830, a new building was designed. The market moved to a new location in 1974 due to traffic problems, and the old building became a shopping center in 1980, with cafes, pubs, and shops.

The London Transport Museum opened in part of the old flower market buildings in 1980. It shows many old buses, trams, and trains from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as items related to public transport in London.

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Main article: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

The current Theatre Royal on Drury Lane is the latest of four theaters. The first opened in 1663, making it London's oldest working theater. For much of its early history, it was one of London's main theaters for plays. The first building burned down in 1672, and a larger one was built. That building lasted nearly 120 years before being replaced in 1794. However, it too burned down in 1809. The building that stands today opened in 1812. It has been home to many famous actors and performers over the years. Since 2008, it has been owned by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and mainly stages popular musicals.

London Transport Museum

Main article: London Transport Museum

The London Transport Museum is in a large iron and glass building on the east side of the market square. It was built in 1871 as a flower market and became the museum's home in 1980. The museum shows many old buses, trams, and trains from the 19th and 20th centuries, along with items about how public transport developed and its effect on the city.

St Paul's Church

Main article: St Paul's, Covent Garden

St Paul's Church, also called the Actors' Church, was built in 1633. It became a separate church in 1645. Some parts of the original building may still be there, but much of it was rebuilt after a fire in 1795.

Bow Street Magistrates' Court building

Main articles: Bow Street Magistrates' Court and Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice

The Bow Street Magistrates' Court building opened in 1881. It was used for both local court cases and important national cases. The police station part closed in 1992, and the court closed in 2006. The building was turned into a hotel and a museum about local police history, which opened in 2021.

Freemasons' Hall

Main article: Freemasons' Hall, London

Freemasons' Hall is the main meeting place for Freemason groups in London. It has been used for this purpose since 1775. The building, with its Art Deco style, is open to visitors and is also used for films and television shows.

Historical diversity

London newspapers from the 1700s and 1800s show that people of African and Asian heritage, both free and enslaved, lived and worked in Covent Garden. One story tells of a young woman named Sarah who ran away from her enslaver, Mary Vernon, in 1746. Sarah was about twenty years old and had a mark on her shoulder. She spoke good English and took some of her clothes when she left.

Mary Vernon was connected to a family that had ties to Jamaica, where enslaved people were common. It was not unusual for people in high positions, like navy leaders, to bring enslaved individuals back to Britain with them. The mark on Sarah’s shoulder may have shown she belonged to a Vernon family in Jamaica before she came to Britain.

Culture

The Covent Garden area is famous for its entertainment and shopping. It has 13 theatres and over 60 pubs and bars, mostly south of Long Acre, near the old market. The Seven Dials area in the north was home to a popular music club in 1977 and still attracts young people with its trendy shops.

Street performers have been a part of Covent Garden for a long time. In 1662, a diary mentioned the first show there. Today, performers audition for timed slots around the market, with shows happening every day except Christmas Day.

Covent Garden has many historic pubs and bars, some of which have won awards for their special interiors. These places have interesting histories and are enjoyed by visitors and locals alike.

The area is also home to many well-known restaurants, some dating back to the 1700s. These restaurants offer food from around the world and have become famous in their own right.

Covent Garden has inspired many stories and songs over the years. Characters from famous books and plays, like Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady, are connected to the market. Movies and documentaries have also featured the daily life of Covent Garden.

In 2022, a new cinema called The Garden Cinema opened in Parker Street. Designed in Art Deco style, it offers special events and partnerships with film festivals. Its opening was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has since become a popular spot for film lovers.

Transport

Covent Garden tube station is located at the corner of Long Acre and James Street. It is served by Piccadilly line trains, which connect the area to important places in Central London like King's Cross St Pancras, South Kensington, and Heathrow Airport. The station opened in 1907 and is one of the few in Central London where you can only get to the platforms using lifts or stairs.

The trip from Covent Garden to Leicester Square is the shortest tube ride in London, less than 300 yards. Leicester Square station is on the Piccadilly and Northern lines. The Northern line takes you directly to places such as Waterloo, Euston, and Camden Town.

Other nearby tube stations are Charing Cross, Embankment, and Holborn. Charing Cross is the closest National Rail station to Covent Garden.

More than 30 London Buses routes run around Covent Garden, though no buses go directly through the area since the RV1 route was stopped in 2019.

The Quietway 1 cycle route goes through Covent Garden. It is marked and uses quieter roads or special cycle lanes. The route goes north towards Bloomsbury, and south to the Strand and Waterloo Bridge, passing Bow Street.

The Santander Cycles bike sharing scheme works in Covent Garden, with several places to pick up and drop off bikes.