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Covent
Garden Market & Piazza
At
the heart of the Covent Garden piazza lies the famous
market, designed in 1632 by Inigo Jones and now
visited by 30 million tourists each year. The large
glass covered building comprises several arcades
of fashionable boutiques, cafés and an arts
and crafts, the Apple
Market.
In the open piazza jugglers, mime artists, variety
acts and musicians delight and amaze the crowds.
Restaurants, cafés and bars line the piazza,
offering great views of this daily spectacle.
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Street
Entertainers
Covent Garden is the only area of London licensed
for street entertainment and as such attracts
performers from around the world.
For an insight into the life of a Covent Garden
street entertainer, we asked for a first-hand
account of what it takes to perform on that
famous piazza.
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History
Now one of London's most popular tourist attractions,
for much of its existence Covent Garden served
as a fruit and vegetable market - the largest
in England - which covered the whole of the
square and occupied many of the buildings.
The wholesale produce has now moved to New
Covent Garden Market in south London and
the original site has been transformed beyond
all recognition.
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Royal
Opera House
The Royal Opera House, just off the north piazza,
was built in 1809 on the site of a theatre dating
back to 1732.
A fire destroyed that building in 1857 but it was
replaced within a year by the present House which,
after two year's renovation, reopened in 2000 to
high acclaim.
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Restaurants,
Pubs and Bars
A string of restaurants and cafés stretch
out around Covent Garden piazza and the streets
beyond with a choice of cuisine from around
the globe.
Use coventgardenlife.com to book online and
at selected restaurants enjoy exclusive special
offers.
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