Covent Garden, London

Covent Garden is synonymous with class, style and diversity. Nowhere else in London will you find so many shops and attractions, and while you explore the area, you will witness many remarkable street performances, because Covent Garden is the unofficial home of British performing arts. This position is strengthened by the Royal Opera House, also located in Covent Garden. It is home to the Royal Orchestra of the Opera House, the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera. Moreover, Covent Garden is home to the stars with its Avenue of Stars in front of St. Paul's Church. This is the London counterpart of Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
There are over 1000 restaurants in Covent Garden, featuring every type of world cuisine. Covent Garden features a wide variety of stores selling antiques, crafts, arts, gifts and souvenirs. This district is also among the oldest of London, with many historical monuments and landmarks.
The district of Covent Garden is located near the centre of London, bordering with Westminster City to the east. Covent Garden has acquired the reputation of London's party district because of the many entertainment venues here. There was a fruit, vegetable and flower market in Covent Garden until 1974, when it was moved to Nine Elms. It is now known as New Covent Garden Market. It had become a symbol of Covent Garden, as it was here for over four centuries.
This area was settled back in Roman times. Initially it was known as Convent Garden, which obviously underwent phonetic transformations. Covent Garden emerged in the 13th century, during the reign of King John. St. Peter's Convent was located in this area in medieval times, and over time its kitchen developed into a food garden of sorts. In 1540 King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and took control of all their property, which included the garden.
The garden was redesigned on the order of Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford, in the 17th century. He commissioned eminent Renaissance architect Inigo Jones, who drew inspiration from the piazzas in Italy and created a vast open space at the heart of the garden. This area soon became a centre of commerce, and toward the end of the 17th century this part of the garden had become the most important marketplace in England. Products from all parts of the world were delivered and sold here. The market's fame attracted many artists to Covent Garden, which is why this district is the only one authorized to hold street performances in London today. By the mid-20th century the rising traffic was obstructing access to the market, to a degree that the entire district was faced with redevelopment. In 1973 the buildings around the market square were given special status to prevent them from being demolished. The traffic problem motivated the decision to move the market. Covent Garden lost its symbol. In the 1980s the square transformed into a mall and tourist attraction. Indeed, there are plenty of places to shop not only around the square but throughout the district. The most famous shopping streets are Neal Street, with many shoe stores, and Long Acre, featuring a myriad of fashion boutiques.
A major attraction in Covent Garden is the Transport Museum. The building was completed in 1872 and used to be part of the market.
Today it preserves and exhibits the city's transport history. Rail vehicles, trams, buses and other transport facilities are on display. Interactive shows are also held. These are a delight to children visiting the museum. Unfortunately it closed down for renovation in 2005, and will be reopened in 2007.
Covent Garden has been immortalized by George Bernard Shaw in his masterpiece, Pygmalion, and by Alfred Hitchcock in his film Frenzy.