London
Town Guide


Shaftesbury Avenue

W1
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus


Shaftesbury Avenue runs from New Oxford Street at its northern end, to Piccadilly Circus in the south. It dates from the 1870s when, like Charing Cross Road, it was built as a thoroughfare between the districts of Piccadilly and Bloomsbury.

It was named after the philanthropist the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, in whose memory the Statue of Eros was erected.

By 1907 six theatres had opened along the Shaftesbury Avenue, and to this day it is its association with the stage that the Avenue is most famous for. In fact it is often regarded as the very heart of London's West End theatre-land.

Today there are seven theatres, some of which date back to 1907, and two cinemas along its length. Examples of the theatres include the Apollo Theatre, the Palace Theatre and the Shaftesbury Theatre.



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