Charing Cross Road
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Image:London Charing Cross Road.jpgCharing Cross Road is a London street which runs north from Trafalgar Square to St Giles' Circus (the intersection with Oxford Street) and then becomes Tottenham Court Road. It is so called because it leads from Charing Cross. The original Charing Cross was erected by Edward I as one of the crosses which marked the route of his wife's body - Queen Eleanor of Castile - to London.
It is renowned for its specialist and second-hand bookshops. The section from Leicester Square tube station to Cambridge Circus is home to specialist shops such as Zwemmer's (art books), Murder One (bookshop) (crime books and romances) and Comic Showcase. Most of these shops are on the ground floor of a housing block owned by a housing association, and in around 2001 the association decided to raise the rents sharply to move them closer to the market level. This was opposed by the book dealers, who felt that they were providing a valuable service and contributing to the character of the area, and should not be treated in this way by a not-for-profit body such as a housing association. The association's counter argument was that if the booksellers did not pay a market rent they were being subsidised by its low income tenants. The booksellers attracted considerable public support and a reduced rent increase was imposed, but several of the bookshops have closed nonetheless. More second-hand bookshops can be found on the nearby Cecil Court.
Image:Soho foyles bookshop 1.jpg The top section from Cambridge Circus has more generalist shops such as Borders, Blackwell's and Foyles. Also notable are the music shops on Denmark Street (also known as Tin Pan Alley).The music venue the Astoria is also located here as is St Martin's Arts College. A number of theatres can also be found here.
A long-standing correspondence between New York based author Helene Hanff and the staff of a real-life bookstore located on the street, Marks & Co., was the inspiration for the book 84 Charing Cross Road (1970). In 1986 the novel was made into a film with Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins. The book has also been produced as a play and a BBC radio drama. 84 Charing Cross Road has not been a bookstore for many years (the address is currently an All Bar One). There is however, a brass plaque marking the site where Marks & Co. used to be.
At the road's southern end is a statue of Edith Cavell.
Charing Cross Road is also the site of the Leaky Cauldron in J K Rowling's fantastically popular Harry Potter series (mentioned in the 6th book).The pub, bartended by a man named Tom, is a gathering place for magical folk and provides housing as well. There is a passageway in the courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron that leads to Diagon Alley, where magical folk shop surreptitiously.
External links
Further reading
- Book Lovers' London
- READER, Lesley (Metro Publications, paperback, 2nd edition 2002 ISBN 1902910133, 3rd edition 2005 ISBN 1902910265)he:דרך צ'רינג קרוס